Sarah Harte: Useless automated systems make every transaction a struggle

When it comes to carrying out basic life admin, even the most capable of us struggles with the useless systems that are now the norm

Even if this capitalism gone wild is efficient, the human cost, especially for older people, of this complete desertion of customer service, is horrible.

Not all change is good. In some ways, we have regressed. I refer to the rise in soulless automation in service industries, which has accelerated since the pandemic. It’s becoming increasingly harder to connect with human beings to resolve issues.

Many companies have eliminated live customer support entirely, allowing you to interact with a useless chatbot that invariably can’t answer your query. In some cases, email contact has been withdrawn and replaced with online forms, the black hole of customer service.