The Customer Experience Paradox: How Automation Can Make or Break It

With the start of the new year, I reviewed my personal goals and decided to add a couple new accounts to my portfolio. Though I looked at many different financial institutions, and unfortunately, had bad experiences with three out of four, I will relay specifics about two companies which were opposites.

Positive Experience

In the first instance, I filled out an online application. For the parts of the application that were a bit subjective, there were instructions to guide you through the process. Once completed, I hit the submit button and received a message on screen that my application was submitted. Later, I saw that I received an email telling me about the next steps in the process, specifically for the type of account I was applying for, with links to all the information I would need to prepare for and complete the next steps. My account was set up that same day. I received another email confirming the account establishment and next steps. My impression was this process was running like a well-oiled machine. I received information promptly, transparently, and specific to my needs.

Negative Experience

In the second instance, the experience was the opposite. I completed the application easily enough. And I received an email telling me they had received my application, that processing it would take some time, and that I would be notified when my account was open. Later that day, I received two more emails. The first informed me that my phone number was added. I’m not sure where my number was added or why. The phone number was part of my application. The second email informed that my profile information had been updated and instructed me to view my records to see if any information was missing or incorrect by visiting my profile (hyperlinked to site).

It seemed strange that I would need to review my profile. Why would there be errors or missing information? I had filled all the fields in the application. Nevertheless, I followed the link, and the site asked me to login. I used the login information I set up during the application process, but the site told me it was incorrect. I eventually call for tech support. I talked to four people and four departments for over 2 hours before finding a person who could help me. He informed me that I could not access my profile because my account wasn’t yet set up. The others couldn’t even see that I had applied for a new account. I asked why I received an email telling me to verify my profile was correct if I couldn’t access my profile, but he didn’t know.

A week later, after I called back to ask when the account would be opened, I received an email telling me the account was now open and advising me on some next steps. This company advertised its fast turnaround time (same day) for opening new accounts and that is partly why I chose them. But fast turnaround is not what I experienced.

I thought I was across the finish line with the second account but a few days later, I discovered a major bottleneck. There were limitations on the specific transaction I needed to make which wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the application process. I called to see if there was any work around because I couldn’t be the only person affected by this restriction. Every new account owner would be dealing with the same restriction if doing everything virtually. My option was to drive 2.5 hrs. to a physical branch location to resolve the issue.

Summary

Both companies used automated workflows. The first company used it as a strength. I came away impressed with the efficiency but also noted it was still specific to me, as if it were a personal email from someone familiar with my specific needs. The second company used automation very poorly. The automated emails raised more questions than they answered and caused me to invest way more time than should have been needed to understand what was happening and what I needed to do next. When I called customer service for help, it was like dealing with four different companies within a company. One didn’t know what the others were doing and had no visibility of the specific workflow where I was having problems.

The lesson

Automation is great when you use it to enhance the customer experience while also streamlining your operation. Automation is bad when you use it to show efficiency on paper but don’t bother to check what the customer is experiencing.

Businesses thrive or die based on the customer experience. Don’t forget about the customer!