Patience is a virtue

How many times have you contacted a customer support person for a question or help with an item that you did not understand how to work?  Have you noticed how most of them talk to you like you are stupid?  As a technical support rep for AT&T Mobility (Formerly Cingular), I find myself speaking with persons that have no clue how to work their cell phones or data devices.  As a person who works in the industry and have a rather extensive knowledge about these devices, I find myself thinking at times “this person is just dumb, how could they not know how to turn on their phone?”.  I have to step back and realize that just because a person doesn’t understand one thing does not make them ignorant of everything.

I received a call from a customer who just got a new Sierra Wireless 881 USB data card for his laptop.  The customer service rep transferred him to me with the explanation that he “cannot get it to work.”  After speaking with him, I realized that he had no clue where the thing plugs in at.  I calmly explained to him that there is a connection on his computer that has the same icon that is on the end of the USB cord and he was able to plug it in.  After this was completed, the device installed the needed software and his Internet connection was live.  At the time I had another rep listening in for training purposes and she commented on the 22 minute call just to get the device plugged in and stated she would have “dumped” him on data support at the 5 minute mark because the guy was an “idiot”.

This is the attitude that gives customer support such a bad reputation.  Yes, we have a set time allowed for each call, but this is an average of the whole day, not just one call.  I don’t care if the call takes 60 minutes, I am committed to helping the customer, especially those that do not understand the technology.  I take the opportunity to educate the customer as much as I can, even if this means starting from the very beginning and going step by step.  I don’t talk down to my customers, I speak plainly and with respect.  As a result, most of my customers are happy by the time they disconnect the call and have no reason to call back.

The industry has put so much emphasis on the time it takes to get a customer off the phone and move to the next that it has taken away the personalization.  Reps tend to look at the time elapsed on the call and when it reaches a certain point, look for alternate methods, such as needlessly transferring the customer to another department, or setting a “Follow Up” for another rep to call them back.  Keep in mind the rep that calls them back has no clue what is going on and the customer will have to explain it all over again.

If the industry would allow us to take care of a customer from beginning to end, regardless of the time it takes, that company’s customer service would be unstoppable.  It’s all about the customer, and companies have forgotten this, looking more at volume than quality.

While you may know allot about one thing, there are 100 other things that you do not have a clue about.  I try to keep this in mind when speaking to a customer, I just wish all customer service persons would.