Customer Support It sometimes frustrates me, and I’m sure it does you as well, when you call to get customer support and you hear that recording, “Your call is very important to us. Please hold for the next available agent.” And, then they make their customers hold for a length of time that would make […]
It sometimes frustrates me, and I’m sure it does you as well, when you call to get customer support and you hear that recording, “Your call is very important to us. Please hold for the next available agent.” And, then they make their customers hold for a length of time that would make most people wonder if their call really was important to them.
Or how about when you finally do get to the customer support rep and they don’t treat you like a person? They are impersonal and treat you like an account number. They answer the call with a stoic and less than enthusiastic tone of voice and follow with a series of impersonal questions about your account number, the last four digits of your social security and your mother’s maiden name, only then do they ask what they can help you with.
It frustrates me when the customer service people act with apathy. Don’t they care about us? After all, aren’t we the people that pay their salary? Don’t they know what their job is? Here is my thought. Even though they were hired to answer questions and solve problems, they actually have a number of very important responsibilities.
I spoke with Janet Poklemba, a customer experience manager for a home warranty company at a recent conference. The company sells home warranty programs and when something breaks, customers call in to place a claim for service. Her customer service mantra for her employees is simple and effective. Remember that customers are people and this is the perfect way to sum up this short article:
We are people helping people, not people processing claims.
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
(Copyright © MMXVI, Shep Hyken)
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