In a world dripping with data, why don't businesses have people for customers' calls?

I don't understand why retailers and service providers swimming in Big Data and omnichannel analytics are still using customer-service techniques from 30 years ago. For decades, a recorded voice has told consumers, "We're experiencing an unusually high call volume and you may want to call back."

I'd rather hear a business tell me, "We're understaffing our call center to keep our prices low" instead of a reminder that it has been clueless about its call volumes since 1990. Aldi supermarkets avoid the problem by not having phones. If that's why Aldi offers cheaper prices than Wal-Mart, I'm OK with it.

But when luxury retailer Kit and Ace sells a simple gray T-shirt for about $100, it boggles the mind that it imitates Aldi and refuses to have store phone numbers. A customer paying $350 for a Kit and Ace sweater deserves better customer service. I should be able to call the store to see if it has an item in stock. Rather than cutting back on customer service, quit wrapping my purchase in tissue paper and an expensive shopping bag.

As much as business would like to think that the Internet can solve most customer-service problems, it won't. Cloud communications provider Corvisa found that 41 percent of consumers still rank phone calls as their preferred method of customer- service communication. That number rises to 56 percent when customers are frustrated.

When I called CenterPoint Energy last week, the automated voice-response system asked me for my telephone number and house number to access my account. When a live representative came on the line, she wanted me to repeat the same information. Considering that every call center wants to minimize call time to save money, it's ridiculous that businesses such as CenterPoint or Comcast don't seem to have the technology that "pops" information onto the rep's screen after the customer provides it in the automated system.

In an attempt to understand the business side, I asked the co-founder of LucyPhone/Call Promise why more companies don't use screen pops. According to Mike Oristian, who created an escape hatch from long hold times, some companies want to authenticate the information for security purposes. That makes sense, but companies should tell callers to expect it.

Paco Underhill, author of "Why We Buy," said retail businesses are having trouble making a profit after cutting prices to compete with online. We lower our expectations at Trader Joe's but raise them for department stores such as Macy's. That's worrisome when consumers have high customer service expectations from a company that's always trying to cut prices.

Every time that I call Nordstrom at Mall of America, a live person in the store answers the phone. We hear that Nordstrom values customer service, but I think they can afford live operators because they aren't having a sale each week. I don't think most consumers see the connection.

In simple terms, consumers want business to recognize that our time is important. The average American spends the equivalent of 13 hours per year on hold or 43 days in a lifetime, according to MarketWatch. A majority of Americans were "tremendously annoyed" when they couldn't reach a human on the phone, according to a Consumer Reports survey on customer service.

Business seems to think that the answer is to send us to a bunch of FAQs on their website or offer up a live chat online. I agree that a live chat is a good way to handle an easy question, but when there is a customer service problem, only 2 percent of Americans prefer a live computer chat, according to Consumer Reports.

Business loves live chat because it cuts down on expenses. Live chat reps typically have several conversations going at the same time instead of focusing on one person. That's why it often takes a long time for a live rep to type an answer to a question, said Oristian.

Here's a depressing thought: Consumers aren't ever going to get good consumer service unless they are willing to pay for it. Until then, here's the next-best thing. Websites such as DialaHuman.com or Gethuman.com explain how to get past automated prompts. LucyPhone.com helps consumers avoid long waits on hold by having a service call back when a live rep is on the line. An app called GripeO submits a gripe from your smartphone if you have a bad experience at the mall, car rental counter or the airport, for example. Consumer Reports recommends asking an unhelpful rep to escalate the status of the complaint to the next level. Twitter and Facebook can be powerful public forums to complain.

Consumers who complain publicly online should also take time to compliment a business in public when it responds well. During a recent call I made to Ralston Purina about pet food, the rep promised to pass along my concern and then without me prompting asked whether I'd like some coupons.

That was unanticipated in a good way.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633