We want to say goodbye to the attendant robots – 06/27/2023 – Maria Inês Dolci

May the chatbots forgive me, but consumers can no longer bear to be served by robots. Senacon (National Secretariat for Consumer Protection) will be right if he even works for the repeal of the SAC decree, a possibility that has already been disclosed. Goodbye, little robots, we want to be taken care of by human beings.

Article 6 of the CDC (Consumer Defense Code) ensures the right to “adequate and clear information about the different products and services, with correct specification of quantity, characteristics, composition, quality, incident taxes and price, as well as the risks to present”.

Clear information is something that little robots cannot provide, because they are programmed for a very simple step by step. Result: the consumer loses time and patience, until he is transferred to a real attendant. The use of chatbots reduces costs for the companies that use them, but it worsens customer service.

Consumers have had great difficulties in accessing communication channels to forward demands to companies. There are differences in the telephone numbers indicated for contact (some are almost hidden), and the service provided by the robots is precarious.

There are other indirect ways to improve customer service, such as improving the FAQ area – answers to frequently asked questions. The more options and details, the better for the consumer. This can really save simple questions from taking up a real agent’s time.

Another way to reduce contacts is to improve communication of readjustments, service changes, tariffs, etc. For example, in the case of the Netflix password sharing charge, the notice should have been in place well before it went into effect, with much more detail. This explanation ended up being made by the media, but it was up to the streaming operator.

Good, simple, direct and objective contracts also help the customer to better understand what they are paying for. Withholding information to avoid questioning has the opposite effect. Angry and dissatisfied, people call to get more data and complain about the supplier’s neglect.

Instruction manuals also need to be improved. They should start with the most frequently asked questions, in simple and accessible language. And, please, with bigger letters and numbers, because the Brazilian population is aging. A good way to assess the quality and understandability of a manual is to submit it to lay consumers before making it public.

There is also no point in using professional, highly technical or specialized jargon. If it is essential to use these terms, explain in parentheses what they mean. Similarly, translate words into other languages. If applicable, use figures to better explain certain functions of a product or the characteristics of a service.

Misinformation and putting a little robot to pay for the duck is a bad tactic. Service for humans has to be done by humans, period.

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