Is service dead?

Not yet. In fact, computers can dig up a real, live person to help you -- if you know where to look.

By Jim Louderback

Technology mostly has been used to eliminate people: the gas station attendant, hardware clerk, Mom and Pop, waiters and waitresses -- the list goes on and on. Today's "service economy" is a sham. We're replacing service with do-it-yourself.

When I was a kid in the '60s, I loved going to the old Times Square Automat in New York City. This restaurant chain applied the latest cutting-edge technology of 1902 to replace waiters and waitresses with a wall-sized food vending machine. Even in the '60s, it was cool.  Technology still displaces people in the name of convenience. High-tech gasoline pumps at "service stations" make it easier now for us to pump our own gas, but the service is gone.

Computerized inventory management let Home Depot replace the local hardware store, but just try to find a sales clerk on a Saturday morning. Wal-Mart puts an entire downtown into a single store, but it takes me hours to find what I need.  Sure, my dishwasher and washing machine are efficient, but I'd rather have a housekeeper than a houseful of appliances. Speaking of that, where's that robotic maid I was promised?

Even the most successful Internet-based businesses, which replace both the sales clerks and the physical stores with Web pages and bits, sure haven't fixed the service problem. Tracking down a phone number on Amazon.com for customer service is almost impossible. And once you connect, the help isn't very good. I tried to add a CD to a book I'd just ordered, but I was told it was impossible to add or cancel because the order already had shipped, even though it was after midnight. I wish my local post office was open that late.

EBay is even worse. In between overpaying for Pikachu and PlayStation 2, I've looked high and low for a customer service number. According to a company spokesman, you can always call the main number -- if you can find it. It's not listed anywhere on the site.

Even at the height of the go-go Internet economy, companies couldn't afford many expensive service reps. And in a downturn, service centers are the first to go.  But wait! Don't write off technology yet. In this automated age of customer disservice, computers can actually help.  Here's a secret: A thousand unofficial service centers bloom, right on the Internet. With a little digging, you can find the help you need from volunteer specialists outside the company.

Keen.com uses the latest technology to make it easy for a person in pain to get quick help. They have hundreds of self-appointed experts -- real people like you and me -- standing by all the time. And customer ratings help you pick the best ones.  The other day, Web shopping whiz "BeantownGirl" was ready to solve my Amazon problems. And "OnlineAdviser" Wes promised eBay customer service, "Professional and Complete." Neither actually is employed by Amazon or eBay, but they have become experts in the arcane aspects of the sites.

Keen isn't limited to tackling online problems. You'll get help with real-world frustrations, too, from taxes to taxidermy. Click on the phone icon and Keen calls you, calls the expert and ties the lines together.  The catch? It's not free. Wes and BeantownGirl each charge 99 cents a minute, and those per-minute charges can add up fast. But when you need a question answered, Keen offers true experts available immediately.

If you can wait a bit, there are free alternatives. The Internet equivalent of the corner coffee bar -- e-mail lists, chat rooms, Web sites and bulletin boards -- teems with fanatics dying to solve your problem at no charge. Home theater got a glitch? Head to AVSForum.com and chat with the self-proclaimed authorities or post a question on the bulletin board. You could get an answer in a few hours. Looking for details on repairing that old Saab or buying a new one? Saabnet.com is there to help. While there, I uncovered a mailing list of Saab fanatics called Turbo! They steered me to just the right used model for me.

This is also eBay's answer to customer service: users helping users on an in-house bulletin board.  "Good service" doesn't have to be an oxymoron. Just don't expect it from the company you want the service from. Just like at a gas station, you may have to pump your own. And if you need a mechanic, don't despair: Help is out there, if you know where to look.

Where to seek free help
Chat rooms: Web sites where typed conversations happen in real time.
Bulletin boards or forums: Text notes are posted by topic and can be read days or weeks later.
E-mail lists: A group of people, all interested in the same subject. When e-mail is sent to the group's address, it's retransmitted to every member.

Contributing Editor Jim Louderback is editor of TechTV.