FCC To Review Customer Support Offered to Consumers

Dealing with customer service should be easy. But all too often consumers of communications services cannot get help without navigating a complex maze of chatbots and other automated tools, experiencing delays that leave them exhausted and no closer to resolving their problem. Consumers can even be deterred from or delay switching services, which in turn harms the marketplace. The Federal Communications Commission has initiated an inquiry on ways to ensure that consumers have appropriate access to the customer service resources they require to interact with their service provider in a manner that allows them to efficiently resolve issues, avoid unnecessary charges, and make informed choices regarding the services they obtain from these service providers. The FCC inquires about initiatives that could not only take some of the pain out of routine customer service problems, but also advance consumer choice by making it easier to change providers when they are frustrated. Advances in technology have brought an abundance of customer service options that promote efficiency and cost savings, and we applaud those developments. At the same time, consumers deserve the ability to resolve problems quickly and easily, and in a way that suits their needs. Accordingly, the FCC seeks information on how to best balance those two goals.