Find out that it's $3/minute for tech support!
I absolutely will not pay money to get service or support on a product! That kind of crap is infuriating!
"Customer Service" Pet Peeves
by XJW4EVR 46 Replies latest jw friends
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XJW4EVR
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hambeak
Dealing with people is a pain at times no matter what side of the counter or phone line you are on.
My pet peeve is the robots in customer service especially for cell phones with the virtual operators, goodness knows we pay enough for services and they can at least get more people to answer the phones.
On the other side of the counter I have had customers come in 1 in particular who said you changed my oil and now my car shakes. I explained to him that his rotors were warped and he needed to have them replaced. After 15 minutes explaining in detail that an oil change has nothing to do with brakes and he started to get rude I just told him "GET THE HELL OUT AND DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU WHERE THE GOOD LORD SPLIT YA!" Thats why I like working for myself. Most of my customers are polite a lot are dumb as dirt but that's OK. LOL
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myelaine
"Me, me, me, I, I, I... Pretty egocentric guy, that Lord." dear daystar... 18 times...I've heard that = bondage or something like that in Biblical numerics. love michelle
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evita
I have also been on both sides of this.
But my pet peeves are:
Checkout people with colds handling my food. I know I had to work while sick many times but I still don't like it. One clerk was talking to another about going home sick because she felt she was coming down with the flu. Eeewww.
Buying coffee at my local small supermarket. Three lines open but no "10 items or less" line. I complained twice. Once I was told that the cashiers don't like to work on that line so they don't open it. The next time I was told that "we are doing the best that we can".
Deli workers with multiple piercings. I don't know why this bugs me.
I also worked in retail sales for many years and have lots of horror stories. Like the guy who through a Norelco electric razor at me because he could not return it used. -
Midget-Sasquatch
Daystar,
I too have learned how frustrating it can be to work as tech phone support. Like when customers call in for help troubleshooting their connection to the internet, but don't know some of the basics I would need to know to help them with configuring it. Does your ISP use DHCP or PPPoE? What incoming mail server and an outgoing mail server names did they provide to you?
Or when they reem me out after I tell them I have no training in 3rd party products so I cannot provide competent support for them...or those who scream out their computer's serial number at speeds faster than sound.... yeah its not all that fun being a phone tech....I'm thinking supply teaching wasn't all that bad :)
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free2beme
I work in customer service, on the phones, here are my reverse pet peeves about people who call in, wanting that "customer service" ...
"People who treat you like a emotionless machine ... cussing at you, calling you names, degrading you"
"Uneducated people who do not know how to read"
"People who do not pay there bills, and blame you for" ---- The mail did not deliver your bill last month, so I get a month free, right?
"People who think asking for a supervisor means anything?" --- In call centers, supervisors often are just reps who rotate the positions and take pay cuts to do it. The person you talked too first, probably knew more then the person you transferred too.
"People who blame YOU the person who answered the phone, for decisions made by the companies CEO"
"People who use the term "You people" and expect you to think it is okay"
"People who start the call with, "I hate your company," and do not realize you want to hang up right then and there, knowing this call is going to go bad."
"People who start the call with, "I have been on hold five minutes 30 seconds," and the proceed to take another ten minutes explaining how they hate being on hold and do not realize that people like them are causing the long hold time."
"People who do not get to the point quick enough, they tell you stories"
"Elderly people who expect senior citizen discounts for everything, not as a privilege, but as a right!"
"People who think government assistance, means free money!"
"People who pay part of there bill monthly, for six months or more and then get confused and call you to fix it all for them and you do, and they do not say "thank you", rather they end with saying "%#@& you" and hanging up."
"People who think they make more money then you, so they talk down to you, not realizing you make in some case over a six-figure income"
"People who talk down to you, because they feel they are smarter and use words like WORSH for WASH"
.... oh I could go on all night. Let's just say, I have done customer service for years and like the job. I just don't always like all the people I talk too and I know many of them do not have a clue how many negative calls you get in the day. Also, CLUE NUMBER ONE, if you want to be treated well and given the maximum of help .... BE NICE!
KINDNESS and UNDERSTANDNING, will get you to the solutions you want.
Always take notes. Include the name of the rep you speak with, the date and time of the call, and all pertinent information.
Unless you have the call recorded. Your notes will most likely be dealt with in a fashion that if they do not match the notes on the account, they did not happen.
Always get the name of the person, no matter how trivial a thing you called for. If you can, try to get their extension as well. This creates a sense of ownership on their part at the very least.
Most call centers are in India, or have thousands of reps nationwide that work on a system that they take what ever call is next and can never be reached again. Recording that you spoke to Sally or Mike, makes you feel better. Yet the real notes that matter, are not the names of the people you spoke with. It is what the confirmation numbers mean, and what you did.
Try to get a case number of some sort of call tracking number. I can't imagine a call center not using some sort of call tracking system and they're going to have some way of looking up prior cases.
I agree with this. Just remember, the disclaimer of "This call may be recorded" does not mean all calls are recorded and stored. That would require an enormous amount of computer space. Most call centers record less then 5 calls a month per rep, that they keep, and a offline quality assurance group listens to those to get a sample of how the rep is doing. Just don't as them to look that up, it wont happen.
Rather than getting ticked off if you feel like you're not being treated fairly by a rep, try this: make it personal. I once spent four months trying to get automatic payroll deductions for my ex-wife's child support payments. Each time I called, I would get one more piece of the puzzle, but never did someone give me all the steps. The final time I had to call I pleaded with the woman, "JoAnne, I am simply at my wit's end here. I need your help... please..." and explained how hard a time I'd had and that I just needed to know every step, every form, everything I needed to do to make this work. And it was taken care of within a matter of days
Kindness, Kindness, Kindness. Often reps answer only what you ask, and because they are on a limited amount of time to speak to each person. They do not elaborate (I know that sucks!). Be specific and research what you want and need, before you make the call ... not while your on the call. Often you find your answers on your own. Do not spend the whole call blaming people for mistakes, that are not the representative your talking too. They want to help, not just spend the whole call listening to your anger. Kindness goes a billion miles. Use it, and you will get what you want.
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daystar
"People who think asking for a supervisor means anything?" --- In call centers, supervisors often are just reps who rotate the positions and take pay cuts to do it. The person you talked too first, probably knew more then the person you transferred too.
You know, the first support company I worked for did this too. But they were more experienced reps rather than less. I think this will eventually, one way or another, bite companies in the ass. It's a mistake to treat customers as if they need a "handler" rather than someone who can, you know, actually help them with their problem.
Unless you have the call recorded. Your notes will most likely be dealt with in a fashion that if they do not match the notes on the account, they did not happen.
No, the notes are for your benefit, not so you can compare them to anything else. It's just so you can remember what was discussed.
Most call centers are in India, or have thousands of reps nationwide that work on a system that they take what ever call is next and can never be reached again.
Not true... yet. Some, many, but not most.
Try to get a case number of some sort of call tracking number. I can't imagine a call center not using some sort of call tracking system and they're going to have some way of looking up prior cases.
I agree with this. Just remember, the disclaimer of "This call may be recorded" does not mean all calls are recorded and stored. That would require an enormous amount of computer space. Most call centers record less then 5 calls a month per rep, that they keep, and a offline quality assurance group listens to those to get a sample of how the rep is doing. Just don't as them to look that up, it wont happen.
Not as much disk space as you might think. And HDDs are very, very cheap these days. But, yeah, they never record every call.
I have a good idea of the sort of CS call center you work in. You probably deal with end users, or the general public. Your experience is fairly common I think. But it's a slightly different story doing CS support or any sort of technical support for other companies rather than the general public.
I think support and CS gets a bad reputation, and not necessarily unduly. But if a person calls in with a bad attitude to begin with, they're only doing themselves more harm. The rep has no control over how long a hold time there is. And each rep is different, some smarter, some dumber, some younger, some older, etc., just like in "real life".
That being said, it is very bad service when a rep turns on the customer because of their bad attitude. I can't tell you the number of times I've turned an initially bad experience with a disgruntled customer into a positive experience for both of us. To treat a customer worse because they are upset or yelling or whatever is a mistake.