I Was Mistaken For a Robot
By: Lisa Martens
Tags: Automation, Tech, Support, Social Media, Customer Service

I Was Mistaken For a Robot

Photo by Cookie the Pom on Unsplash

Whenever I chat with a support agent, it’s always a little unclear whether or not I’m talking to a human.

And I’ve been on the other side of that. I’ve been in a position where I’m struggling to hit my quota, so I’m using the same text over and over. I’m playing a balancing act between quality and quantity, and the goal posts are always changing. Spend too much time on a case, and I won’t hit my numbers. Go too fast, and risk making a huge mistake…or worse, incurring someone’s Twitter wrath.

It’s never good when the CEO of a company is checking their Twitter and sees an irate customer who is splattering a screenshot of your case all over social. It’s frustrating to be told to go faster and faster, only to be told to relax, take it slow, when you inevitably make a mistake.

Yes, I was mistaken for a robot. But we are continuously asked to be robots.

Two years ago, I ventured out to try to make a living based on being a human. It’s been rocky, to say the least. I try to take jobs where I have to be creative, and where I can’t go on autopilot. It doesn’t always work — a job is a job, after all, and most of us have had to take on jobs that make us feel a little less than human.

Now, I’m convinced that it is humanity that will save us. It’s the annoying stuff that can’t be automated. The nuance.

Here in Costa Rica, where I am now, the bus schedules are all messed up due to COVID-19. The only way to get an accurate bus schedule? Call the company on the phone, or ask a neighbor.

Ask a neighbor. Could you imagine?

Sharing items for free online instead of selling them, giving neighbors tips about where to buy what, and a familiar face on Zoom — the little human touches we crave.

Doesn’t talking to a robot make you mad? Well, then talking to a person acting like a robot is 10x more maddening.

In a quest to streamline customer service, websites are forgetting why we need customer service. And it’s not to just issue a refund, give a fact, or explain how to report someone.

We need customer service because we want our grievances and confusion to be heard and understood by another human being. A good hairdresser doesn’t just cut hair…they have the gift of gab. They make you look and feel good.

Anyone who tries to automate customer service is forgetting that aspect of humanity. Have you heard the typical couple’s fight, where one spouse complains, and the other comes up with a solution?

“I want you to listen to me. I don’t want you to solve my problem for me.”

This is why support agents are miserable, even when you give them gift cards and free pizza and beer. They want real human interactions. They don’t want to feel like a nuisance that you’re determined to replace with a robot. And no one wants to hear the smug reasoning of, “Well, now you can learn another skill.”

I don’t want to learn something I dislike after decades of learning to be creative. I don’t want to treat my hard-earned skills as throwaway skills. I’m human! I like other humans.

Some. People. Like. Talking. To. Others.

Some people like listening to people and helping them. Their joy is a reward. For a people-person, being told they’re a robot is hurtful and demeaning. I would rather avoid being called a robot than receive a free beer.

Humans want other humans to listen — to listen to how many times they tried to turn their profile photo, to no avail; to listen to how they forgot to cancel, and would appreciate the refund; to listen to how excited they are to finally connect with old friends on social media.

This is why support will never be 100% automated. It’s an act of futility. Humans find nuance. They crave it. They don’t simply want their problems solved.

People want to be human. I want people to assume I’m human, too.