Customer service revolution

Innovation doesn’t just mean modern wonders like self-driven cars, social media and thinking machines. It’s also led to a revolution in customer service. Even offline, consumers buy products and solve customer service issues in a qualitatively different manner than in the past. From Apple stores to check out lines at the grocery store, innovation is changing the way the average American does business.

When visiting an Apple store, customers almost universally report a unique shopping experience. Gone are the days of pushy salesmen and high-pressure tactics. Instead, Apple has their wares laid out for you to play around with as long as you like. When you decide you want to buy, you can use the very device you’re considering buying to summon a salesman. One of those laidback salespeople will come over, answer your questions, ring you up and send you a receipt -- via email, of course.

The revolution in customer service is so ubiquitous that we sometimes scarcely notice it. ATMs make talking to a banker a rare event. Debit and credit cards interface with ATMs, but also remove the need to visit them. When going to the grocery store, you have the option to check yourself out. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and others allow you to view movies in your home without trekking to the nearest video store. Even the phone calls you make to a customer service department often don’t involve a real person.

Of course, with any innovation there are both pros and cons to the new technology. While the Apple store couples flesh-and-blood customer service with high tech, it’s worth pondering how many people have been put out of a job by innovations in customer service. When calling a customer service line, how many times have you found yourself gruffly barking “agent!” into the mouthpiece, desperately trying to get a real person on the phone? Some CVS locations have moved entirely over to self-checkout, making it difficult to find customer service when you need it and a chore for those who prefer to have others check them out.

While all this technological customer service has made things a little less personal, there are definite benefits. Need cash at 3 a.m. on a Sunday? No problem -- the ATM has you covered. Suffer from social anxiety? You won’t be panicking while in line at the grocery store anymore. Netflix, Amazon and Hulu offer far more films than a physical video store ever could, and the films are far easier to find. Such services also bring top-quality cinema to places previously more devoid of culture. It’s hard to imagine that many video stores in small towns boasted entire collections of Truffaut or Godard.  

But, unsurprisingly, the Apple stores nail the sweet spot. You don’t have to deal with people if you don’t want to, but there are always more than enough customer service agents lounging around eager to help. After a brief greeting and request to help, the customer service reps back off and let you do the shopping, a fitting sales process for what is arguably the world’s most popular toy manufacturer. Summon one and they’ll be over lickety split, thoroughly trained in product knowledge to help you get what you need, even if it’s not necessarily what you think you want.

In the world of tech and innovation, people can often be left out of the equation. Nowhere is this truer than in the realm of customer service. However, Apple, in its infinite wisdom has found a way to balance the use of technological innovations with the need for real human interaction. Here’s to hope that other enterprises take note.