It is frustratingly common for companies big and small to think of customer service as a cost rather than an investment. As anyone who has dealt with people i

It is frustratingly common for companies big and small to think of customer service as a cost rather than an investment. As anyone who has dealt with people in a customer facing role knows you will deal with people who think that a five dollar purchase entitles them to fifty dollars worth of service. Automating your way out of dealing with people like that is a very tempting prospect; but it should be avoided. It's possible to do a good job of automating customer service; if you are clear and honest and make it easy to talk to a human being if that is what the customer wants. A book that will change your thinking on the topic is http://www.thesupporteconomy.com/ http://www.thesupporteconomy.com/