My understanding from talking to a couple of CS execs is that these have been a slam dunk in terms of ROI because CS agents don’t need to handle type C requests. I expect we’ll only see more as time goes on.
Such as:
"Is your device turned on?"
"Are you logged into the site and not just searching google for the thing your want our application to do?"
"Have you actually purchased our product and not a competitor's you just think is similar?"
Pharmacy Robot: Hello, thanks for calling <pharmacy>. What can I do for you? You can say anything like, "Check pharmacy hours" or "order a refill".
Me: Hi, I have a refill for <specific medication with rules around it> that is due next week but I'll be traveling out of the country to <other country> for a couple of weeks. I need to know what my options are.
Pharmacy Robot: Ok, you want a refill. Please enter the prescription number now.
Me: No, if we try to refill it, the automated system will just reject it. I need to talk to a h...<cut off by robot>
Me: Jesus Christ, do I have to hang up and go through this whole thing ag... <cut off by robot>
Pharmacy Robot: Sorry, I didn't get that number. Using...<cut off by human hanging up>
That's just the most recent one I had. There are often better examples of madness...
That's not correct. I NEVER call without first exhausting every available source because I despise the phone system and it's inefficiencies. Most companies may think they have resources available, but they really don't. And no, just throwing up a zendesk or equivalent "knowledge base" isn't the same as providing tools and manuals/guides/etc.
That said, there is definitely a subset of people for whom calling is step 1 (before even googling). They tend to be older and/or on the tech illiterate side. But if you design and build for the worst-case scenario, you're really screwing over your more self-help customers and even driving them away.
But I once managed to get through to an actual agent with this question:
1. I want to buy a kindle version of this book [amazon link, for the paper version of the book].
2. On the page for the book, there is a link for the kindle edition: [link].
3. That link goes to a page for what appears to be an entirely different book. (Under the same name; this was an edition of the Arabian Nights.)
4. However, I have independently found this page: [link], which appears to be for the kindle version of the book I'm interested in.
5. Given that I want to buy the kindle version of the book linked up in step (1), which one should I purchase?
The agent directed me to buy the book that purported to be the book I wanted, instead of the book that Amazon believed was the book I wanted but which claimed to be something different. I would have assumed that anyway. But a couple days later I checked on the book and the "kindle version" link for the paper version had been corrected.
Unfortunately, while they did correct the issue on the one book that I took the time to point out to them, it's still rampant all over their website.