Yesterday I got an email from my Flexible Spending Account (FSA) provider. An FSA is a special account you put pre-tax money in that allows you to pay for certain out-of-pocket health care costs. There are specific rules for how the money can be spent and sometimes the provider may need additional documentation to ensure the “purchase” qualifies. Apparently my provider is in need of that documentation and in the meantime, my FSA card is suspended. 
As the clock ticks toward the end of the year, and the potential for me to lose the remaining money in my account, makes resolving this as soon as possible a priority for me. I’m not sure what the issue is. I didn’t recognize a transaction for the dollar amount included in the email. My first instinct was to reply to the email. I was out of luck. At the bottom of the email I read: Please do not reply to this email. Strike one.
I logged into my account to see if I could figure things out on my own. I can see my transactions — although I don’t see anything that even adds up to the dollar amount in question. After digging around a little more, I drilled down a few levels and finally found their contact options. Or should I say “option”? Making a phone call is the only way to contact support for help. Strike two.
I’m working on a few projects with fast approaching deadlines and while I know I need to get this issue resolved, I don’t feel like I have the time to call and focus on waiting, listening and taking notes. An email or text option would at least let me get the ball rolling on my terms. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. Strike three.
It seems this particular company is behind the times.
In an effort to shed light on how to best use a variety of channels to address customer expectations, Aberdeen surveyed 445 contact centers around the world regarding key trends and best practices for their recently released report, Omni-Channel Customer Care: How to Delight Your Empowered Customers. The report outlines the changes in channel adoption for contact centers and the reasons driving it.
The report found that 55% of contact centers — almost one out of two businesses have a channel mix. It’s no surprise that traditional channels like phone and web have high adoption rates, however relatively newer channels like social media and text messaging have also been adopted by almost half of the respondents.
Get this report for additional statistics and to learn the benefits of using multiple channels to address customer issues in a consistent and personalized manner. You’ll also get a better understanding of how best-in-class companies are building and nurturing successful omni-channel programs.
Meanwhile, I’ll be over here begrudgingly making a phone call to get my issue resolved.
Download the report now https://www.aspect.com/globalassets/aberdeen-report-omni-channel-customer-care.pdf.
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