What happened to
courtesy and service?

Technology gives you the impression of personal attention but without sincerity

By Georges R. Dupras

July 31, 2025

Among the social graces we learn early in life are courtesy and service. Today, in the interest of economics, technology gives you the impression of personal attention – but without sincerity.

The computer age has brought us advancements we could only dream of, and that was not so long ago. Information travels at sonic speed, to benefit science, medicine, business and education. Commerce has replaced the use of paper flyers by promoting their products online. This reduced landfill operations. These are among the peaks that technology has helped us achieve.

Where there are peaks, there are valleys

Nothing defines courtesy and service like a human smile and a personal greeting. This is one area where technology is faltering badly. No matter how efficient and cost-effective it is, the loss of employment for thousands of personnel, made redundant due to technology, disregards the fundamental needs of people, making it increasingly difficult to keep up with changing platforms.

The loss of employment for thousands of personnel, made redundant due to technology, disregards the fundamental needs of people, making it increasingly difficult to keep up with changing platforms.

Transactions processed on the internet are now seeing the increased use of “cyber coins” as the new currency infiltrates the market. The loss of personal privacy and identity is on the rise as well.

Even though today, some banks and retailers offer as many as fourteen cash registers or service windows for your immediate convenience, often only one cashier or service person is available to man all fourteen points of sale. True, change is a constant, always has been, always will be. Changes which occurred over generations are now happening over months.

The personal touch

What I miss the most is the personal touch when someone answered the phone – a direct line. You could speak with a living, pulsating person, think of it, a human, not a robot. Even the banks have added to the swelling ranks of the unemployed by automating and including cyberspace technologies.

Today, removing automated bank machines and forcing people to use smartphones sounds like another win in their P&L columns (Profit and Loss entries) for an already obscenely profitable industry. This money saver isn’t practical for those who don’t have a smartphone – so much for being respectful and sensitive to the needs of the people who got us here in the first place. Try to call a hospital, government office or any other service-based entity without hearing the same old lament:

“We are currently receiving a higher-than-normal volume of calls. Your call is important to us, so please stay on the line. Please select which of the eight questions best reflects your concern.”

For some reason, none of those offered even comes close to my reason for calling.

‘They can boast service “without actual service”, and in doing this, they are saving mega bucks while avoiding awkward complaints.’

When you finally accept that this human-to-robot interaction is a waste of time, the robot directs you to the company help line. Someone there can surely help ease your mind and the growing temptation to jump out of the nearest window – in my case, futile as I reside on the second floor. Now, all these calls and transfers assume that you have an identification number, access code, or password *.

Finally, you get through to the help desk only to be greeted by the same hypnotic robot who transferred you in the first place (same pre-recorded hypnotic drivel). This cyberspace wonder asks you to state the purpose of your call briefly. Since it is not programmed to assist, it redirects you to an internet group of experts who will surely help you “help yourself”. You must, however, be a member of that group, which comes at a cost. Once again, you are assigned an ID, a password and possibly an access code. You won’t be surprised when I tell you that again, you will be at the mercy of an automated system.

I believe that they don’t want to hear from you in the first place, so by making you choose from a list that cleverly avoids awkward complaints, they can boast service “without actual service”. In doing this, they are saving mega bucks while avoiding all human contact. It has even been rumoured that the banking industry has considered eliminating cash.

Courtesy, service, and personal touch – not in today’s world.

* As for personal security, it is suggested that you change your passwords every six months.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of its author and do not reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca, its publishers or editors.

Feature image: Tima Miroshnichenko – Pexels.com

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Georges Dupras

Georges R. Dupras has advocated for animals for over fifty years. A member of the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) and past Board member of the Canadian SPCA, he worked on the original Save the Seal campaign in 1966 that culminated in the foundation of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in 1969. Georges Dupras has published two books, Values in Conflict and the eBook Ethics, a Human Condition, and currently lives in Montreal, Canada.