#Benefits of Customer Support Service

[meriablog]

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[itsbotai]

The Benefits of AI Chatbots for Business Communication

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, effective communication is crucial for businesses aiming to enhance customer satisfaction and streamline operations. AI chatbots have emerged as a transformative tool, offering numerous benefits that can significantly improve how companies interact with their customers. This article explores the key advantages of implementing AI chatbots in business communication.

24/7 Availability

One of the most significant benefits of AI chatbots is their ability to provide round-the-clock support. Unlike human agents, chatbots do not require breaks or time off, making them available to assist customers at any hour. This constant availability ensures that businesses can cater to global audiences across different time zones, enhancing customer satisfaction and trust. Customers appreciate the instant responses they receive, regardless of when they reach out, which can lead to improved loyalty and retention.

Cost Efficiency

AI chatbots can dramatically reduce operational costs for businesses. By automating routine tasks such as answering frequently asked questions, scheduling appointments, and processing orders, chatbots free up human agents to focus on more complex issues that require personal attention. This not only enhances productivity but also minimizes the need for a large customer support team, leading to significant savings in labor costs. According to research, businesses can save billions annually by integrating chatbots into their operations.

Enhanced Customer Engagement

AI chatbots excel at engaging customers in real-time conversations. They can provide personalized experiences by analyzing user data and preferences, allowing them to recommend products or services that align with individual needs. This level of engagement fosters a deeper connection between the brand and its customers, encouraging repeat business and enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

Instant Responses and Reduced Wait Times

Customers today expect quick responses to their inquiries. AI chatbots can deliver instant answers, significantly reducing wait times compared to traditional customer service methods. This efficiency not only improves the customer experience but also helps businesses manage high volumes of inquiries without overwhelming their support teams. By providing immediate assistance, chatbots enhance overall service levels and customer satisfaction.

Lead Generation and Sales Support

AI chatbots are not just limited to customer support; they also play a crucial role in lead generation and sales. By engaging website visitors in real-time, chatbots can qualify leads, answer pre-sales questions, and guide users through the purchasing process. This proactive approach can lead to higher conversion rates and increased revenue for businesses.

Data Collection and Insights

AI chatbots can gather valuable data about customer interactions, preferences, and behaviors. This information can be analyzed to gain insights into customer needs and trends, allowing businesses to make data-driven decisions. Understanding customer preferences can help companies tailor their offerings, improve marketing strategies, and enhance overall service delivery.

Scalability

As businesses grow, so do their customer service needs. AI chatbots provide a scalable solution that can handle an increasing volume of customer inquiries without the need for significant additional resources. This scalability allows businesses to maintain high service levels even during peak times, ensuring that customer satisfaction remains a priority.

Conclusion

ItsBot’s AI chatbots have revolutionized business communication by providing 24/7 support, enhancing customer engagement, and reducing operational costs. Their ability to deliver instant responses, generate leads, and gather valuable insights makes them an indispensable tool for modern businesses. As companies continue to embrace digital transformation, integrating AI chatbots into their customer communication strategies will be crucial for staying competitive and meeting the evolving expectations of consumers. For installation of ai chatbots on your business’ website or to use app, touch with ItsBot. By leveraging the power of AI chatbots, businesses can enhance their customer service, drive sales, and ultimately achieve greater success in today's dynamic marketplace.

[invictusoutsoucrcing]

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Our comprehensive Business Process Outsourcing services cover a wide range of functions, including:

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[koobruk]

Explore the transformative role of AI and chatbots in elevating customer experiences in the digital era. This article outlines how these technologies facilitate more efficient and personalized customer interactions, offering insights into their increasing adoption across industries. Learn how AI-driven chatbots can enhance communication, streamline customer service, and support effective marketing strategies to meet modern consumer expectations.

[chatmetrics]

How to Select the Ideal Live Chat Software for Customer Support

Introduction to Choosing Live Chat Software

In today’s fast-paced digital environment, providing immediate and effective customer support has become crucial for businesses of all sizes. Live chat software has emerged as a key tool in achieving this goal, offering real-time assistance and improving customer satisfaction. But with so many options available, how do I choose live chat software for customer support that’s right for my business? In this article, we will explore the essential factors to consider, from core features to implementation strategies, to help you make an informed decision.

What is Live Chat Software?

Live chat software allows businesses to communicate with their customers in real-time directly on their website. This tool can significantly enhance the customer service experience by providing immediate answers and solutions, thus reducing wait times and improving customer satisfaction.

Why is Live Chat Crucial for Customer Support?

The importance of live chat cannot be overstated. It not only provides immediate assistance and reduces abandonment rates but also increases sales and customer loyalty by offering a personalized customer service experience.

Core Features to Look for in Live Chat Software

When choosing live chat software, it’s essential to look for certain core features that can significantly impact your customer support efficiency and effectiveness.

User-Friendly Interface: The software should be easy for both your team and your customers to use.

Integration Capabilities: Ensure the software can seamlessly integrate with your existing systems such as CRM, email, and help desk tools.

Real-Time Support and Analytics: Access to real-time support and detailed analytics helps in understanding customer needs and improving service.

Customization and Branding: The ability to customize and brand the chat interface to match your website enhances the customer experience.

How Do I Choose Live Chat Software for Customer Support?

Choosing the right live chat software involves assessing your business needs, comparing different solutions, considering security measures, and evaluating the level of customer service provided by the vendor.

Assessing Your Business Needs: Understand the specific needs of your business and customers before beginning your search.

Comparing Pricing and Plans: Look for a solution that offers the features you need within your budget.

Security and Compliance: Ensure the software complies with relevant regulations and standards to protect customer data.

Evaluating Customer Service and Support: Choose a provider known for excellent customer service and support to ensure any issues are quickly resolved.

Implementing Live Chat Software

Once you’ve chosen software, the next steps involve training your team, setting up automated responses, and continuously monitoring and improving your live chat services.

Training Your Team: Ensure your staff is well-trained to use the new software effectively.

Setting Up Automated Responses: Automated responses can help manage customer expectations and provide immediate assistance when live agents are unavailable.

Monitoring and Improving: Regularly monitor the performance of your live chat service and make improvements as needed.

FAQ:

Your Live Chat Software Questions Answered

How does live chat software improve customer service?

Live chat software significantly enhances customer service by providing real-time assistance directly on your website. This means your customers can get immediate answers to their questions without having to leave your site, wait on hold, or navigate through multiple support pages. It leads to a quicker resolution of issues, increases customer satisfaction, and can even boost sales as customers feel more confident and supported in their purchasing decisions.

Can live chat software integrate with other tools I use?

Yes, many live chat software options can integrate seamlessly with other tools and platforms that your business uses, such as CRM systems, email marketing services, and social media platforms. This integration allows for a more unified approach to customer service and support, ensuring that all customer interactions are logged and accessible across different platforms, enhancing the efficiency of your support team.

What are the key features to look for in live chat software?

When selecting live chat software, look for features such as:

Customization: Ability to customize the chat interface to match your brand.

Automation and AI: Automated greetings and chatbots that can handle common queries.

Analytics and Reporting: Insights into chat volume, response times, and customer satisfaction.

Integration: Compatibility with other tools and platforms you use.

Mobile Support: Ensuring the chat works seamlessly across all devices.

Security: Strong encryption and data protection features.

How much does live chat software typically cost?

The cost of live chat software can vary widely based on the features, scale, and vendor. Some providers offer basic services for free, while premium plans can range from $20 to $150 per month per agent. It’s important to consider what features are essential for your business and to choose a plan that fits your budget while meeting your needs.

Can I customize the appearance of the live chat window?

Yes, most live chat software allows you to customize the appearance of the chat window. This includes changing colors, adding your logo, and modifying the chat buttons to match your company’s branding and website design, ensuring a consistent user experience for your customers.

How can I measure the success of my live chat support?

Measuring the success of your live chat support can be done through various metrics such as customer satisfaction scores, response time, resolution time, and chat volume. Additionally, many live chat software options provide built-in analytics and reporting tools that allow you to track these metrics over time. Monitoring these indicators helps you identify areas for improvement and assess the overall impact of live chat on your customer service.

Conclusion:

Enhancing Customer Experience with the Right Live Chat Software

Choosing the right live chat software is a critical decision that can significantly impact your customer support effectiveness and overall customer satisfaction. By considering the factors discussed above — core features, integration capabilities, security, and the level of customer service provided — you can select a solution that best fits your business needs and enhances your customer support experience.

Live chat software is not just a tool for communication; it’s an investment in your company’s future and a commitment to providing the best possible service to your customers. By selecting the right software, training your team effectively, and continuously monitoring and improving your live chat services, you can create a more engaging, responsive, and customer-friendly environment.

The benefits of implementing the right live chat software extend beyond improved customer service; they also include increased sales, better customer retention, and a stronger brand reputation. Therefore, take the time to choose wisely, implement thoughtfully, and continuously strive for excellence in your customer support efforts.

Remember, live chat software aims to provide swift, efficient, and personalized service to your customers. By achieving this, you not only meet their immediate needs but also build long-term relationships that are based on trust and satisfaction.

[fandiehard]

Discovering and Navigating Amazon's Work from Home Opportunities

Amazon, a global e-commerce giant, not only offers a wide array of products and services but also provides remote work opportunities. Interested in exploring and applying for these roles? Let’s delve into what Amazon work from home jobs entail, the available positions, the perks, challenges, and the steps to secure these roles.Understanding Amazon Work from Home RolesAmazon’s work from home jobs…

[gcabestva]

Asset for being a Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants are the backbone of many businesses. They provide administrative and clerical support to companies, allowing their clients to focus on their core business activities. While many people think that being a virtual assistant is just answering emails and making phone calls, there's much more to it than that! A great virtual assistant will have excellent time management skills, multitask while simultaneously keeping track of several projects, and pay good attention to detail when organizing information or documents.

Virtual Assistant Skills

You need a few skills to be a virtual assistant, but they can be learned. The most important thing is the ability to type quickly and accurately. You will also need excellent communication skills to communicate clearly with your clients and colleagues.

As far as customer service representatives go, there are several different types of positions available in this field: answering phones, processing orders or taking messages for customers who call in; helping customers find products through catalogs or websites; resolving complaints from customers (whether through refunds or exchanges); providing information about company policies or other issues related to using its services; researching solutions for problems outside regular working hours when necessary.

Being a virtual assistant is an excellent asset for those looking to make money from home.

Many benefits come with being a VA, including:

Flexible schedule - VAs can set their hours and work around their lives, so you can choose when they want to work and how much time they want to put into it each day. You may even be able to work while traveling!

Work from anywhere - Because most of our clients are located in different places worldwide, we need an office or other physical location where everyone works together daily. Instead, we communicate via email and phone, so we can all be in one place at a time (which would be expensive!). This makes it easy for people who don't have access yet and have wanted it since childhood.

Time Management Skills

Time management skills are essential for a virtual assistant, and it's your job to know how much time you have each day and prioritize tasks accordingly. It would help if you learned how to say no and when it's okay to say yes.

For example: If an opportunity will take up half of your day and doesn't bring in any money, it may not be worth taking on right now (or ever). You should focus on completing the most important tasks first so they don't get pushed back due to lack of time later on!

Organization Skills

Organizational skills are essential for any business professional. You'll need to be able to multitask, prioritize your tasks, and manage your time effectively. If you have this skill set, it will help ensure that you meet deadlines and complete projects promptly.

Customer Service Skills

You will need excellent customer service skills to succeed as a virtual assistant. You must understand your client's needs and respond to their requests promptly. You'll also need to handle questions and requests positively, solve problems and provide solutions.

Attention to Detail

Attention to detail is an essential asset for being a virtual assistant. You must listen closely and pay attention to your client's words because they may only sometimes express themselves clearly. You also have to understand the details of their project or task, which may involve researching information online or referencing documents they send you.

Finally, attention to detail can help you notice when something has gone wrong with their project--for example, if they didn't receive an email when it was sent out (or vice versa).

Virtual assistants are excellent for those looking to make money from home. If you have the right skills and can manage your time well, this could be a great opportunity! Global Conversion Agency has a lot to offer. 

[honga2]

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[shunnedmorlock]

Something striking about the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent that the show tries to awkwardly scoot past is that time and time again, Alicent sacrifices her own interests and desires for Rhaenyra's benefit, while Rhaenyra never does the reverse. Alicent teaches Rhaenyra history, dresses and crowns her for her investment ceremony, comforts her after her mother's death, advises Viserys *against* naming Aegon heir, supports reconciliation between Rhaenyra and Viserys that ultimately gets her father and sole supporter fired, seriously considers switching sides to her despite the severe risk to her own children, and goes against her father to try and save her life. The most Rhaenyra gives Alicent is a few hollow words of praise in episode 8.

Though the show doesn't seem to realize it, their relationship isn't one of equals, but of master and servant. Otto and Alicent are parallels in this sense - both are in a sense, servants of the Targaryens who do not wish to merely serve. But the show buys into the expectation of their service and Targaryen masterdom uncritically: the great crime of Otto and Alicent is their attempt to subvert the natural order of things rather than meekly serving their Targaryen masters. It's why Alicent is most sympathetic when she is loyal to Rhaenyra, but the reverse isn't true, because why would Rhaenyra be expected to do anything for a mere servant like Alicent?

Which really just goes to show the big class blind spot the show has. By presenting "goodness" as solely a function of how closely one can follow Viserys' orders, they're regurgitating one aspect of medieval social customs to oppose another. With this context, Rhaenyra and Alicent's relationship feels less healthy and a lot more like a premonition of Alicent's relationship to Viserys, with similar power imbalances. Rhaenyra and Alicent love each other, but Rhaenyra sees Alicent as a sidekick at best, doesn't take her seriously as someone with her own inner life and desires, and is sensitive to Alicent's perceived disobedience ("questioning my virtue is an act of treason.")

I think it also gives context to Criston and Alicent's relationship, given that Criston is *also* relatively low nobility, and a servant to the Targaryens, who feels taken advantage of by them, and whose great crime is trying to be something other than a servant, to *make* kings, not just to serve them.

[butcharium]

Going braless (bra/bralettes/sports bra/binder) is not a privilege reserved to those among us with small tits and is rather something we all should do I think.

I have medium-large boobs and ditched bras 5-6 years ago, and the muscles which has then developed to support my boobs in everyday life actually made me able to pop my pecs long before ever hitting the gym. I also regularly run/sprint short distances at least to catch the bus, and the only thing which hurts then is my sense of pride and dignity (and sometimes my shins since the bus stop is downhill from where I live).

You don't have to go full bra burner if that doesn't speak to you (but personally I must admit I'm rather pro bra burning), at least reducing the amount of restraining your boobs will be beneficial for your health. Also when I first started going around in public with my boobs loose under my shirts I would be very in my head and a bit neurotic and would for example exaggerate every look from strangers and so on. But if anything the long term effect of freeing my boobs have been a far better relationship with myself and my body than ever before where I feel more grounded and less neurotic and in my head than what I used to be!

For both physical and mental benefits there might be a transitional period of discomfort you have to sit through before things get better tho unfortunately, just like with all growth. :(

(also for the transmascs and transmen who follow me I am a woman who doesn't try to pass and yet I have been taken for a man on several occasions, even when wearing just a t-shirt with nothing underneath (both by like customer service workers but also in longer conversations with people))

[sayfada]

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[wispythreads]

I did catch on to that part of it with him bouncing between jobs so frequently, and some of the other things like the fridge freezer, but they were still included in the jumbled up thoughts I listed out partly because I was thinking about them before coming to an answer, and partly because I'm not fully sure if those answers are all there is to it.

Cause, yeah, there’s the newspaper clipping rebuking him for being “unprofessional and brash” (which damn that’s also just rotating in my head because Vince was clearly reading this specific clipping earlier and blatantly lied saying Rody hadn’t been mentioned at all, later scribbling out the section talking about the waiter), he’s very clearly messy and unkempt in pretty much every aspect of his life, and even if he gets the to-go question right in the tutorial, Vince appends the "Good work." with "keep tone in mind."

But, the thing is, he does know a lot of the basics. Much of the tutorial is really just for the benefit of the player to know how the mechanics of the game works, Rody meanwhile nods along and does whatever task is needed without comment, only getting tripped up when Vince mentions the way the menu for his bistro works, and when the aforementioned customer asked if he could get boxes to go or call in his order ahead of time. Which I think are reasonable things to get tripped up on! Those seem like things that would vary depending on the establishment he was working for.

I keep thinking about his reaction when Vince pivoted the conversation of "do you actually like your job" onto Rody. His awkward response that it paid him money. Vince voicing specifically “I doubt you wanted to wait tables for a living-”, and that being met with how there was “something” Rody went to school for, that he was too hesitant to tell Vince, feeling he’d get made fun of. The impression that its some passion he had that just didn't work out. The revelation later that the “something” in question was him majoring in hospitality.

He was afraid he'd be made fun of for actively going to school and choosing to study for skills that, either ironically or purposefully, would've been useful for his current job of waiting tables. A goal that he flunked out of. He has had 28 jobs in the service industry over the course of 7 years. He keeps losing his job, but he also keeps getting hired.

I keep thinking of the post-credits scene of the Best Served Hot, whisky lemon cake ending. "I can't keep watching you ruin any semblance of progress you make with yourself while trying to make me happy, it's exhausting-"

He's only 4 days into this job when he approaches Vince for a raise. He already figures he'll have enough to do something nice for Manon, his "girlfriend," by the end of the week, but he wants more to make it really special. He is very clearly told 'no.'

On the 5th day, when his shift is finally over and done, we don't next see him as we usually do, back at his apartment. He's still at the bistro, all the lights turned out. The only other person presumably being Vince hacking away at the meat in the freezer that'll be used for the meals in the morning. The first time I went through that night, I presumed Rody had just been selected to stay late and help clean up for the night, with whatever Vince was doing in the background ominous horror ambience to be unsettled by.

But we can't really do anything while there that would support this initial assumption. There are only two things you can do. Snoop around in Vince's office, and... steal from the cash register. Whether you avoid doing the latter as I did or not, it has no bearing on whatever ending you get, but just the fact that it's even an option to Rody...

How many other times did he allow his love for Manon to rule over his decisions, making choices in the pursuit of what he believed would make her happy, no matter the cost, before finally facing a price for his obsession beyond the scope of his worst nightmares?

...

And after all that I do want to defend the rollerskates a bit because

Rollerskates in restaurants are kinda a thing, in the 1960s (the year this game is set) they were a pretty popular gimmick/tool for diners in the U.S. at least, not sure about elsewhere in the world unfortunately

Yeah he canonically brought and proceeded to wear rollerskates to work at a fancy bistro. But that also means Vince watched him show up to work one day, wearing rollerskates, and just let him do it. Just watched Rody roll around his fancy bistro attending to customers that expect the highest of professionalism, and said nothing.

[seat-safety-switch]

Stop doing what you're doing right now and go cancel a subscription. Chances are you're inadvertently donating money every month to a political party, long-dormant print magazine, streaming service, doomsday cult, or predatory mega-corporation. You are gaining literally no benefit from it. You probably forgot you even had it set up. That money could be spent better elsewhere, by cramming it into the mouth of your local weirdos.

All around you are folks trying to make something very strange. Maybe they're electrical engineers who are trying to build this thing they saw in their dreams, the humming menace that destroys the earth. Perhaps they're just some local artist working hard to make a mug that looks a whole lot like a cat's butthole. No matter what, you can afford to support these folks financially by simply reaching out and cancelling a recurring payment to some group of faceless assholes.

Conversely, those faceless assholes love subscriptions, for the precise reason you may have already guessed. People forget to stop paying them. Or, more likely, they've made it a huge pain in the ass to stop paying them. Don't worry. Here at Seat Safety Switch's Subscription Scam Scancellers (we couldn't come up with a good synonym, and Ted in accounting kept pushing really hard for "ceasers" without realizing that's A: not a word, and B: doesn't start with S) our job is to make sure that you get your five to nineteen dollars a month back in your pocket.

How do we do it? With machine learning, you ask? Take your R2D2 fetish somewhere else, freak. No, we do it the old fashioned way: by hiring people who are too salty to work anywhere else. Half of our employees are former stevedores and union electricians who got fired for swearing too much at work. They will absolutely not take "no" for an answer, and sitting all day on the phone yelling at customer service robots while they burn through a pack of Pall Malls and a flat of malt liquor is essentially a holiday for them.

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[leidensygdom]

Fighting AI and learning how to speak with your wallet

So, if you're a creative of any kind, chances are that you've been directly affected by the development of AI. If you aren't a creative but engage with art in any way, you may also be plenty aware of the harm caused by AI. And right now, it's more important than ever that you learn how to fight against it.

The situation is this: After a few years of stagnation on relevant stuff to invest to, AI came out. Techbros, people with far too much money trying to find the big next thing to invest in, cryptobros, all these people, flocked to it immediately. A lot of people are putting money in what they think to be the next breakthrough- And AI is, at its core, all about the money. You will get ads shoved in your fave about "invest in AI now!" in every place. You will get ads telling you to try subscription services for AI related stuff. Companies are trying to gauge how much they can depend on AI in order to fire their creatives. AI is opening the gates towards the biggest data laundering scheme there's been in ages. It is also used in order to justify taking all your personal information- Bypassing existing laws.

Many of them are currently bleeding investors' money though. Let it be through servers, through trying to buy the rights to scrape content from social media (incredibly illegal, btw), amidst many other things. A lot of the tech giants have also been investing in AI-related infrastructures (Microsoft, for example), and are desperate to justify these expenses. They're going over their budgets, they're ignoring their emissions plans (because it's very toxic to the environment), and they're trying to make ends meet to justify why they're using it. Surely, it will be worth it.

Now, here's where you can act: Speak with your wallet. They're going through a delicate moment (despite how much they try to pretend they aren't), and it's now your moment to act. A company used AI in any manner? Don't buy their products. Speak against them in social media. Make noise. It doesn't matter how small or how big. A videogame used AI voices? Don't buy the game. Try to get a refund if you did. Social media is scraping content for AI? Don't buy ads, don't buy their stupid blue checks, put adblock on, don't give them a cent. A film generated their poster with AI? Don't watch it. Don't engage with it. Your favourite creator has made AI music for their YT channel? Unsub, bring it up in social media, tell them directly WHY you aren't supporting. Your favourite browser is now integrating AI in your searches? Change browsers.

Let them know that the costs they cut through the use of AI don't justify how many customers they'd lose. Wizards of the Coast has been repeatedly trying to see how away they can get with the use of AI- It's only through consumer boycotting and massive social media noise that they've been forced to go back and hire actual artists to do that work.

The thing with AI- It doesn't benefit the consumer in any way. It's capitalism at its prime: Cut costs, no matter how much it impacts quality, no matter how inhumane it is, no matter how much it pollutes. AI searches are directly feeding you misinformation. ChatGPT is using your input to feed itself. Find a Discord server to talk with others about writing. Try starting art yourself, find other artists, join a community. If you can't, use the money you may be saving from boycotting AI shills to support a fellow creative- They need your help more than ever.

We're in a bit of a nebulous moment. Laws against AI are probably around the corner: A lot of AI companies are completely aware that they're going to crash if they're legally obliged to disclose the content they used to train their machines, because THEY KNOW it is stolen. Copyright is inherent to human created art: You don't need to even register it anywhere for it to be copyrighted. The moment YOU created it, YOU have the copyright to it. They can't just scrape social media because Meta or Twitter or whatever made a deal with OpenAI and others, because these companies DON'T own your work, they DON'T get to bypass your copyright.

And to make sure these laws get passed, it's important to keep the fight against AI. AI isn't offering you anything of use. It's just for the benefit of companies. Let it be known it isn't useful, and that people's work and livelihoods are far more important than letting tech giants save a few cents. Instead, they're trying to gauge how MUCH they can get away with. They know it goes against European GDPR laws, but they're going to try to strech what these mean and steal as much data up until clear ruling comes out.

The wonder about boycotts is that they don't even need you to do anything. In fact, it's about not doing some stuff. You don't need money to boycott- Just to be aware about where you put it. Changing habits is hard- People can't stop eating at Chick-fil-a no matter how much they use the money against the LGBTQ collective, but people NEED to learn how to do it. Now it's the perfect time to cancel a subscription, find an alternate plan to watching that one film and maybe joining a creative community yourself.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Paying for it doesn't make it a market

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me SATURDAY (Apr 27) in MARIN COUNTY, then Winnipeg (May 2), Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), and beyond!

Anyone who says "If you're not paying for the product, you're the product" has been suckered in by Big Tech, whose cargo-cult version of markets and the discipline they impose on companies.

Here's the way that story goes: companies that fear losing your business will treat you better, because treating you worse will cost them money. Since ad-supported media gets paid by advertisers, they are fine with abusing you to make advertisers happy, because the advertiser is the customer, and you are the product.

This represents a profound misunderstanding of how even capitalism's champions describe its workings. The purported virtue of capitalism is that it transforms the capitalist's greed into something of broad public value, by appealing to the capitalist's fear. A successful capitalist isn't merely someone figures out how to please their customers – they're also someone who figures out how to please their suppliers.

That's why tech platforms were – until recently – very good to (some of) their workforce. Technical labor was scarce and so platforms built whimsical "campuses" for tech workers, with amenities ranging from stock options to gourmet cafeterias to egg-freezing services for those workers planning to stay at their desks through their fertile years. Those workers weren't the "customer" – but they were treated better than any advertiser or user.

But when it came to easily replaced labor – testers, cleaning crew, the staff in those fancy cafeterias – the situation was much worse. Those workers were hired through cut-out shell companies, denied benefits, even made to enter via separate entrances on shifts that were scheduled to minimize the chance that they would ever interact with one of the highly paid tech workers at the firm.

Likewise, advertisers may be the tech companies' "customers" but that doesn't mean the platforms treat them well. Advertisers get ripped off just like the rest of us. The platforms gouge them on price, lie to them about advertising reach, and collude with one another to fix prices and defraud advertisers:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/05/florida-man/#wannamakers-ghost

Now, it's true that the advertisers used to get a good deal from the platforms, and that it came at the expense of the users. Facebook lured in users by falsely promising never to spy on them. Then, once the users were locked in, Facebook flipped a switch, started spying on users from asshole to appetite, and then offered rock-bottom-priced, fine-grained, highly reliable ad-targeting to advertisers:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3247362

But once those advertisers were locked in, Facebook turned on them, too. Of course they did. The point of monopoly power isn't just getting too big to fail and too big to jail – it's getting too big to care:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/04/teach-me-how-to-shruggie/#kagi

This is the thing that "if you're not paying for the product, you're the product" fails to comprehend. "If you're not paying for the product" is grounded in a cartoonish vision of markets in which "the customer is king" and successful businesses are those who cater to their customers – even at the expense of their workers and suppliers – will succeed.

In this frame, the advertiser is the platforms' customer, the customer is king, the platform inflicts unlimited harm upon all other stakeholders in service to those advertisers, the advertisers are so pleased with this white-glove service that they willingly pay a handsome premium to use the platform, and so the platform grows unimaginably wealthy.

But of course, if the platforms inflict unlimited harms upon their users, those users will depart, and then no amount of obsequious catering to advertisers will convince them to spend money on ads that no one sees. In the cargo-cult conception of platform capitalism, the platforms are able to solve this problem by "hacking our dopamine loops" – depriving us of our free will with "addictive" technologies that keep us locked to their platforms even when they grow so terrible that we all hate using them.

This means that we can divide the platform economy into "capitalists" who sell you things, and "surveillance capitalists" who use surveillance data to control your mind, then sell your compulsive use of their products to their cherished customers, the advertisers.

Surveillance capitalists like Google are thus said to have only been shamming when they offered us a high-quality product. That was just a means to an end: the good service Google offered in its golden age was just bait to trick us into handing over enough surveillance data that they could tune their mind-control technology, strip us of our free will, and then sell us to their beloved advertisers, for whom nothing is too good.

Meanwhile, the traditional capitalists – the companies that sell you things – are the good capitalists. Apple and Microsoft are disciplined by market dynamics. They won't spy on you because you're their customer, and so they have to keep you happy.

All this leads to an inexorable conclusion: unless we pay for things with money, we are doomed. Any attempt to pay with attention will end in a free-for-all where the platforms use their Big Data mind-control rays to drain us of all our attention. It is only when we pay with money that we can dicker over price and arrive at a fair and freely chosen offer.

This theory is great for tech companies: it elevates giving them money to a democracy-preserving virtue. It reframes handing your cash over to a multi-trillion dollar tech monopolist as good civics. It's easy to see why those tech giants would like that story, but boy, are you a sap if you buy it.

Because all capitalists are surveillance capitalists…when they can get away with it. Sure, Apple blocked Facebook from spying on Ios users…and then started illegally, secretly spying on those users and lying about it, in order to target ads to those users:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

And Microsoft spies on every Office 365 user and rats them out to their bosses ("Marge, this analytics dashboard says you're the division's eleventh-worst speller and twelfth-worst typist. Shape up or ship out!"). But the joke's on your boss: Microsoft also spies on your whole company and sells the data about it to your competitors:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/25/the-peoples-amazon/#clippys-revengel

The platforms screw anyone they can. Sure, they lured in advertisers with good treatment, but once those advertisers were locked in, they fucked them over just as surely as they fucked over their users.

The surveillance capitalism hypothesis depends on the existence of a hypothetical – and wildly improbably – Big Data mind-control technology that keeps users locked to platforms even when the platform decays. Mind-control rays are an extraordinary claim supported by the thinnest of evidence (marketing materials from the companies as they seek to justify charging a premium to advertisers, combined with the self-serving humblebrags of millionaire Prodigal Tech Bros who claim to have awakened to the evil of using their dopamine-hacking sorcerous powers on behalf of their billionaire employers).

There is a much simpler explanation for why users stay on platforms even as they decline in quality: they are enmeshed in a social service that encompasses their friends, loved ones, customers, and communities. Even if everyone in this sprawling set of interlocking communities agrees that the platform is terrible, they will struggle to agree on what to do about it: where to go next and when to leave. This is the economists' "collective action problem" – a phenomenon with a much better evidentiary basis than the hypothetical, far-fetched "dopamine loop" theory.

To understand whom a platform treats well and whom it abuses, look not to who pays it and who doesn't. Instead, ask yourself: who has the platform managed to lock in? The more any stakeholder to a platform stands to lose by leaving, the worse the platform can treat them without risking their departure. Thus the beneficent face that tech companies turn to their most cherished tech workers, and the hierarchy of progressively more-abusive conditions for other workers – worse treatment for those whose work-visas are tied to their employment, and the very worst treatment for contractors testing the code, writing the documentation, labelling the data or cleaning the toilets.

If you care about how people are treated by platforms, you can't just tell them to pay for services instead of using ad-supported media. The most important factor in getting decent treatment out of a tech company isn't whether you pay with cash instead of attention – it's whether you're locked in, and thus a flight risk whom the platform must cater to.

It's perfectly possible for market dynamics to play out in a system in which we pay with our attention by watching ads. More than 50% of all web users have installed an ad-blocker, the largest boycott in the history of civilization:

https://doc.searls.com/2023/11/11/how-is-the-worlds-biggest-boycott-doing/

Ad-supported companies make an offer: How about in exchange for looking at this content, you let us spy on you in ways that would make Orwell blush and then cram a torrent of targeted ads into your eyeballs?" Ad-blockers let you make a counter-offer: "How about 'nah'?"

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/adblocking-how-about-nah

But ad-blocking is only possible on an open platform. A closed, locked-down platform that is illegal to modify isn't a walled garden, a fortress that keeps out the bad guys – it's a walled prison that locks you in, a prisoner of the worst impulses of the tech giant that built it. Apple can defend you from other companies' spying ways, but when Apple decides to spy on you, it's a felony to jailbreak your Iphone and block Apple's surveillance:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/05/battery-vampire/#drained

I am no true believer in markets – but the people who say that paying for products will "align incentives" and make tech better claim to believe in the power of markets to make everyone better off. But real markets aren't just places where companies sell things – they're also places where companies buy things. Monopolies short-circuit the power of customer choice to force companies to do better. But monopsonies – markets dominated by powerful buyers – are just as poisonous to the claimed benefits of markets.

Even if you are "the product" – that is, even if you're selling your attention to a platform to package up and sell to an advertiser – that in no way precludes your getting decent treatment from the platform. A world where we can avail ourselves of blockers, where interoperablity eases our exodus from abusive platforms, where privacy law sets a floor below which we cannot bargain is a world where it doesn't matter if you're "the product" or "the customer" – you can still get a square deal.

The platforms used to treat us well and now treat us badly. That's not because they were setting a patient trap, luring us in with good treatment in the expectation of locking us in and turning on us. Tech bosses do not have the executive function to lie in wait for years and years.

Rather, as tech platforms eliminated competition, captured their regulators and expanded their IP rights so that interoperability was no longer a threat, they became too big to care whether any of their stakeholders were happy. First they came for the users, sure, but then they turned on the publishers, the advertisers, and finally, even their once-pampered tech workers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/10/the-proletarianization-of-tech-workers/

MLK said that "the law can't make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me." It's impossible to get tech bosses to believe you deserve care and decency, but you can stop them from abusing you. The way to do that is by making them fear you – by abolishing the laws that create lock-in, by legally enshrining a right to privacy, by protecting competition.

It's not by giving them money. Paying for a service does not make a company fear you, and anyone who thinks they can buy a platform's loyalty by paying for a service is a simp. A corporation is an immortal, transhuman colony organism that uses us as inconvenient gut-flora: no matter how much you love it, it will never love you back. It can't experience love – only fear.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/22/kargo-kult-kaptialism/#dont-buy-it

[askagamedev]

I've heard from friends that there's no reason for companies to shut down game/store servers because "it doesn't really cost them anything to keep it up", which feels wrong to me given how readily console makers are to close up features of older consoles that wouldn't conflict with newer ones. Is upkeep really that cheap?

Here's the thing - your friends are kind of right but also mostly wrong at the same time. In terms of technology and such, they are correct - running a server process in the cloud today is pretty cheap. We pay for how much CPU time our processes end up using and old games don't use up that much since there aren't that many players, so the cost of running the server itself is not that high.

However...

There are significantly more costs to running a game (especially a service game) than simply keeping the server running. That's where your friends are wrong.

Imagine, for example, a longtime player gets hacked and the hacker deletes her character and items. What is the player's recourse? Submit a ticket to customer service and get it resolved, right? Now we need to keep at least one customer service agent on the service to handle things like refunds, user mistakes, and so on. What if the server crashes? We'll need somebody to handle server maintenance. What if somebody discovers an exploit that severely harms the player experience? I guess we need a programmer who knows how to fix things. If there's any development to be done, there will also need to be production (to keep tasks prioritized and tracked) and QA (to validate fixes).

Remember, the vast majority of the costs of game development are the salaries and benefits paid out to the people working on and maintaining the game. Even a small skeleton crew costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in salary, benefits, taxes, equipment, rent, and so on. So... upkeep for the server processes really is that cheap. But keeping an entire game running is absolutely not that cheap. When the service can't afford to pay for its own upkeep - including the salaries of all of the people needed to keep the service running - then it gets shut down.

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