From Retail to Robots: The Evolution of Customer Channels
Once upon a time, customer service meant walking into a building. If you needed to pay a bill, change a booking or renew your licence, you went to the branch down the road. Banks, shops, post offices, council offices — all ran on face-to-face chats and paper forms. It worked, but it came with queues, short hours, and a long drive if you lived out in the wop wops. Then came the phone. In the 80s and 90s, private companies jumped on 0800 numbers and central call centres so you did not have to show up in person. Government got on board too, but it was slower going. Often you still had to ring the right regional office, and sometimes that meant calling three different numbers. For private businesses, the phone was a way to win customers. For government, it was more about easing the pressure on the counter. ...