With its dropping membership along with an increase in quality online help, AOL has announced that it is cutting 1,300 customer-service jobs, with 900 of them being immediately. Their Jacksonville, Fla. call center is being closed entirely.
AOL's original subscription base has deteriorated from 26.7 million in September of 2002 to 18.6 million as of March 31 as people move in droves to broadband. Yet, not only has their base shrunk dramatically, but their customer-service inquiries have dropped even more radically, by 50 percent.
The cuts are equal to 7 percent of AOL's entire worldwide work force. It is their largest cut since last fall.
AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said "There is never an easy time to do this, but the steps we take today will help ensure that AOL meets the needs of our members, meets our strategic corporate goals and sustains the growth of our business."
AOL has been expanding their online help area so much that now 8 million customers do it themselves in comparison to 5.5 million who still get help by phone.
This move toward customization for customers is growing rapidly and will probably have a profound effect upon the call-center industry.
In your online marketing strategies, this is going to be the trend of the future in customer service. It is not simply the saving of money that is being considered here, but consumers are demanding options and the ability to check things out at their convenience. Make sure you have a great online help center.
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