5 ms·

I have to disagree with some of the implications of the article. Older people (baby boomers or older) like my parents or mother and father in-law immediately lo

I have to disagree with some of the implications of the article. Older people (baby boomers or older) like my parents or mother and father in-law immediately look for a phone number when they encounter an issue because they "don't trust computers to be as up-to-date as a real, live person" (summarization). This tendency seems to decrease as a person becomes faster at looking up information online, but even my father that's in IT will still reach for a phone if he can't figure out what he's looking for within a minute. For myself, the resistance to calling is because of the dreaded wait time in a call queue. It should also be noted that while the statistics unequivocally show a trend upwards in use of non-phone support channels, this still leaves roughly 40%+ of interactions by phone at the moment. The other important implication is that when customers do happen to call you, it will increasingly be because all other sources failed first which means your call center should be moving towards higher-skilled problem solvers than mostly tier 1 / level 1 support agents that might as well be replaced with an AI but aren't because voice systems are expensive for the results in conversation. My fundamental point is that you while you should understand general trends, you should validate against your organization. AARP probably should not think about dropping half their phone agents exactly, but maybe they should revisit the idea in another 4 years as the general population becomes more educated and the technology-handicapped pass on.

bsder 11y ago
The under-25 generation seems to be actually terrified to have to ... gasp ... TALK to somebody. Many of them will sit and wait for 2 days after ordering something online when something is available 5 minutes away at a brick and mortar store. I don't get it. I guess I'm just old.
- SolaceQuantum 11y ago
  Have you considered the things online tend to be cheaper than objects in the brick and mortar store? For many things, especially- textbooks (typical need to buy for college-going under 25 people), car parts, electronics, and certain interests like yarn, woodworking tools, aromatherapy, sports equipment?
- CalRobert 11y ago
  I'm old (33). I LOVE talking to my friends. Family. Interesting folks at the pub. People of all sorts on the bus. I don't particularly love talking to somebody about why their system isn't working or how some bizarre thing I need to do is a corner case they never addressed. I doubt most people do. Re: local stores Keep in mind that "5 minutes away" to you might be 30 minutes away for someone else, since we don't all have the same means of getting around. I prefer a bicycle - but if you live in suburban sprawl that means you can't really do much of anything in 5 minutes. Also, most people underestimate how long it takes to make a run to the store. If you do drive, it can easily be a minute or two getting to the car, buckled in, etc. . It's 5 (more likely 10-15 minutes) minutes getting there, and then you're in the store and have to find the thing, if it's even in stock. Wait in line to buy it. Drive home. It adds up. The next time you think you're making a 5 or 10 minute trip to the store, time how long the whole process takes and see how long it actually is. If I don't need something immediately and I can't walk or cycle to a familiar store for it I probably am buying it online.
- joshstrange 11y ago
  > The under-25 generation seems to be actually terrified to have to ... gasp ... TALK to somebody. No I don't like talking to customer service, their english is normally subpar but that's not even the worst part, they ask you to verify identity with every transfer (and after you verified it through their phone system). Phone lines often drop for no good reason throwing you back to square one. I'm not terrified to talk to someone, I'm terrified I'll spend an hour on the phone and NEVER talk to anyone (Hello IRS). > Many of them will sit and wait for 2 days after ordering something online when something is available 5 minutes away at a brick and mortar store. 5 minutes? Hahaha. I have to go down 16 floors (elevator but still), find my car in the parking garage, then drive through traffic where the closest grocery store is 10 min away and tech/superstore is 20 min away then I have to go in the store, find what I want, stand in line, and buy it. OR I can order it on the couch in my pajamas and have it cheaper and delivered to my door. > I don't get it. I guess I'm just old. You might be old but that's not the issue. You must live next door to every store you ever need to buy things from and call companies that answer with a real understandable human on the first ring.
  - iofj 11y ago
    Having started out, during studies, as a tech support agent for an ISP, as I imagine a lot of people have here, companies don't like support calls either. The vast majority are either dumb (trivial problem like misspelling username), unreasonable (demanding a truck roll because "their latency went up by 2ms", download speed going down, ...), shouting or combinations of the above. Treating callers that call about a product like adults is an expensive mistake for companies.

bsder 11y ago

The under-25 generation seems to be actually terrified to have to ... gasp ... TALK to somebody. Many of them will sit and wait for 2 days after ordering something online when something is available 5 minutes away at a brick and mortar store. I don't get it. I guess I'm just old.

SolaceQuantum 11y ago
Have you considered the things online tend to be cheaper than objects in the brick and mortar store? For many things, especially- textbooks (typical need to buy for college-going under 25 people), car parts, electronics, and certain interests like yarn, woodworking tools, aromatherapy, sports equipment?
CalRobert 11y ago
I'm old (33). I LOVE talking to my friends. Family. Interesting folks at the pub. People of all sorts on the bus. I don't particularly love talking to somebody about why their system isn't working or how some bizarre thing I need to do is a corner case they never addressed. I doubt most people do. Re: local stores Keep in mind that "5 minutes away" to you might be 30 minutes away for someone else, since we don't all have the same means of getting around. I prefer a bicycle - but if you live in suburban sprawl that means you can't really do much of anything in 5 minutes. Also, most people underestimate how long it takes to make a run to the store. If you do drive, it can easily be a minute or two getting to the car, buckled in, etc. . It's 5 (more likely 10-15 minutes) minutes getting there, and then you're in the store and have to find the thing, if it's even in stock. Wait in line to buy it. Drive home. It adds up. The next time you think you're making a 5 or 10 minute trip to the store, time how long the whole process takes and see how long it actually is. If I don't need something immediately and I can't walk or cycle to a familiar store for it I probably am buying it online.
joshstrange 11y ago
> The under-25 generation seems to be actually terrified to have to ... gasp ... TALK to somebody. No I don't like talking to customer service, their english is normally subpar but that's not even the worst part, they ask you to verify identity with every transfer (and after you verified it through their phone system). Phone lines often drop for no good reason throwing you back to square one. I'm not terrified to talk to someone, I'm terrified I'll spend an hour on the phone and NEVER talk to anyone (Hello IRS). > Many of them will sit and wait for 2 days after ordering something online when something is available 5 minutes away at a brick and mortar store. 5 minutes? Hahaha. I have to go down 16 floors (elevator but still), find my car in the parking garage, then drive through traffic where the closest grocery store is 10 min away and tech/superstore is 20 min away then I have to go in the store, find what I want, stand in line, and buy it. OR I can order it on the couch in my pajamas and have it cheaper and delivered to my door. > I don't get it. I guess I'm just old. You might be old but that's not the issue. You must live next door to every store you ever need to buy things from and call companies that answer with a real understandable human on the first ring.
- iofj 11y ago
  Having started out, during studies, as a tech support agent for an ISP, as I imagine a lot of people have here, companies don't like support calls either. The vast majority are either dumb (trivial problem like misspelling username), unreasonable (demanding a truck roll because "their latency went up by 2ms", download speed going down, ...), shouting or combinations of the above. Treating callers that call about a product like adults is an expensive mistake for companies.