These days, it almost seems that the Web is smarter and more knowledgeable than any human – obtaining new information and skills all the time. And if Web prognosticators are right, as we move past Web 2.0 to Web 3.0, we'll be able to pinpoint information through more natural queries.

That's great news for online shopping, which has been booming of late. In 2006, US shoppers racked up over $120 billion in retail sales -- up 23% from 2005. No fighting over parking spots, no waiting in long lines, or dealing with overworked and tired sales help. It all sounds very appealing. But is the goal to get rid of humans in the shopping experience?

Back in our world, Web 1.0, what happens when the FAQ comes up a question short, when the email query doesn't receive a satisfactory response, when helpful links aren't that helpful—what happens when the written word fails? As Netflix discovered, humans and direct dialogue still matter. Until recently, if you wanted to speak to a Netflix representative about an issue regarding your DVD, you embarked on an extended Internet scavenger hunt to find the company's 800 number. Netflix customers were steered to emailing customer support or answering their own questions using online knowledgebases.

As reported in the New York Times, the company recently changed course, revamping its customer service department. It now has a staff of over 200 to handle calls, and has eliminated email queries all together. According to Michael Osier, Netflix's VP for information technology, email was not the way to go. "My assessment was that a world-class e-mail program was still going to be consistently lower in quality and effectiveness than a phone program," Osier said.

Netflix may be going against the general trend of other companies, but when agents, as knowledge workers, get the proper technology assistance, they can deliver great service, build the brand, and tighten customer loyalty.

In The Wrap-Up, while we're forward thinking about technology, we also believe in old-fashioned analog human-to-human interactions. Towards that end, here's a site that lists in one place those sometimes hard-to-find customer service numbers of key retailers.