Self Service Technology

I am a big advocate of using communication technology to provide more customer self service options. Not only does it offer the customer a faster way to get through routine, mundane transactions, it can really differentiate a business. Being open to do business whenever the customer wants offers a competitive advantage.

But my belief in self service technology was severely tested the other day at Superstore. I used the self serve checkout for the few items I was purchasing. Among them were 4 bags of water softener salt weighing 20kgs each. Each time I scanned the bag, "the voice" demanded I place the item in the bagging area. But there was no room. Each attempt to scan another bag was met with the same response - place the item in the bagging item.

Only after my temperature was rising and frustration level increasing, did the check out person show me where the items should go. On top of this, my credit card failed to process twice.

So what was my conclusion? Self service doesn't work?

This experience reinforced some of the basic assumptions that need to be incorporated whenever a business is adding self service - whether it is at the check out, over the phone or on the web.

1. Don't assume your customer understands the process you are implementing. It may make a lot of sense in the boardroom or to the programmers but does it make sense in practice.

In the above situation, it would be really easy to add a special on screen instruction for oversize or heavy items to place them on the end of the bagging area. And have this area marked.

2. Provide an option for the customer to "escape", especially where the process is caught in a loop. Again, simply repeating the same message without offering a solution just aggravates the customer. The intent is to simplify the process, not antagonize the customer.

3. Make sure the "escape" works. The system does have a help button. But the poor young woman was busy with other customers and never did come to my assistance.

4. Get customer feedback for improvement. While I am sharing this experience with you, Superstore remains blindly unaware of the problem and possible solution.

I still believe self service can enhance the customer experience. But this experience underscores the need to think through the implementation and make adjustments based on real customer experiences.