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Stories Tagged as

Customer service

Calling customer service? Good luck speaking to a human.

by Kai Ryssdal and Sofia Terenzio
Sep 23, 2024
To reach a human representative, some companies have started charging a premium. Those unwilling to pay will have to stick with the bots.
One reason companies have replaced human customer service representatives? Bots are cheaper, says Emily Stewart at Business Insider.
Shaun Heasley/Getty Images
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Artificial intelligence will impact workplaces and cost some workers their jobs

by Samantha Fields
Jul 27, 2023
A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute says some will lose their jobs and low-wage workers are the most likely to be hit.
Lower-paid jobs, like those in food service, are more likely to disappear because of AI and automation. Some already have.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Has "unusually high call volume" become the norm for customer service?

by Savannah Peters
Jul 27, 2023
Service lines were swamped early in the pandemic, and many overseas call centers shut down. Companies want you to go online instead.
“Please remember there’s another human being on the other end of that phone,” said one customer service representative.
Richard Pohle/WPA Pool via Getty Images
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Frontier Airlines hangs up on customer service by telephone

by Samantha Fields
Nov 28, 2022
Dial the number, and a recorded message refers you to the website or mobile app. That could alienate some customers, one analyst says.
Frontier Airlines will handle customer service through an online chat service and its app.
Michael Francis McElroy/Getty Images
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COVID-19

It can be stressful to be a customer-service rep right now

by Kristin Schwab
May 1, 2020
They're dealing with high call volumes, difficult questions and chatty customers.
A worker at a call center. Many companies are trying to satisfy customer demand with online solutions.
Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images
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Comcast’s new call center is stuffed with Silicon Valley-style perks. Will that help its customer service problem?

by Miles Bryan
Oct 28, 2019
The Delaware office is part of the cable company’s $1 billion push to improve its customer relations.
Call center employees can decompress around a turtle and fish-stocked pond.
Miles Bryan/Marketplace
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My Economy

A small bike shop with a big, customer-first idea

by Bennett Purser
Sep 10, 2019
HubBub Bicycles specializes in something you can't easily buy online.
Diane and Brian Jenks riding their tandem bicycle on a trip to Israel.
Courtesy of Diane Jenks
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A broken guitar, a YouTube video and a new era of customer service

by Tommy Andres
Jul 5, 2019
Canadian musician Dave Carroll looks back on the viral hit that made United Airlines sit up and listen.
Dave Carroll, the Canadian musician who used music (and the internet) to make United Airlines reflect on its customer service.
Courtesy of Dave Carroll
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Toys R Us plots its return ahead of the holiday season

by Justin Ho
Jun 24, 2019
Toys “R” Us could reportedly be coming back as soon as this year, but it probably won’t resemble the old big box chain.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
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7 tips for solving your airline customer service problems

by Marketplace Contributor
Jun 2, 2017
Travel aficionado Mark Orlowski shares advice on how to make traveling just a bit more smooth.
Travelers wait in long lines to speak with airline ticket agents in the United terminal at San Francisco International Airport.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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