No route to a human

What it is

Automation is efficient for the cases it was built for. For the rest, such as the unusual problem, the distressed customer or the dispute, the customer needs a person. The risk is that the route to one has been removed, buried or made conditional on getting past the system first. It is common for an assistant to loop, to answer a request to speak to someone with another menu, or to offer a callback that never comes. Design that prevents access is covered in exclusion and inaccessibility; here the customer can use the channel and it will not let go.

How it happens

• Containment within the automated channel is a performance target.
• The option to reach a person appears only after several failed attempts.
• Human teams were reduced when the assistant launched.
• The handover loses the conversation, so the customer starts again.

Why it matters

Problems that need judgement go unresolved, and customers give up on claims or complaints they were entitled to pursue. Regulated firms are expected to give support that does not put unreasonable barriers in a customer's way.

Warning signs

• Customers ask for a person several times in one conversation.
• Abandonment is high at the point where escalation would be expected.
• Waiting times for human contact have grown since launch.
• Complaints mention being stuck in a loop.