I’m a proponent of email or “forms” contact as well, based on experiences at a non-travel company I work for that’s in the top 20 of the Fortune 500. With email, it’s easier for us to hone in on key complaints to do trend analysis. Are our customers experiencing problems with a new change in policy? Not like a component of service? Well, that gives us key indicators to work on to improve the customer experience. And, in a day in age where there’s so much competition for everyone’s money for goods and services, knowing your customers is extremely powerful.

With calls, and with offshore call centers, how sure are we that the call is being logged for the correct reason? You can flag the call for whatever reason, based on the metrics that are demanded to you by the outsourced call center management. Feign ignorance when they ask you why the call was flagged incorrectly, because, hey, who in their right mind would screen thousands of calls and check on you?

On a personal note, I’d much rather write an email or write a letter. It gives me time to formulate my thoughts in a clear and cohesive manner, and allows me to take the emotion out of my message. I don’t know about you, but if I had to call an offshore center with a few loosely framed talking points, I’d end up at a new level of frustration based on the canned responses expected from such a center.

Other corporate giants such as American, Delta and Disney have already moved in a similar direction, United said.

I wonder if Delta/Northwest will process their vouchers in the U.S. rather than their Indian call center this time and cut down the 10-day time? Heh.

I just saw it, and I agree. It’s an interesting spin compared to the AP story carried by USA Today on which I based this post.

I do hope this will lead to an improvement in customer service at United. I think we all do.

It is true that United will be urging customers to use e-mail or snail mail for both complaints and comments rather than telephoning, and that when they discontinue their customer-relations phone number, United reservations agents will be handling complaints. Perhaps the matter is not quite as dire as Chris seems to feel.

In any event, bringing jobs back to the U.S. from overseas has to be a good thing, given the present economic state of affairs. I’m no fan of United, but I think they’ve done a good thing this time around.

UMMMMM Perhaps it needs to be Federal Fricking Law that every company HAS to offer both phone and email or their executives be arrested.

Imagine how many business owners, especially small ones, will surely complain of being forced to spend more time, money and effort doing that because of such a law, to the point of possibly closing down if it becomes too cost-prohibitive. Can you be expected to do that as well if, say, you run a business yourself, especially if/when it grows?

You can answer you can. But others want to be able to decide on their own how much support they can afford to give, depending on various factors.

IMHO United, or any “big” company that can really afford it, ought to retain the customer phone option. While there’ve been cases where issues were best resolved via email, I’ve had a couple where it was fixed quicker via phone.

Do away the toll-free line if it’s really costing them a lot in their eyes. It’s unfortunate some people talk to “robots” via phone, but I gather many still enjoy talking to a live human being. :)

Therefore, I reject the notion of the digital divide. United is reasonable to expect most of its customer’s to use e-mail for communication. I think though that United should retain an Amerian telephone number for those folks who require immediate assistance and are happy to pay the long distance cost.

This mentality “Let’s just refuse to talk to any customers whatsoever so we don’t have to care” should automatically mean a business gets shut down.

You are in business to provide a service. You shouldn’t be able to stay in business if you refuse to keep it competitive, which means having to listen to feedback and improve.

Anyone who disagrees with this basically is making an argument for fraud and ripoffs and scams and unethical criminal business types doing whatever they want unchecked.

If I had to choose one, I think I might very well pick email support over phone support. However, phone calls do have their place occasionally.

Perhaps United should go the route of their reservations department and charge customers $10 for complaints filed by phone… ;)

I always require complaints, requests for application criteria/rejection, etc., to be submitted in writing for “both of our legal protection.” This is a true statement–I certainly would not want to go in front of a judge in a “he said, she said” with no paper trail–but it is every bit as much about limiting the number of complaints.

When I require someone to put it into writing, that’s asking the person to make an extra effort, and that person will have to decide for him or herself if they really want to know badly enough why they were rejected. Badly enough to actually write a letter, that is. I’ve had hundreds of people ask me by phone why they were rejected. I have not once had someone ask me in writing, as I require.

That’s what UAL is doing here. They are making their customers decide for themselves whether or not their complaint is worth taking the time to write a letter over. I think UAL will find that most consumers, when facing the burden of taking 10 minutes to transfer their complaint to paper, will decide that they weren’t really that upset to begin with.