Need a five page concept paper on Automation vs customer service, the current problem and purpose is:

Paper needs to have: Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study, Literature Review, Research Method and

Annotated Bibliography.

Automation has dominated every business and has also replaced many jobs.  However, automation has also replaced customer service.  Customer service today is very scarce and becoming a rarity; businesses no more consider customer service a valuable asset. It’s the bottom line that matter to businesses; cutting cost and enabling them to hire few employees and increasing productivity.  There are customers who find that they have little face-to-face interaction and are not being satisfied by their automated experience.  Customers want that interaction, that familiarity; personal recognition, social support (Scherer, Wünderlich, & Von Wangenheim, 2015); whereas automated machines cannot provide such service.

The Problem 

Automation has changed the way customers do business, but are customers satisfied with the automated systems, and are those that lack the skills to use these systems considered?  More businesses are conducting business by using automated systems. Businesses are no longer concern with recurring customers or customer retention.  Customers’ satisfaction is no longer a priority, in fact, it is no longer considered.  Recurring customers return because of a need; utility companies, banking industries, healthcare facilities, etc.  These businesses and facilities are part of every customers’ need.  Personal service that has allowed customers to receive feedback, like the customer service representatives, is diminishing as technology is seen as the bottom line, it is slowly replacing customer service representatives.  Social interaction is being replaced by a kiosk and other self-service technology (SST). What can an older person like a senior citizen, who has no knowledge of technology do with a system that is now replacing social interaction?  There are others, who lack the skills to operate (SST). These people do not have the digital skills to engage in technology (Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2015).

Automation should aim at creating consumer satisfaction rather than creating frustrations among the clients. Current automation system minimizes the achievement of clients and hence makes them feel unease. Will the senior citizens embrace the automation technology or they will reject the new idea? What will the system developers do to improve consumer satisfaction? While developing interactive automated systems remain a key goal, the system developers should do so to in a manner that makes it easy for the clients to use it.

The Purpose

The purpose of the study is to explore whether customers are affected by automation and is customer service diminishing.  To explore whether businesses are more concern with the bottom line and productivity than customer service and recurring customers.  Customers are left with no alternative and are forced into automation.  To study the direction automation is going; and whether receptionist, service representatives and other service agents are diminishing. Will businesses be more provide real life solutions to customer’s questions?  The goal of this research is to explore the impacts of automation on consumer services. The paper seeks to study the loss of personal touch among different enterprises resulting from automation. The effects that arise from automation especially on seniors who feel misplaced while using the technology. The paper seeks to determine the likelihood of senior citizens above 60 years adopting the use of technology and embracing it. How long will we wait to see full benefits of automation? Will senior citizens take the technology in commerce as a replacement of human labor? The paper seeks to explore the relationship between automation and reduction in customer satisfaction.

Research Questions

How can system developers ensure that automated systems satisfy the requirements of the customers?

How can the developers make elder customers to accept the use of automation?

How will they show customers who refuse to use automation the advantages of automation?

How will customers witness the benefits of automation?