Recently, my daughter ordered some items online from a distributor. After everything was said and done, there was just one small problem she had that couldn't be resolved easily on their site. I promised I would make the call for her, imagining the hassle of dealing with yet another customer service help line for something that could be in any way difficult for the customer service rep. Bracing myself for the worst, I took a deep breath and dialed the numbers. After about 3 or 4 rings, the phone is answered by a surprisingly life-like voice, “Hello, thanks for calling __________. How can I help?” I was shocked and faltered a bit, because I wasn't prepared to actually be talking to someone right off the bat. After getting it together, I explained the issues as best I could. The representative listened while I talked and then said, “Hmm, I see the problem. Usually this sort of thing is handled by another department. I will make a note on your account and send an email to that department to get it taken care of. I will call you back as soon as it is fixed.” I thanked her and hung up. A few hours later, she called me back to say it was all straightened out. You can imagine my shock and amazement that not only did I not have to listen to 30 minutes of how important my call is, but my problem was handled on the first call and there was no attempt to sell me anything or transfer me off to someone else.
This got me thinking about some of the things that really are irritating when you have to deal with customer service at most companies. Personally, I hate it when my call is routed to someone in India who's name is mysteriously Steve. Steve's accent is difficult for me to understand and he thanks me over and over for every piece of information I give him. And what's worse, after we get through the information giving process, it quickly becomes apparent that he can't help me with my problem and keeps putting me on hold to find the right script for my issue. So, after 30 minutes or so of hold time added to the 45 minutes of “thank you for providing me with that information” and not actually being able to help, I end up getting frustrated and calling back later, hoping to reach someone else about my problem.
It seems that call centers and customer service centers that are designed to provide help and support to customers aren't doing such a good job of it. Whenever you actually reach someone who is able to listen to your problem, understand it and takes steps to solve it, it is almost too good to be true. I wonder why companies aren't investing more of their resources into assisting customers and creating brand loyalty? It would seem to me that it would have a huge impact in the overall success of the company, as customers want to do business with companies that provide great service.
So I was wondering, what are the things that annoy you the most when you call a customer service line? Is it the long wait times? The loud, annoying elevator music? The difficulty to navigate automated systems? Let me know in the comments.
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By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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