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During a recent Digital Inclusion event, we explored the challenges that older adults face when trying to contact companies online. Many of these difficulties are linked to digital friction, the small but significant obstacles that make customer service journeys harder than they should be.
Organisations aiming to stay accessible often find that removing these barriers is critical to building customer trust. The issue is particularly pressing in sectors such as insurance and finance, where clarity, reassurance, and trust are essential.
Why Digital Friction Matters for Older People
Older customers are increasingly online, yet many still struggle with essential digital interactions. Common challenges include:
Low confidence when navigating complex websites
Difficulty with digital-first customer service journeys
A strong preference for speaking directly to a person, especially for financial or sensitive issues
When services are designed with automation as the default, older adults may feel digitally excluded. Digital friction creates frustration, leads to abandonment, and forces customers into alternative channels that are less efficient for them and often more costly for organisations.
Common Barriers in the Contact Journey
Older people encounter a range of obstacles when trying to get support online, many of which create unnecessary digital friction. Identifying these issues through Audits & Inclusive User Testing is often the first step to creating more inclusive customer experiences. These barriers include:
1. Overwhelming Help Pages
Help and support sections often feature dozens of links, options, and decision trees. This can be cognitively overwhelming and lead to confusion or “decision paralysis,” particularly for elderly internet users unfamiliar with technical terms or digital conventions.
2. Reliance on Chatbots (Automated Live Chat)
Many companies now offer live chat support, but in many cases, this is handled by a chatbot before human agents are available.
These bots:
Often use scripted responses or keyword triggers
May not recognise natural language, spelling errors, or vague questions
Can hide real contact options behind several failed attempts to “self-serve”
Sometimes simulate human interaction without clearly disclosing they’re automated
For older users, this can be frustrating or misleading. Many type long, polite queries expecting a person, only to receive unhelpful automated responses or be looped back to FAQ articles they’ve already seen. Such patterns create a clear contact barrier that reduces trust.
Exploring our Digital Inclusion Lab offers a way to step into the shoes of your users and understand first-hand how automated systems can either support or exclude them.
3. Hidden or De-emphasised Phone Numbers
Many users, especially older ones, would prefer to speak to a human directly. However, phone contact options are often buried behind web forms, chat pop-ups, or multiple navigation layers. Such practices increase the risk of digital exclusion elderly customers may already face.
4. CAPTCHAs and Security Friction
To complete contact forms or request a call-back, users are often asked to solve a CAPTCHA (for example, “click all the pictures with traffic lights”). These are notoriously difficult for people with visual, motor, or cognitive impairments and particularly discouraging for older users. In many cases, they amplify digital friction unnecessarily.
How many older people are digitally excluded?
According to Age UK, approximately 2.4 million (19%) older people are digitally excluded. Elderly internet users may be comfortable with messaging or browsing but find services such as online banking, healthcare, and insurance too complex. The digital exclusion elderly customers experience is not only about access to devices but also about confronting processes that feel overwhelming or inaccessible.
How can we ensure digital inclusion for older adults?
Organisations can take practical steps to reduce barriers and design services that work for elderly internet users as well as younger ones.
1. Make Phone Contact Easy to Find
Include phone numbers on all major contact or help pages
Don’t bury them behind chatbots or dropdown menus
Use large text and clearly state operating hours
2. Be Transparent About Live Chat
Clearly indicate whether a chat is automated or human
Allow users to escalate to a real person early in the conversation
Avoid misleading interfaces that mimic human interaction when it is not available
3. Simplify Help Pages
Limit the number of links or decision points per page
Use clear, question-based headings like “I still need help” or “Speak to someone”
Reduce complexity that creates unnecessary digital friction for elderly internet users
4. Avoid Visual CAPTCHAs Where Possible
Use accessible alternatives such as invisible CAPTCHA or email confirmation
Avoid anything that requires dragging, clicking images, or deciphering text
5. Offer Channel Choice Without Penalty
Let users choose how they want to engage: phone, email, or live chat
Avoid nudging all users toward one “preferred” channel unless it is clearly in their interest
Support genuine digital inclusion for older adults by offering flexibility
6. Test with Older Users Directly
Watch how older people try to contact your services
Spot barriers like unclear navigation, hidden phone numbers, or difficult CAPTCHAs
Use insights from inclusive user testing to fix issues early and reduce digital friction
Final Thoughts
Many of these design patterns are unintentional, but they disproportionately affect older adults. Simplifying the path to contact, reducing automation friction, and keeping human help easily accessible can significantly improve customer satisfaction and retention.
Good accessibility is not just about compliance; it is about keeping services open to everyone. Organisations that reduce digital friction and address each contact barrier will create fairer, more trustworthy customer experiences for all.
Learn more about practical ways to achieve digital inclusion for elderly and older adults at Arc Inclusion.