Relationship: absolutely, positively, under no circumstances: part of the economy ... has been working around the clock to ensure that we only have one-time transactions with no possible follow-up relationship.

• Author: Hall, Robert
• Position: Marketing Solutions

Me: Is there any way I could call you tomorrow?

Him: No. You can contact the call center here, but there is no way to ensure that you get me.

Me: Is there any way you could call me?

Him: No. We are not allowed to make outbound calls.

Me: Well, now surely in this age of electronic communication, there, is some way to do this. Is there a set time when I could call in tomorrow like when your shift first starts so we could talk?

Him: No.

Me: Could you e-mail me or text me when you are about to be available to talk?

Him: No.

Two hours into a telephone call with a computer service technician and after sharing a bunch of information on my particular glitch and his attempting a number of possible fixes, he was about to end his shift and I had a meeting to attend. This guy was thorough, easy to understand, and by now was well versed in the problem and had eliminated a number of possible causes. From my standpoint, I could think of nothing more inefficient for me than starting over with a new guy and having to repeat everything. For his company, this guy, already informed and invested in the problem, was more likely to efficiently resolve things than was a new guy starting from scratch. He was frustrated by being precluded from successful closure, and I was frustrated because my two hour investment in this relationship and all of the information exchanged and trouble-shooting performed was about to go out the window.

This Fortune 500 company had designed its call center to absolutely, positively, under-no-circumstances allow for a follow-up interaction, what we might call a relationship. It was not relationship neutral or relationship challenged or even relationship every-so-often--it was relationship NEVER.

Now, there are numerous situations where what is needed is just an efficient, completed transaction. Order efficiently fulfilled. Question promptly answered. Problem methodically solved. Even, relationship courteously ended. Both parties do what needs to be done. It is one thing to avoid relationships when the conditions or needs do not warrant them. But it is another when the unique circumstances cry out for the ability to salvage the investment in information, troubleshooting and two-person sympatico by reconnecting rather than starting over.

It then occurred to me that while one part of our economy has worked incessantly to develop technology to augment our relationships by staying in touch via e-mail, cell phones, instant messaging, twitter...