A short rant about the customer service flow chart. This is the scripted path that agents navigate based on customers’ questions and responses during a call or chat.

My issue is specifically about the end of the conversation. Many of these flow charts end with the agent asking, “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

They ask this whether they’ve helped or not. Twice, recently, I’ve had interactions where the person on the other end of the line was not able to help me. Not one bit.

And so the question, “Is there anything else I can help you with...” is one that annoys. In these cases, my internal narrator was quick to point out, “You didn’t help me with the first thing.”

Corporations: please. Allow your employees to be human enough to say, “I’m sorry we couldn’t help you today.” Sometimes, it’s the awkward truth. But when that happens, let the cogs in your big machine have the agency to acknowledge it, maybe even with a little bit of personality.