Misc Customer Service poll - Page 4

**pr_capone** · 01-05-2012, 02:17 PM

As consumers, especially of electronics, we are occasionally forced to call a manufacturer or a service provider for assistance with their product/service.

When you call, wait times can vary greatly. For example, right now at my work the longest person waiting for tech support has been on hold for 4 minutes (I'm on lunch so I'm not holding anything up). The though process at most call centers tends to be to get through as many people as humanly possible while still giving good/ok service.

My question to you is... would you, as a consumer, rather wait for a longer period of time (say 20 minutes) if you were certain that the person who answers your call is extremely thorough, helpful, and takes the time to explain the service at a relaxed pace so you know how it all works so you have a better understanding of what you have?

Or

Would you rather wait for a shorter amount of time (3-5 minutes) and get good service that strictly addresses your issue and "hurries" you through the call because he has to get to the next person in queue? In this scenario, the rep does the bare minimum (follows a script) to get your services rectified and on to the next call?

Hiring more reps is not an option for the purposes of this poll.

**The Franchise** · 01-05-2012, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

That's unbelievably backward.

I hated the shit when I did that type of work.

Frazod · 01-05-2012, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HemiEd

I always just assumed they were asking you to verify to make sure they got the right call.

I've always assumed (correctly, apparently) that they didn't know.

01-05-2012, 03:58 PM

The thing that drives me crazy is the automated crap where I enter my account number, phone number, and name via the keypad then when a live person picks up my call they act like they have no idea who I am and want all that information again. That bugs me to no end. If you don't have an integrated system then don't ask me the first time.

**The Franchise** · 01-05-2012, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pr_capone

From the other side of things, I don't really care how long I have to wait as long as the rep I speak with doesn't bumble**** his/her way through my issue. If I have someone on the line who is capable and understands my problem and has a resolution, be it them fixing it or sending out a tech, I'm cool with it.

Now, if I have had to wait for hours to get a hold of someone who doesn't have the foggiest idea of how to fix my problem because they should never have been put in a technical position... then I get angry. And you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

Now, from the viewpoint of a rep. I fancy myself as an extremely knowledgeable rep and would rather take time during a call to make sure I cover all my bases before passing it off to a field tech. Unfortunately, the support world tends to disagree with my way of doing things, ANY tech support company... not necessarily the one I work for.

If you get hold of me... I may not be able to fix your problem all day every day but I'm gonna give it my best shot. Yes, sometimes I'll ask you to do things that you have already done but it is because it is my process and experience has shown me that though 50% of the people I talk to say they already did it... having them re do it makes things work. I don't know if it is that they lied to me because they didn't take the proper steps... but no joke, nearly 50%.

50%? Back when I did it.....it was MUCH higher than that.

**pr_capone** · 01-05-2012, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

Another thing that drives me nuts - when I first call, I key in or say my account information to the computer, then select the option for who I need to talk to. When I'm connected, the first thing that person asks me is for the exact..... same.... information I just provided before, and usually what I'm calling about. Does this shit not pop up on their computer? And if I have to speak to other people, again, same shit. Are these functions of completely separate databases? If so, that's insane. And why would the guy not know why I'm calling? I'M CALLING FOR THE SAME REASON EVERYBODY ELSE WHO PRESSED 4 HAS CALLED YOU ALL DAY LONG YOU DUMB MOTHER****ER!!!!!!!

Your info comes up on my screen the large majority of the time if you keyed it in correctly or if you haven't been transferred 3 times to get to me... then I usually get some internal info on my popup screen.

Another thing that happens:

Son will call from his mobile phone while trying to troubleshoot something for mom at her house. He keys in all his info so it is his acct that pops up on my screen instead of mom's.

01-05-2012, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phobia

The thing that drives me crazy is the automated crap where I enter my account number, phone number, and name via the keypad then when a live person picks up my call they act like they have no idea who I am and want all that information again. That bugs me to no end. If you don't have an integrated system then don't ask me the first time.

Errr - repost. Sorry Frazod.

**Bearcat** · 01-05-2012, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

Another thing that drives me nuts - when I first call, I key in or say my account information to the computer, then select the option for who I need to talk to. When I'm connected, the first thing that person asks me is for the exact..... same.... information I just provided before, and usually what I'm calling about. Does this shit not pop up on their computer? And if I have to speak to other people, again, same shit. Are these functions of completely separate databases? If so, that's insane. And why would the guy not know why I'm calling? I'M CALLING FOR THE SAME REASON EVERYBODY ELSE WHO PRESSED 4 HAS CALLED YOU ALL DAY LONG YOU DUMB MOTHER****ER!!!!!!!

We had 2 major options... tech & orders. If they selected tech, they had more options... if your system is down, press 1, etc. I didn't even know they had the different tech options until I got curious one day and called the number... after pressing tech, it didn't matter what you pressed... it went to the same group of people, and all they knew was you wanted tech help. My guess is they used to have a level 2 take calls for urgent issues, and one day changed it so all calls went to level 1, but they never removed the prompts.

And yeah, it sucks when you have to redo things after telling them what you've done, and even though it annoys me, I understand the other side of it... I would skip the "is it on" kind of steps, then it would come back and bite me in the ass 10 minutes later. I would try BSing my way into having them do it again.... "well, I know you said you've already unplugged it and plugged it back in, but this time I want you to wait 30 seconds before plugging it back in" ...because you know, that really matters.

trndobrd · 01-05-2012, 04:25 PM

I can put my phone on speaker and do other things (clever and informative CP posts, for instance) for an indefinite period of time while waiting for a decent rep to come on the line. 20 minutes of 'is it plugged in?' is just a complete waste of time.

**Bearcat** · 01-05-2012, 04:31 PM

There's also a quality control factor in repeating steps... the (mostly non-technical) quality folks hated me, because I skipped steps and did what was logical instead of going by documentation word for word (wait 30 seconds before having them plug it in again).

There could be a big difference between what the person on the other end wants to tell you and what the quality control person wants them to tell you.... not that it matters to the person wanting help, but it's an unknown level of BS.

Frazod · 01-05-2012, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bearcat

There's also a quality control factor in repeating steps... the (mostly non-technical) quality folks hated me, because I skipped steps and did what was logical instead of going by documentation word for word (wait 30 seconds before having them plug it in again).

There could be a big difference between what the person on the other end wants to tell you and what the quality control person wants them to tell you.... not that it matters to the person wanting help, but it's an unknown level of BS.

I assume the quality control folks don't exactly encourage outside the box thinking or proactive assistance, do they?

I'll never forget all the problems I had with DTV back when I first switched over to HD back in 2004. If I had it to do over, I would have just waited a year while their employees learned what the **** the letters "HD" stood for. I had problem after problem with incompatable components, no local channels, off air antennas, etc. for well over a year until everything got completely resolved. Between the people I talked to on the phone and ****head Skip posting that there was no difference in picture quality between HD and standard, I was convinced that being a mental defective was a job requirement to work at DirecTV. As I have said several times, in an handful of posts on this BB, dtebbe provided me with more assistance than all the trained, paid customer services reps I spoke to, COMBINED.

whoman69 · 01-05-2012, 07:22 PM

I work in customer service. I hate it when I have jobs they give me a handle time for each call. Actually the job I have right now that has one, but its pretty easy to reach because we get a lot of hang ups. Its difficult in a tech job like that as you have a varying degree of customer knowledge.

**pr_capone** · 01-05-2012, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whoman69

I work in customer service. I hate it when I have jobs they give me a handle time for each call. Actually the job I have right now that has one, but its pretty easy to reach because we get a lot of hang ups. Its difficult in a tech job like that as you have a varying degree of customer knowledge.

Not only varying degrees of knowledge but also egos. More than once I'be had some old timer flout his computer science degree from 1974 like that means shit with today's tech. But I have to play nice and pretend that he knows what the hell I'm talking about.

I had some guy yell at me and tell me not to talk down to him because he was mcse certified for win 98. Another guy swore up and down that our internet service had caused his monitor to stop working.

*sigh*

HonestChieffan · 01-05-2012, 09:39 PM

No one does customer service in the sphere I roam around in like Apple. That should be the new model of customer service.

**Saulbadguy** · 01-05-2012, 10:14 PM

May be a repost but I wish callbacks were an option more often.

**pr_capone** · 01-05-2012, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

May be a repost but I wish callbacks were an option more often.

I'm all about callbacks. My desk has no less than 15 sticky notes all over for promised callbacks.

The problem is actually getting the asshole to actually call you back when they say they will. lol

View Poll Results: How would you like your customer service?
Longer wait but the tech is thorough and guaraneed excellent cust service?	39	78.00%
Short wait time and a barebones approach to support and giving the best cust service under the time restraints?	6	12.00%
Why the **** do we still put Gaz as an option?	5	10.00%
Voters: 50. You may not vote on this poll

01-05-2012, 02:17 PM
pr_capone THREEPEAT!!! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NWMO Casino cash: $9948214	Customer Service poll As consumers, especially of electronics, we are occasionally forced to call a manufacturer or a service provider for assistance with their product/service. When you call, wait times can vary greatly. For example, right now at my work the longest person waiting for tech support has been on hold for 4 minutes (I'm on lunch so I'm not holding anything up). The though process at most call centers tends to be to get through as many people as humanly possible while still giving good/ok service. My question to you is... would you, as a consumer, rather wait for a longer period of time (say 20 minutes) if you were certain that the person who answers your call is extremely thorough, helpful, and takes the time to explain the service at a relaxed pace so you know how it all works so you have a better understanding of what you have? Or Would you rather wait for a shorter amount of time (3-5 minutes) and get good service that strictly addresses your issue and "hurries" you through the call because he has to get to the next person in queue? In this scenario, the rep does the bare minimum (follows a script) to get your services rectified and on to the next call? Hiring more reps is not an option for the purposes of this poll.
Posts: 19,897

01-05-2012, 03:58 PM	#48
Phobia Guest Casino cash: $	The thing that drives me crazy is the automated crap where I enter my account number, phone number, and name via the keypad then when a live person picks up my call they act like they have no idea who I am and want all that information again. That bugs me to no end. If you don't have an integrated system then don't ask me the first time.
Posts: n/a

01-05-2012, 04:25 PM	#53
trndobrd 'Stachecicle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The Tolerance Box Casino cash: $2275087	I can put my phone on speaker and do other things (clever and informative CP posts, for instance) for an indefinite period of time while waiting for a decent rep to come on the line. 20 minutes of 'is it plugged in?' is just a complete waste of time. __________________
Posts: 7,249

01-05-2012, 04:31 PM	#54
Bearcat Would an idiot do that? Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Arizona Casino cash: $-1155069	There's also a quality control factor in repeating steps... the (mostly non-technical) quality folks hated me, because I skipped steps and did what was logical instead of going by documentation word for word (wait 30 seconds before having them plug it in again). There could be a big difference between what the person on the other end wants to tell you and what the quality control person wants them to tell you.... not that it matters to the person wanting help, but it's an unknown level of BS. __________________
Posts: 59,661

01-05-2012, 09:39 PM	#58
HonestChieffan Seeking the Truth daily Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the Country in MO Casino cash: $-1675691	No one does customer service in the sphere I roam around in like Apple. That should be the new model of customer service. __________________ "We read books for knowledge; We read the Bible for wisdom!"
Posts: 54,818

01-05-2012, 10:14 PM	#59
Saulbadguy When a nightmare becomes real Join Date: Nov 2003 Casino cash: $736966	May be a repost but I wish callbacks were an option more often. __________________ http://www.goemaw.com
Posts: 47,020