I don't know about you, but I love that I can conduct banking 
transactions online such as transfer money between accounts, check my balance, print out a statement, and pay bills. I kinda like this new age of do-it-yourself service - to an extent. I still expect great service when I have to deal with a human - that expectation is never going to go away. Regardless, I still believe that human service is much better than computerized service.
According to an article at NetImperative, customers like me are looking for more control over their transactions. A study done by Intervoice, a voice and information solutions firm, found that people would be more inclined to switch service providers if the company offered more "self-service". The study included 1,200 people from the UK to see how customers' expectations are changing. They also found that 42% of the people on average are less likely to stick to a brand compared to five years ago.
Related Post:
The Self-Service Revolution
I love self service for the mundane things instead of heading down to where ever to deal with the in sensitivity of a business policy that cares more about the business than me and people who, for the most part, are just insensitive.
But even with that as an option people would rather deal with real live people. Why because they are more reassuring, real, and able to answer at the moment questions. Did I mention real.
I do agree with the study to a point except I doubt if they were given the human interaction as a compaerative alternative. When working or quoting studies like this you will almost always find built in biasis because they are trying to support their product. All their studies and surveys will be set up to do just that.
Always remember people will always deal with people first.
Posted by: Tim Whelan | July 2, 2006 11:03 PM | Permalink to Comment