After reading the New York Times' August 16th article titled "At Netflix, Victory for Voices Over Keystrokes," I have to express my appreciation to Netflix for its sensible approach to service.

Too often, those of us who work in call centers, and those of us who observe them, hear predictions that on-line communication will replace conversations between customers and the companies they do business with.

A far more nuanced analysis, which you can hear during our August 16th Webcast, reveals that it's much more helpful to think of on-line communication as an option in addition to, rather than as a substitute for, conversations.

Sometimes, as appears to be the case with customers of Netflix, consumers prefer live conversations to e-mail correspondence to such an extent that companies – like Netflix – make the decision to assist customers entirely by phone.

What combination of phone and on-line communication works best in your call center? I invite you to drop me a line to offer your thoughts and observations.