Albertson is your store. No wonder you just walked in, took the items, and walked out (after paying the machines).
I still remember having lunch at Woolworth, or stopping at full-serve stations back East.
“coffee refill?” ” oil check?” We are heading toward a self-serve nation (or as in a recent feature in the WSJ, a Retail applicant outsourced his job search to an online resume service in India. The service uses automated software that sent his resumes to, among other things, adult entertainment companies.)
Back to customer service.
Not only customers bring friends, they are also an important part in the feedback loop (for future product development and marketing).
Face time is important. And productive face time is expensive.
Even in our hyper-connected world, people are still isolated and lonely.
The neighborhoods have changed. Old friends have moved on.
So we bowl and golf alone.
We time shift, LinkedIn with people who start their days when we end ours.
The last thing a tired worker needs is to argue with or be harassed by a machine “put your item in the bin”? I thought I did (I found out there was a scale underneath, so leave your bag there, not on the floor).
Meanwhile, I-phones, cosmetic items and travel kits are sold via vending machines.
I can understand the necessity of acquiring these in a hurry, let’s say in an airport.
But neighborhood groceries should foster a sense of community, where we look someone in the eyes, or start a quick conversation (weather, news event, or just venting).
On Charlie Rose, Stephanopoulos said when he interviewed people, he observed their silence, their non-verbal communication.
We still walk around inside our bodies. And we will send our signals via facial muscles and body gestures.
This means we still need a person on the receiving end to decode.
Yes, it’s expensive. But, it’s worth it.
Nordstrom and Four Seasons know this.
Giving people what they want, how they want it. While technology enhances efficiency, a customer-centric organization always wins and keep its customers. Maybe, I should skip the automated resume-blasting company.
Why relying on poor salesmanship to sell me, when I can do it better and save money. Out with the mechanistic transaction (we already got Amazon), and in with “Hi, how is your day?”.
Thang Nguyen 555 