Been
aggravated by the customer service experience by the last time? Read
this two-part series on how to get what you want from customer service.
Customer service, how I loathe thee. Let me count the ways. The
never-ending loop of obnoxious hold music. The pressure to buy new
products and services. The poor-quality, outsourced call to a distant
land.
A call to customer service can be an infuriating ending to a
frustrating experience. You’re upset and looking for empathy, but all
you encounter is disappointment. Could Company X have done something
differently? Probably, but if you follow these tips when dealing with
customer service, you’ll be in the driver’s seat for the next dispute.
1. Be prepared.
Seems basic, right? Unless you’ve called Company X several times,
you’re probably not familiar with their required information. Have
every tracking number, account number, itemized statement, and order
number before you call. Customer service representatives are held
responsible for torturous call-handling metrics designed by masochistic
management. Length of call, resolution (if the customer calls back to
the company within an allocated amount of time), and randomly monitored
calls are measured stringently. Bottom line: they want to help you
quickly and completely, lest a superior crack a whip.
2. Be nice.
Customer service representatives speak with upset, irritated, and/or
irate people all day. Every day. You may not agree with a credit
denial, but screaming “the customer is always right, (expletive)!” will
not help. Be pleasant and the rules may be malleable. Be another
unpleasant customer and the guidelines will be set in stone.
3. Know when to call, know when to write.
If you need to request a price quote, add/remove a feature, or ask for
explanation of a bill, e-mail is the most efficient route for your
correspondence. For repair concerns or credit requests, call customer
service. Repair specialists will need to troubleshoot and get access
information should a technician need to be dispatched. Credit requests
can be handled via e-mail, however, it is easier to reply with a
“credit denied” form letter than to deny credit to a real, live person.
4. Get on record.
If something is not working properly, call the company immediately. If
there is a cable, satellite, or phone outage, Company X will only be
able to diagnose and correct the problem if they are notified a problem
exists. This also establishes a record of communication should you need
to request a credit or refund at a later date.
5. Be persistent, but not obnoxious.
Many companies have guidelines for dispensing credit that require
denial the first time for any request that is not a previously-reported
“out of service” issue or a known billing error. The second time a
credit request is made, these guidelines can be relaxed. If you have
followed the “be nice” tip above, you may be rewarded with your credit
request.
Following these five tips will help you get what you want in the most
efficient manner possible. Stay tuned for the next installment to find
out how you can aggravate the customer service experience and actually
delay resolution!
