For years, I have been advocating self-checkouts in all kinds of places, yet everyone always told me it wasn’t going to catch on. Then back in my London-time, I saw a Tesco in the Bank area that had nearly only self-checkouts and I tried to grasp all the (dis)advantages of the change: less staff – less training – quicker checkouts?… But was it really that? Does it really take less staff and less training, or does it take less staff sitting in tills all day and just a more advanced training to fewer people? Are checkouts really quicker, or does it feel quicker as you are busy checking out?
Then came the era in Luxembourg (finally) where you could buy tickets at cinema online or at small self-checkouts, and along came IKEA and Auchan and more organisations such as Quick. Whilst the first 3 really do seem to make it a quicker experience for me, the 4th was still dependent on the speed of the person serving my order as that process could not be transferred to me.
But the most pressing thought that just popped to my mind is that even if it is not really quicker or more convenient, I’d still have a tendency to just use the machines anyways, as it removes in most cases a variable that is a potentially bigger burden than a potential improvement: customer service!
If I go to IKEA and manage to not speak to any unhappy/overloaded member of staff, yet purchase everything I had planned to, I would consider myself to be very satisfied. Knowing that I might miss out on a potentially terribly friendly and enjoyable person without the machine is less of a problem to me than the risk of having to deal with a foul-mouthed opposite.
Today, whenever I see one of those automated machines, I use it even if the till next to it is free. Call me anti-social, but I’d rather call myself anti-rude-service. Where does that leave us with the paradigm shift? Whilst years back, a valid way to increase custom was to provide good service, today, a valid way could be to automate service and remove the human factor – skynet much? Syndicates, don’t fight for your right for a job, fight for the support required to do a good job!
I guess, and this is my last conclusion for now, that I’d only consider the automated version if I had doubts my employees’ customer service was not up to my own standards. But please, everyone reading this, if you have employees providing bad service, replace them with a machine! 
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Although I know what you mean, I can not fully agree with you. I am usually more anti-social (much more than you anyway
) but when I go shopping, it is the human factor that often makes me choose a place. I agree that in Luxembourg the service part is much neglected or completely absent. This is partly due to the customers who like to spend a lot of money in “chic” boutiques just because the name and don’t seem to request good service. Luxembourgish people are to comfortable to challenge the vendors. Although not always consequent myself, I like to just tell the vendor how rude they are and walk out. They may not care, but if everyone does so, their boss will care at some point.
Now I got lucky enough to travel around a bit, specially to a bit less fortunate countries. What always strikes me and gives me satisfaction is the way people do business (at least in shops) in these countries. The costumer is needed, so they do whatever it takes to get him. Although it might be annoying after some time to have vendors almost throwing things at you, the usual way is for them to welcome you as soon as you enter the shop (even if occupied with another customer) and then ask how he/she can help you. And if he doesn’t have it, you’ll be redirected or some will even go to their neighbor shop and get it for you. That is the reason why I have started to much prefer the small shops in general, because there you are still a customer and not only the annoying variable in a marketing strategy.
Ok, I got a bit long here. Final word would be that I understand your disappointment with vendors, but I prefer to challenge them. And better go to your local small shop, unless you really need the supermarket. I prefer being a human being to being a barcode number. And you should too, as Ubuntu is only for human beings
Cheers
It used to be that customers prefered human interaction over automated service. I can see that is now changing quickly.
I think the preference for an automated service depends on what the customer is buying. It’s all good at Tescos where the customer is buying cheap FMCG’s but what about when the customer is spending a lot of money? I’m surprised you still want automated service at Ikea since most people want to discuss the products with sales people before they make the purchase.
I don’t mind automated service at supermarkets because the service at the checkouts has never been worse at Sainsbury’s and Iceland but I think I still want the option of being able to deal with sales staff at other retail shops.
Also, I want to add that sometimes you need to talk to a person to explain your purchasing needs in order to get what you want. It can get complicated when dealing with a machine. I remember this happening a while ago when trying to buy cinema tickets.
I agree with you fully Rashad, except that you consider IKEA not to be a FMCG
. If I decided to buy expensive furniture, a kitchen, a car, or a round-the-world trip, I’d want to talk to a sales person, even at the risk of them being unfriendly. My purchasing loyalty would be very low though, and friendliness and competence and their opposites would be key in making my decision (as opposed to price/quality being key).
(Anecdote from my local cinema: you can buy the tickets online, they email you, you can see the barcode clearly on the iPhone, but the scanner doesn’t read it…yay – you need to input numbers instead…)
Oli, you’re actually speaking my mind. I just love it when I go shopping in other countries as even in the larger shops, it seems the customer is more appreciated. But my scope here was indeed limited to our lovely Luxiland’s servicescape. I guess it kinda gets to you in some way, so as to apply the same disappointment in service to an international scale…
I just heard a report on how younger people don’t care much for eye-contact anylonger, as the dry internet communication has become more of a standard to them – it might be in parts that too, the ease of transaction without the need of social behaving…
From what I understand, Ikea sell furniture, right? I’ve never been inside any of their stores. Although they may be cheaper than other furniture retailers, the products are still a lot more than those at the supermarket, no?
Can a 14/15 year old boy buy tickets to watch an 18 rated film online? The cinema website wouldn’t be able to catch him out, would it?… See More
Have you been to the cinema in the o2 arena? we wanted to watch the screening in the biggest screen (screen 11) but from what i remember, the machine wouldn’t indicate what screen the film would be showing on. Had to buy the tickets at the box office in the end. Perhaps that was down to poor info provided from the machines but it was solved by talking to the box office people.
on a different note – self checkout machines at tescos are great. i get rid of a ton of 1p and 2p coins without holding up the customer queue!
IKEA is selling furniture indeed, but most of their products are setup in showrooms. The boxes are easily found and their system is really not all too complicated…but for kitchens for example, I would need their advice.
The cinemas also potentially would loose out on student discounts if people lie about that…but then, staff needs to check this upon letting the kids in…
Still, it seems the human factor is the main reason here why a service fails?
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