It has been brought to my attention that I can be a little... verbose. While some customer service 'Tails' need time to tell, there are those that can be shared almost as quickly as a Pembroke Welsh Corgi wags her tail, so... Fun, Fast and Functional, I give you 'Corgi Tails'. Think of it as a 'Blog within a Blog' that you can enjoy in 90 seconds or less.
"Dr. X's office, hold please", "X Department Store, hold please", "X & X and Son's, hold please"...
Say what you will about a big corporation, hit me with the best jokes about 'press 1 for this and 2 for that', but the reality is that when an organization values and respects its customers, it also makes sure that its customers have a way to be HEARD! We've all been stuck in IVR hell, but, 99% of the time there is not only a warm blooded, breathing mammal on the other end, but, dang it, they are ready to LISTEN to you! Not so, the smaller firm. Sadly, our local shops and service providers often are restricted by space and funds to having one poor lad or lass answering multiple phone lines. Now, these good folks are conditioned to respond to a ringing phone by snatching it up and making the barest of connections - let the caller know you are still in business and grab the next line - but a demand to wait is just not an acceptable way to show your customer you care.
What is happening here? Well, these poor overworked souls are afraid that if they 'ask' someone to hold, they might hear a resounding 'NO'.
I will and do hang up and call back, and will continue to do so (and I know you have done the same thing, be honest) until either I get a proper greeting, or, I become so incensed that I interrupt the poor lad or lass mid "please ho...." to inform them, firmly, that "No, I am not holding, I wish to have my voice heard/be acknowledged/respected/DO YOU CARE THAT I AM CALLING?"
Just make a personal connection with me, ASK me if I would please hold. Since I am the one calling YOU, I obviously need something so, of course I will hold. All you need to do is ask nicely. Don't be afraid to engage with your customers. They are people, caring, feeling, empathetic folks who just want to be treated with courtesy. And, if they don't want to hold, well, they'll say no and call back later which is OK, too. Their choice, all good.
Remember, 'It's all about the interaction' and if the dialog is one-sided, there's no interacting going on, there's no connecting, no chance for Fahrvergnügen ... no Fahrvergnügen, no World Class Experience. And if that last sentence made no sense to you...you haven't been following me for long and need to read my last few blogs. (Go ahead, I think you'll enjoy them and, if you don't I want to know what would have made them better, seriously.)
Oh, and how fast does a Pembroke Welsh Corgi wag her tail? I'll tell you in my next 'Corgi Tails'.
Good timing on the blog... It is rude, but worse yet for me is a recording to hold, press 1 or 2... I hate it.... Poor people like you said with one person doing all the answering and filtering of complaints!!! Happy Holidays ♥
ReplyDeleteI know what you are saying... having to navigate through a bunch of prompts can be so frustrating, especially when you are in a hurry. What REALLY irks me is when they ask me to punch in my phone or account number and then, when the actual HUMAN finally gets on the line, they ask for the same info again! Companies tend to misuse their systems. If you are going to make me respond to a bunch of instructions, it should make the call faster and more efficient.
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