New York proposes rule giving customers stuck with AI bots the right to a human agent
A proposal from the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection would treat automated customer service that fails to solve problems as a deceptive trade practice and impose penalties starting at $525 on violators.
What's happening
According to Customer Experience Magazine, New York City has proposed a rule requiring businesses to offer customers easy access to a human agent when automated systems fail to resolve an issue. The city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection published the rule, which would treat inadequate automated service as a deceptive and unconscionable trade practice. If the rule takes effect, violators will owe restitution plus civil penalties starting at $525.
Whose desk it lands on
The executive responsible for customer experience. How many steps does it take a customer to reach a human agent when the bot cannot help?
Our view
The CX Brief's interpretation, not a claim made by the source.
The rule moves the real test of customer service from the bot itself to where the bot leaves off: the handoff to a human. According to Twilio's consumer research, only 15% of customers experience a seamless handoff from AI to an agent, and the proposed requirement would apply at exactly that point.
