A Customer Hotline Call Beyond Awesome

When I first started working on this article, I considered adding a new item, “Services”, to the list of categories on this site.

Then again, making a phone call is one of the most common man-machine interactions imaginable: Pick up a handset, enter a number, and wait for someone at the other end to pick up.

Phone calls definitely should be “simple things”. Should be!

The automated phone system mess

Deploying a computer-based phone system is much cheaper than employing people, though. As a consequence, phone calls to companies tend to be much more complicated than they should be.

Instead of simply telling a human what you need, you have to wade through a multitude of menus: “If you would like to place an order, press 1. If you have a support question, press 2. …”

Building appropriate “information scent” into these systems to help users find what they need, is a challenge. And so is letting the user know her position within the menu structure without being able to provide visual clues.

If you manage to get through to a human, they will likely ask you for information that you had entered at the very beginning of the call, like a credit card or membership number.

And then there’s the most offensive of all company hotline behaviors, the time-out1: A number of times that I was put on hold, the system would inform me after some ten minutes, or so, that “All agents are currently engaged. Please try calling us again at a later time.” — and simply hang up on me.

“Your call is important to us”, my ass!

People, not machines

I was reminded of just how awful these user experiences are when I called my health insurance to request a document which is only available in paper form.

The phone is picked up after a few rings. By a human. And a very friendly and helpful one, at that.

I greet her, give her my name, and tell her what document I would kindly ask them to send me.

She quickly confirms that she understands what, exactly, I need, and then tells me she has to put me through to a colleague of her’s.

A few bars’ worth of reasonably bearable phone muzak later, another person picks up the phone. Again, I greet him, give him my name, and ask him for the document.

Without asking me for any further personal information, he inquires “Are you still at [my current street address]?” — “Yup, that’s my address!” — “OK, consider the document on its way. Is there anything else I may help you with today?”

Wow. Just. Wow.

Just to be on the safe side here: Did you notice how this call did not involve any automated phone system at all? All I had to “deal” with here were people. Friendly, helpful, competent, real people.

Smart use of technology makes for better UX

The only piece of information I had mentioned to either agent was my name. During previous calls I had also had to give them my insurance number, but not this time.

The only way they could have identified me is via phone caller-ID. I would expect their in-house phone system to be hooked into their CRM software, so that as soon as someone calls, whose phone number they have on file, that caller’s record is immediately brought up on the agent’s screen.2

This kind of phone support is not just some proof of concept. It is a brilliantly designed, everyday customer experience, ensuring that a phone call to this company is, indeed, a pleasant and effective “simple thing”.


  1. As an interaction designer, I find it immensely difficult in general to come up with any justification for time-outs. In fact, the only one kind I would not debate are security-relevant log-in time-outs like those found on banking websites. 

  2. Some of you may worry about privacy issues here, but this being my health insurance provider, my phone number definitely is among the least sensitive pieces of information they store about me. 

Niftiness in a Simple Installation Tool

Hot beverages like coffee and tea usually taste better when you prepare them with filtered water. To that end, some coffee machines can be equipped with water filters like the one shown below (the white cylinder is the filter).

Water tank from a coffee maker with a white filter cartridge mounted in its inside

According to the manufacturer, the cartridge should be replaced about every two months. Consequently, the removal and installation of the cartridge is a fairly frequent process.

The filter is screwed into place, but getting a good grip on it is difficult, because the tank is very narrow, and the filter does not extend to the tank’s top edge.

Water filter cartridge and installation tool next to each other

To simplify the installation procedure, the machine ships with an installation tool. A cage-like structure on the tool snaps onto the non-threaded end of the water filter. (The thing at the other end of the installation tool is a measuring scoop.)

https://uiobservatory.com/media/2011/FilterInstallationToolCloseup.png” alt=”Close-up view of the tool’s “cage” and the complementary connecting end on the water filter” border=”1″ width=”400″ height=”300″ />

The connection is tight enough so it won’t come lose when screwing the filter in or out, yet the tool can be separated from the filter without having to apply too much force.

Installation tool snapped onto water filter cartridge

With the help of this tool, installing and uninstalling the filter becomes a breeze, but its sophistication goes beyond serving as just a grip extender.

Hand holding the installation tool while mounting the filter cartridge into the water tank

The cage structure houses a slip clutch: When you reach the maximum allowed torque while twisting the filter into place, the clutch will start slipping. This nifty feature effectively prevents you from accidentally over-tightening the filter thread and possibly breaking the tank.

A Better Engine Hood Safety Latch Release

Engine hoods on automobiles are equipped with an important safety mechanism: If the main lock should fail (or be unlocked inadvertently), a safety latch will prevent the hood from popping open all the way. Without this safety latch in place, a hood that is unlocked while the car’s moving might slam into the windshield and fully block the driver’s view.

You can easily tell when someone is trying to disengage this safety latch on their car: They hunch down in front of the vehicle, move their hand along the front edge of the hood feeling for something in there for minutes on end, and occasionally peek in between the hood and grill. Gratuitous cussing and swearing has also been observed.

That is because, in most car models, you disengage the safety latch by pushing or pulling a tab on the latch, or the latch itself. Due to its location somewhere along the inside front edge of the hood, the latch is hidden from view and very difficult to spot. And even when you’ve found it, it usually takes some time to figure out how, exactly, the latch needs to be manipulated for it to disengage.

A safety latch release in plain view

The engineers who designed the hood on this BMW have taken a different route. As soon as you unlock the hood from inside the car’s passenger compartment, a handle jumps out from the car’s front grill.

BMW car's front grille with a handle protruding from it

It’s easy to spot, and lifting the hood via the handle is much more convenient than lifting it by its — often unpleasantly sharp — edges. Keeping your hand on the handle and, thus, away from the hood’s edges also reduces the risk of the hood crushing down on your fingers to almost zero.

Pulling up on the handle automatically disengages the safety latch. “Lift handle to lift whatever’s attached to it” is an interaction we encounter in our lives on a daily basis. Consequently, lifting the hood by lifting the handle feels natural, and you don’t even have to consciously think about disengaging the safety latch anymore at all.

When the lid is closed, the handle is hidden between the grill’s fins. This means that, if the handle isn’t visible, the hood is properly latched and locked.

BMW car's front grille with retracted handle somewhat hidden between the grill's fins

If you look at the list of benefits, it’s difficult to understand why most manufacturers still stick to the “traditional” safety latch design:

  • Can be located instantly
  • Lifting the hood is easier and safer
  • Disengaging the safety latch becomes transparent to the user
  • Provides visual clue as to whether the hood is properly locked