I dislike self service check-out tills at supermarkets. On the occasions I’ve used them, something goes wrong and I end being bullied by a machine and patronised by the assistant on hand to solvep roblems. Poor old soul, they think.
This trend of machine taking over from people has been particularly effective in banking. We have all become used to getting cash from ahole-in-the-wall and, even if you visit a bank, you are quite likely to conduct your business by machine rather than speaking to a person.
Barclays have, apparently, attempted to re-humanise the process by naming their machines Sally, Mike and Jake.
Slip your card in the slot and you could get a message saying: “Hello, I am Sally, here’s what I can do for you.”
Unfortunately,you have no choice as to whether you get a man or a woman. There is no button saying: “Actually, I prefer to talk to a bloke.”
I can see this invasion of machines expanding. Brian the Robot is already a television star for Confused.com and has his own website.
Internet shopping is on the increase and Amazon, for one, say they are going to be delivering parcels by drones in the near future, removing all human contact from the process.
Petrol stations offer the option to fill up the car by card without going to a till. Train tickets come out of a slot but can’t provide any answers as to whether you change at Crewe.
I don’t have to see anyone when I vote because mine is postal. Before long, diners will press a button to choose a meal which will be delivered through a service window by their table.
Bars could operate the same way and customers wanting to chat over a pint in the pub will have the choice of Brian the Robot or Sally from Barclays.
About the only area of life where a personal touch can be guaranteed is from telephone cold callers talking about solar panels, payment protection or industrial hearing loss.
”Pardon?I can’t hear you. I suffer from industrial hearing loss.”
Anyone wanting human contact should keep these sales people on the line, enquire about their families, what the weather is like in Mumbai and have them hang on while you make a cup of tea.
Keep them on the line for an hour and save somebody else the pain and I’ll put up with self-service tills.
