GOMP: Cancelling Chatbot Services | Peter Hughes
Convenience is supposed to be the point of digital services. Yet customer support has taken a strange turn where companies use chatbots as a barrier, not a help. I have decided on a simple rule for myself. If a service makes me talk to a chatbot to cancel, fix an issue, or reach support, I will cancel that service as soon as I can. Chatbots are not the enemy I like automation when it is done well. A good system can remove friction. A strong AI assistant can solve common issues fast, at any hour, without a queue. The problem is that most chatbots are not that. Most are thin scripts with a friendly face. The real issue is intent Many companies are not using chatbots to improve service. They are using them to reduce support cost and deflect human contact. The bot becomes a maze of pre written answers, and the human escape hatch is hidden. That is not support. That is avoidance. What I am choosing instead I will pay for services that respect my time and provide clear routes to resolution. Sometimes that is self service tools. Sometimes it is a well trained bot. Often it is a competent human. But if the design goal is to exhaust me until I give up, you have already lost my trust.
peter.hughes.team