As businesses lean more heavily on technology to replace human-centric customer service, consumers are confronting a stark reality: when problems arise or questions need answers, they are often on their own in finding the solution. In this landscape, the effectiveness of customer service often hinges less on a company's support quality and more on the consumer's patience, comfort with technology or sheer determination—factors that vary widely among individuals.
This shift towards automation has led to a growing divide in consumer experiences. Those who are tech-savvy and persistent may navigate these systems with relative ease, while others struggle, feeling frustrated and abandoned. This disparity highlights a critical challenge for companies: balancing technological advancements with the need for accessible, human-centered support.
For many businesses and government agencies, the appeal and cost-efficiency of automating customer service functions are becoming irresistible. Consequently, the decline in service quality is increasingly seen as an unavoidable expense of doing business.
For Fletcher, this trade-off is at odds with our mission. Each phone call is an opportunity to educate someone about unclaimed property and help them understand why their money was turned over to the state. More importantly, a live conversation can be the critical moment where we get to prove this is real.
The general public is hyper-aware of the potential to be scammed. When informed about the possibility of receiving money, many people instinctively suspect it may be too good to be true. In at least half of the phone calls we receive from perspective customers, they are performing their own due diligence into our legitimacy, and speaking with a real person plays a crucial role in establishing that trust.
But aside from frequently asked questions, Fletcher is intimately aware of the many nuances and irregularities that can come into play in any given scenario. And that there isn’t an automated menu large enough to accommodate all of these possibilities. Often times the owner is deceased, opening the door to a myriad of variables and inheritance logistics. Perhaps the owner is a minor or incapacitated. In other instances, the registered owner may be a trust or a defunct business.
Recognizing the limitations of automation, Fletcher prioritizes a personalized approach to address the diverse and intricate situations that automated systems might overlook. By providing expert phone support, Fletcher ensures that each customer receives tailored assistance that accounts for the unique details of their case. This human element not only resolves issues more effectively but also enhances the customer’s experience by reducing frustration and confusion, and in most cases, giving them the instant gratification of having their answers within moments of picking up the phone.
We are aware that this model is increasingly rare. Callers routinely remark at how surprised they are to be speaking to a live person. Fletcher's commitment to providing empathetic support stands in contrast with the trend many businesses are following in customer service. We are also aware that shifting towards automation is not without its benefits. But the truth of the matter is, if our knowledge and expertise cannot be accessed with relative ease, our mission to help owners reclaim their money would be compromised. This would give our customer’s experience too much in common with what they would expect in calling the state government directly. And for that reason alone, doing anything differently than what we continue to do would be unacceptable.