The following post is from the Fred's Head Blog from the American
Printing House for the Blind.
NEW! Amazon's Disability Customer Service Line!
Introduction
Within the past year, we posted about Apple's Accessibility Hotline and
Microsoft's Accessibility Answer Desk. Earlier in 2017, I discovered a
new accessibility resource, seemingly by accident.
I wanted to work to improve my skills with Safari on a Mac and decided
that working with a familiar site would be beneficial. I pulled up
www.amazon.com and heard something quite unusual.
If you use the Amazon site on a computer, you probably know about the
screen reader optimized site and have already read the message that
says, in part, “We have recently updated the screen reader optimized
website to include headings, landmarks, and new shopping features to
improve your experience. Please follow this link …”. When I pulled up
Amazon’s site on this particular evening using VoiceOver, I read a
different message, a new link located right after the “Help” link if you
are not signed in and right after the “My account” link if you are.
Disability Customer Support Line
What was this new link? It reads: “Click to call our Disability Customer
Support Line, or reach us directly at 1-888-283-1678. Immediately I
checked Amazon with my Windows PC running JAWS for Windows and received
the same message. After calling Amazon’s regular customer service line,
I discovered that typically sighted individuals did not see this
message; Amazon’s site detected that I was using a screen reader and, as
a result, displayed this message and link.
Purpose of the Disability Line
My next task, of course, was to find out what this line’s purpose was,
what the agents could and could not do, etc. Thanks to Amazon’s Public
Relations department who gathered information from the Accessibility
Team, we know the following basic information about the line:
In January, Amazon launched a dedicated customer service line for
customers with disabilities. The hours of operation are 3:00am - 10pm
PST, 7 days a week, and the dedicated agents can be reached by either
following the click-to-call link on the Amazon.com Desktop site or by
calling 1-888-283-1678. The agents have been trained in screen reader
basics and can help support (or escalate, if needed) technical issues.
Agents can also help customers find products, add items to a customer’s
shopping cart and support the check-out process. Agents are not able to
place orders on behalf of the customers.
I inquired as to whether or not agents could assist with things like
setting up a new Kindle or Echo for a customer who is blind and visually
impaired. While the line is not set up specifically to do this, these
agents may be able to answer basic questions about these devices. If the
question is too technical in nature, the agent will transfer you to the
specific department for that device.
What Happens When I Call?
The start of the process is exactly like the process you would encounter
if you called Amazon’s typical customer service; you provide your name,
email, and sometimes your mailing address to verify your account. With
this information, agents can confirm details about your account, check
the status of an order, assist with returning an item, etc. In short,
the disability line works with you to accomplish all tasks the typical
line’s agents can do while working with you to resolve problems you may
have as a screen reader user.
For instance, you want to purchase shampoo. You know what you want but
cannot tell which item is the correct one. The description may be
unclear and may not describe the amount of shampoo in the bottle, how
many bottles you are purchasing, etc.
Perhaps you are looking at an article of clothing, but you are having
problems choosing the correct size and color. Maybe you want to buy an
appliance and find it problematic to compare similar items. As is
typical with many websites, the interface changes, sometimes causing you
to be unable to find the “Add to cart” button. In each of these
instances, the dedicated disability customer service line is quite
useful. Once you determine which item(s) you want to buy, the agent can
add them to your cart. Then, at your convenience, you can return to the
site or pull up the app and complete the transaction. If you purchase an
Amazon device, agents, themselves may be able to help you set it up,
show you how to turn on accessibility features, or answer basic
questions about the device. If they cannot do this, they will route you
to the department corresponding to the correct device so you can get
your problems solved and questions answered.
Limitations
As we said, agents cannot place orders for you. They can explain to you
how to make the purchase but cannot hit the “Place Order Button” for
you. You only find the link explaining the line when on the desktop site
on a computer. Users of the app or anyone navigating the site on a phone
or tablet will not find the link. Agents can, however, explain features
of the app and assist you in navigating it. You may, in fact, take
advantage of the disability services line no matter how you access
Amazon’s site.
Also, as is true of typical customer service agents, they may not be
able to answer all questions about Amazon devices; an agent may have to
transfer you to the department that specializes in a particular device
for you to get an answer to your question.
We trust that this information will assist you.
--
David Goldfield,
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
You are invited to visit the moderator's Web site at WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
for additional resources and information about assistive technology training
services.
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