Information architects and usability experts can help customer service systems and reduce customer aggravation.

There is nothing more ‘web 2.0’ than customer service: it is a 2-way communication, it is usually connected to a specific customer problem which, if solved, is a chance to quickly build the customer’s goodwill, it is a great source of market intelligence and could even reduce the relative comparative disadvantage of a more expensive product.

 Call-routing functionalities, integration of telephone, email and web, self-help sections on the company (or brand) websites – all of this was supposed to raise the levels of customer service and customer satisfaction. And yet, customer service is mostly complained about.

 One of the most common reasons for this is the general reduction in numbers of customer service representatives and the quality of their training, as well as the very infrastructure that supports them. If direct human contact is replaced by a raft of mediated routes - the notorious call option menus being an all too frequent example - we are entering the territory of interface design; and if that is the case, information architecture and usability should be primary skills for designing successful customer service experiences. The problem with customer service as we know it is that it is still too ‘analog’.

 Where the web experience could help here? First of all, by devising the proper, intuitive information architecture of the customer needs. Again, listening is important: what are people calling the most for, what part of the current system are they complaining the most about, what words they use to describe their problems and needs? Trying to avoid too many menu options, companies often disregard meaningful ‘information scents’ to help customers pick the right trail. The right info scents could also reduce problems with slightly longer decision trees, as people usually don’t mind a slightly longer journey, as long as they are sure that the journey is the right one.