Things not To Do When Calling Customer Service

Except for the baby crying rule, the don’t be rude rule or the don’t pull “IMA GOIN TO SUE YA” rule, I break all of em’! But for the speaker phone one I actually ask if it is ok to use it. They always say sure. I usually have to call up the Bell Sympatico reps for internet problems and I am always transferred to Indialand.

Forian

Maybe the baby’s needs were taken care of when the caller initially call? AT&T usually has pretty quick response time, but I’ve been less fortunate with others … like with Apple when I had the misfortune of having a iPhone 2.5G problem on the iPhone 3G release date.

As a long-time phone monkey myself, I totally agree with your rules. Here’s another one I would like to add: HAVE ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION HANDY. Account numbers, order numbers, part numbers, dates, addresses - don’t ask the CS rep to wait while you hunt up the packing slip or whatever. Many of us are timed and have quotas - so many cases per hour. The corporate overlords are more interested in numbers than actually helping the customer (surprise!). Time that gets wasted is time that we have to answer for, our fault or not.

Holy crap dude, 50 a day? I didnt know TSD did that many. You should join the darkside with us over at LTC. 10 a day is average, never had more than 20 a day.

I am unfortunately 100% disabled today due to depression, extreme stress disorder and early set dementia (significant short term memory loss). I was able to work for big business (Mobil Oil and Exxon Mobil) for 32 years, I’m doing OK, please don’t feel sorry for me, I still get around fairly well and my long term memory is working overtime so I can communicate like a normal person. I look totally normal and most folks would never ever guess I had so much crap going on in my head. God put me in this position for some reason, I just don’t know why and I don’t ask.

I agree with many of your recommendations. It is easier to get your way when when your nice to everyone on the phone. However, when things get a bit tough, I tell service people about my disorder an quickly tell them that I’m covered by The American With Disabilities Act of 1992. I explain that it is federal law administered by the Justice Dept. in Washington. I then request my ‘Reasonable Accommodations’ under the law. The ADA is about 75% employment law and 25% covers every other right for the physically and mentally disabled. That’s why there ware wheel chair ramps universally around the country and disability bars in every bathroom.

I admit, that John Q. Public has a very difficult time distinguishing between physical and mental problems. Most have not ever heard of a mental disability which is something no one can really see feel or touch. I take wonderful medications and look totally normal and am very articulate with plenty of facts.

When push comes to shove though and we are all aware of the poor customer service everywhere as business lets the trained and more mature employees retire or are laid off, and they replace with cheaper and younger folks that don’t know ’shit’. Don’t ever be afraid to invoke the ADA, this includes my physically disabled brothers and sisters out there. We have federal anti discrimination law backing us up so go for the juggler if you have to.

BUT PLEASE, MY ADVISE, IF YOU ARE RESPECTFL AND TREAT THESE PEOLPLE NICELY, 90 TO 95% OF THE TIME YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO UTTER THESE WORDS. TALK KINDLY, WITH INTELLIGENCE AND GENTLENESS AND YOU CAN USUALLY GET THE SERVICE YOU NEED. I’m A VERY SPIRITUAL AND I DON’T THINK GOD WOULE WANT TO ACT IN ANY DIFFERENT WAY. IT IS NEVER NICE TO DEMEAN ANYONE OR THEIR INTELLIGENCE, BUT 5% OF THE TIME, IT SEEMS YOU HAVE TO. I’M TOTALLY COLOR BLIND AND GET GOOD SERVICE FRO ALL….IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE, ORIGIN OR ANYTHING ELSE. MANY YOUNG PEOPLE ARE JUST NO GOOD LISTENERS, THEY DON’T READ OR LOOK AT THE NEWS, AND THEY DON’T LISTEN IN ON THEIR EXPLOYEE MEETING THAT THEYATTEND AT WORK. AT MY OLD PLACES OF BUSINESS, I HEARD THIS MATERIAL ON DISCRIMINATION ONE OR TWICE A YEAR.

BE COOL AND STAY COOL…..THAT IS MY MOTTO. I’M NOT OUT TO GET ANYONE. TRY TO TREAT THESE SERVICE PEOPLE LIKE THEIR YOUR BEST FRIEND AND STAY CALM. EVEN THOUGH i GET STRESSED VERY EASILY, I’VE TRAINED MYSELF TO HOLD THAT TOUNG.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND AND i HOPE NONE OF YOU GUAY AND GALS EVER GET THIS TYPE OF ILLNESS. FYI….FIVE CONSECUTIVE GENERATIONS OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUICIDES ON MY FATHERS SIDE OF THE FAMILY. I DIDN’T HAVE NATURAL CHILDREN, I FELT THE ADOPTION ROUTE WAS MUCH SAFER AND THEY ARE TURNED TO TO GET GREAT KIDS AND ADULTS.

ROBERT BOWERS-HOUSTN, TX.

I am in my 70’s. I have found that every time I call for tech support, I have been helped by thoughtful and knowledgeable folks. They are kind, patient, and absolutely marvelous at solving problems. BUT I have small portable phones. I can’t hold the phone and do what ever they ask me to do on the computer w/out using speaker phone at some point in our conversation. But I will remember your comments for future calls.

I take about 100 calls a day some days. If people had some basic phone skills it would move things along much quicker, like don’t mash your mouth onto the phone, and don’t talk with the phone under your chin. Oh, and don’t eat when you call, that’s just disgusting.

It always amazes me how important seemingly trivial matters can be. I worked in a dialysis clinic for a few years and saw people with lost limbs and more problems than anyone would wish on their worst enemies, and yet most of them were just glad to be alive. Contrast that with the fuss people put up about things like shipping delays or incorrect orders, and one has to wonder where many people’s priorities really are. To customers I would say “Get a grip, there are bigger problems to get upset about.”

Amen to that, Joe.
Some customers get totally spazzed out when their shipment of pens is a day late. You’d think it was a vital part for their dying grandma’s dialysis machine. If a late delivery on some non-vital stuff is their worst problem, they should be grateful.

Quick comment on point #6. If you’re reading a script to me and not listening to a word I actually say - I’m going to interrupt - often. I’ll be saying things like “I did that, that too, yup, did you hear my initial description of what I did or did you just wait for me to finish speaking so you could start the script?” Really - not trying to be rude, but when you treat me like an imbecile after I’ve indicated that I’ve walked through all of the steps, why would you be surprised if I interrupt.

Now, that’s not to say that interrupting is always acceptable and the example you cited is a good example of not trying to interrupt. However, it really does go both ways here. I also work as a CS rep at times - just part of the job. If the customer shows that they have a level of knowledge that’s useful, I tend to skip past the more standard questions.

As for the guy who put you on hold - add notes to the ticket indicating that you were put on hold. Most reasonable managers will check those and can confirm the details if that happens. If it happens repeatedly, they might wonder, but for the one-offs, you still get paid and I’d suggest bringing a book or something. (Yeah, I know that doesn’t fly in most cases, but what can you really do - especially if you can’t hang up?)

I’d also argue a little with the baby thing - sometimes the baby was fine at the start of the call and there’s not much else you can do. Babies aren’t exactly known for having an “off” switch or mute button. If I’m taking care of my kid, started the call when I had a free/quiet moment, but waited on hold forever to get someone and the kid became fussy right around that time, I’d probably want to try to get the call done and problem resolved as quickly as possible rather than wait and try to call back again later.

Robert Bowers - Thanks for teaching me something today. I need to quit typing so much crap when I write folks because WHIPPIE! Nobody wants to hear it.

While these “tips” are reasonable request, we got to remember that nobody is reasonable these days so “push to shove” do what you gotta do. My biggest issue when I have to deal with Customer Support is I can’t hear. I have a slight hearing problem and when these support folks whipser into the phone, I’m the one asking them to repeat themselves.

The support people that barely speak english make it 100x worse on me and rude or not, I’ve more than once asked to speak with someone who could speak english more clearly. Push and shove, you are going to do what you gotta do. If I have a support person on the phone not want to help because the child in the background is acting up, I’m going to be enraged because. Like it’s been said, soemtimes your on hold forever and if you ever called dell’s support you’d know that after waiting 2 hours and being hung up on for gosh knows what reason and having to wait another hour to get someone back on the line! I’m not going to end that call because my child decides he’s had enough of me on the phone and wants my attention.

While I agree with almost all of these, I would keep an open mind before you pop an attitude with those that don’t flow as easy as you’d like them to. How about having some work ethics and try to do your job regardless of it being difficult sometimes. If someone is enraged and rambling off lies to you that they are friends with the CEO as you stated, how about looking at that as a challange instead of a burden and feel GOOD about doing a good job and actually help that person?
The guy with the contractor he was trying to get a good price on. Did you think that maybe he was put on hold forever and this contractor showed up at an inconvient time? You said you get up to 50 calls and from other comments, that is quite a few? I’m not sure because I haven’t done that kind of work in over a decade. But it sounds like these customers may have to spend some time in queue before they can be helped. So why should “John Doe” have to hang up and get out of queue if he’s been waiting for 45 minutes just because a contractor shows up. WHY can’t he play the “You made me wait, now I make you wait” game?

While I understand what your trying to say, I feel you fail to understand and are single minded. Realize that their is 2 sides to everything. And instead of it being YOU that is annoyed at the customer, how about you change your attitude so you can do your job. You will need to learn that you will face calls that aren’t easy and will present you with a challange. It’s your job to deal with them calls as well. And thanks to this publishing of yours, I now have to deal with getting AT&T to look into this favor treatment you provide for those that you “like” better than others just because you can’t do your job to those that you feel annoyed with. You should shed equal treatment upon everyone, regardless if they are upset and have issues with keeping it surpressed. It is NOT your job to change these people, teach them a lesson, or cheat them of service because they annoy you. You are doing AT&T a disservice by being an employee there with your current state of mind and attitude. Because if you popped attitude and didn’t want to help me because I was angry with whatever, I’d tell you to do pretty much what those angry people tell you and I’d find another service to deal with. I like AT&T, but I do have this anger with Sprint because of their lack of customer support. Those people have gotten so rude with me that I go out of my way to tell people how crappy they are and why. If their employees were more professional and didn’t pop attitudes like we are crap and they are the greatest and so much smarter than us, well then…

I guess I didn’t learn to much from Robert Bowers rambling. But at least I was on subject wasn’t I?

To the last commenter. I appreciate your views, but i think you misunderstood my post. In no way do I show favoritism to a customer because they may break one of these “rules” as you call them. These are only suggestions and tips to help the customer have the best experience possible. I do my best on each and every call i get throughout the day. There are, however, some people who think they can push me into breaking the rules I am bound to by being rude or threatening to me. This does not work, and to be honest, will cause me to go by the rules to the letter. If you are relatively decent to me and realize I have a job to do which includes making the customer happy while at the same time protecting the company’s interests, I will be more likely to use the loopholes we have in the rules and go the extra mile. Yes, from time to time our customers do wait on hold for an extended time, and I do know how frustrating that can be. I will do my best to fix the issue as quickly as possible, but some customers want the impossible, such as complaining about the interference the cell phone causes when held near a land line phone, or wanting a signal in their basement where they keep their office. I explain to the customers why i can’t make that happen and sometimes they continue to argue with me about how it can be done and such when i could be helping the next customer.

I love my job and i like fixing issues, what people don’t seem to realize is that cell phone service is not 100% and there are issues and no coverage areas.

My biggest problem is with phone menus, and the endless menus, sub menus, informational announcements that don’t apply to my situation, etc. Then they want you to type or say your account number, name, address, what school you went to , your Great Grandmothers dog’s maiden name, etc., etc.

Then when you FINALLY do get a live non-cybernetic living, breathing human being on the line, they have to ask you the same nonsense all over again!!! So much for progress.

Because of the large amount of people that don’t seem to realize that cell phone service is not 100%, and the calls you’ve had that upset you. It’s important to remember how easy it is for you and anyone else that works in your line of work to become judgemental on people.
This is a dog eat dog world, and these problems you’ve mentioned are issues that may be unheard of in the future. Maybe in the future the cell phone companies will have a booster at the homes electrical box that will allow for service within the basement. All issues and complaints are nothing more than feedback for the companies to create a product that will deliver to the customers wants and needs. And I didn’t mean to take offense at your list, and at first I didn’t. But the more I read, the more I felt it unfair for all to be judged when the circumstances are different in every case. And I’d hate to be judged an idiot because I have some issues with some of the things in the list. When I call customer service, they may have my complete attention for the first 10-15 minutes. After that, it’s a dog eat dog world! So as I have stated, if being on hold makes it difficult for us to get the problem taken care of, what would you really expect us to do? If you know anyone that has kids, you will realize that the only free time you get is in bed and when your in the bathroom! I’m sure alot of people would take offense at that. Kids don’t come with a remote control. I think someone actually brought that up. There’s so much truth to that! So naturally when someone says hush the kids, we are going to take offense. In your case, we’d holler back get another job if you don’t like dealing with everyday things, and in a public place, we’d yell go home if you don’t like it. It’s a part of life, and parents do get defensive quick and offended easy when it comes to someone talking about their offsprings.

So if I chewed to much, my apologies. I’ve no place to “teach” you anything anymore than you have place to teach us. Sometimes we just got to rant and rave. It makes us feel better.

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