There’s little question of the importance of communication.
What has become questionable, or at least worth thinking about, is with such an array of options – like email, phone, in-person, written or via social media – why is it still so hard to satisfy a majority of people on the best way to communicate?
These are the questions facing any organization with a public face or persona.
The first interaction for many customers is reception and who picks up the phone. To that end, we really feel for efforts by Mapleton Mayor Neil Driscoll.
Last fall Driscoll campaigned on the idea of communication and the long-standing gripe many had: that when they phoned the township office they got an automated attendant. A few short months into the experiment of a live person answering the phone, council changed course and has gone back to a machine. A staff report suggested frequent callers preferred direct access over dealing with a live receptionist.
Like most good politicians, Driscoll will no doubt accept the ruling of councillors wherein he was the only dissenting vote against returning to the old new way of greeting the public phoning the office.
The annoyance of dealing with machines rather than people is not a new phenomenon. We have heard similar complaints over the years. People dealing with public agencies or big business often express frustration about dealing with automated systems.
Even some small businesses have resorted to the answering machine style of reception as a way to organize incoming calls. While we can see heavy users preferring a direct pipeline to whoever they need to reach, most people can be a little intimidated wading through lists of choices and names.
In fact, far larger organizations like Bell or Rogers employ similar “customer service” strategies that bear little resemblance to what many of us expect as customers. That some of these customer service options have been outsourced overseas aggravates people too.
We still remain intrigued at the proposition that people in today’s world with options coming out the ears, are losing the option to communicate orally. Certainly choosing a machine over a live operator will not necessarily enhance the experience of those wanting to do business with the township.
While we understand the choice, we wonder if organizations are doing themselves a disservice by forgetting the merits of personal attention. Saving money on a live voice and catering to one element of customer over another does little to disparage the notion that most government bodies have become faceless and less customer friendly.
Special thanks to emergency service people
The Labour Day long weekend had more than its share of emergencies.
There were numerous events county wide that once again had citizens relying on skilled and well-trained personnel in a time of crisis.
From major fires and a plane crash to accidents and near death experiences, every time when called upon, local men and women in uniform performed their chores effectively and professionally.
Thank you, service providers, for being there when needed.
