Coinbase Vows to Improve Customer Care Amid Backlash

Coinbase, one of North America's largest centralized crypto exchanges, is publicly committing to overhauling its customer service in response to a wave of user complaints. The company has faced significant backlash over issues such as frozen accounts, poor support, and a recent data breach. Acknowledging the long-standing problems, Coinbase’s customer experience lead, Jonathan Wes Griffith, has outlined a comprehensive four-step plan to enhance user satisfaction and reduce delays in resolving issues.

Strategic Plan for Better Support

The plan is designed to be proactive and efficient. First, the company aims to save customers time by preemptively addressing common product issues. This is a shift from a reactive to a more preventative approach. Second, Coinbase is heavily investing in automation and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to streamline processes. Critically, these tools will not replace human interaction entirely; a key part of the plan is to replace traditional chatbots with live customer representatives for more complex issues. Finally, new internal tools will be provided to staff to help them resolve customer problems more quickly and effectively.

Rebuilding Trust and Reducing Account Freezes

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has also weighed in on the issue, admitting that account freezes have been a problem "for too long." However, he noted that the company has already made significant progress, reducing these issues by an impressive 82%. This effort to rebuild trust comes after high-profile cases, such as NBA champion Kevin Durant losing access to his account for nine years, which was only resolved after his manager publicized the issue. The company’s new focus is on both product improvements and a complete rethinking of its customer service model to win back user confidence.