The Channel Management Shuffle
Laura Faught - December 23, 2005

Introduction

We've all been there at one time or another, in a crowded place or driving while holding a cell phone to our ear in a tight embrace—and why? Because the automated attendant on the other end of the line can not quite make out our "command" to her (or him?) ... usually because of the tiniest bit of background noise or maybe she or he is just having a bad day ... whether it's trying to book a flight, find out the status of a flight, or check the status of an order or place a new order, the frustration can be massive. The flight from Atlanta to Austin can be twisted into the flight from Atlanta to Boston, and incorrect information given out to the unsuspecting party or the maze of options, keys to press, frequent flyer, or shopper numbers to enter can be daunting. And, let's not forget the other frequent headache that many of us encounter daily—trying to return an item purchased online to the retail store ... only to be told "sorry, but we don't stock or accept that item here". And, how many times have you received an "invitation" in the mail to join a "frequent somebody" program that you are already a member of? And last, the age old nightmare of trying to get reliable tech support for that laptop or camera we recently purchased only to be put on hold (or bounced around to countless different "desks") for an extended period of time and when we do get a "live individual", they are fifteen time zones away and speak another language as their "mother tongue" with English as a distant second. A very distant second...