The Benefits of Real-Live Customer Service

I can identify with most of the points Gary Hamel makes in his WSJ Online blog Management 2.0 post titled 'Your Call is Important to Us. Yeah, Sure.' I've had a few similar calls recently with my broadband service provider. His article also got me thinking about how HR handles internal inquiries about problems, issues and questions.

HR departments, like many retail stores, are now expecting employees and managers to serve themselves. There are fewer real people at the check-out lines and more u-scan/u-pay stations. Getting to a real person in HR can be difficult – why not just send an email or visit the FAQ (or Wiki or whatever) at the HR web site instead?

Why? Because sometimes the answer isn't in the FAQ, can't be found on the web site, or is more complicated than the standard approaches are designed to handle. Sometimes people want to know they are being heard and appreciated by another human being.

Why not make it easier for people to contact a real person in HR? Sure, make self-service easy and promote it as the preferred option - you could even implement EIC - but also make real-live HR people available to work with employees and managers. It will take some time, but two important things will also happen: People will appreciate the gesture and that builds good will; and your HR staff will also make connections and learn from those who bring the questions.