We had to laugh the other week.
We came across a screenshot of a live chat conversation which somebody had taken a photograph of. In it they were trying to get help with an issue they were having, and like so many of these companies, they were forced to sign-in to an online chat programme, and connected to somebody likely to be on the other side of the world.
The reason why it was amusing, was because the person dealing with it was called Stalin, and the pop up simply said “Stalin is here to answer your questions!”.
Okay, so it turns out that Stalin is actually a more common-name around the world than we were originally aware of, but to those in the UK with some knowledge of European history, it might not be the best person to assist with a problem.
Beyond the quirk though, it does highlight a fundamental issue. That whilst sometimes useful, not everybody wants to be forced to use an online chat service. Sometimes, we just want someone to speak to over the phone, or in person.
A refreshingly personal service.
