Do you get worse service if firms think you're a pain in the a^&%?

Better_Days

lvf wrote: »

First, no matter how angry you are, allow the person the opportunity to resolve your query before progressing to aggression on the call. It doesn't matter if you call 4 times before about the same issue, this will more than likely be the first time this advisor has seen your account.

But it does matter if the customer has called up 4 times to try and resolve the same issue and the company hasn't done so. The vast majority of people have much better things to do than wait on hold for 20 minutes and repeatedly call energy companies and the like about the same issue. I agree callers should be polite, but having recently been given the run around by Plus Net over the period of about 6 weeks about termination charges I can certainly understand the frustration of some callers.

Callers don't think that call centre operatives are sipping cocktails round the pool, but no apology for long wait times, 'fake' I am sorry you feel like that' apologies, disinterest and parroting the same response which hasn't fixed the problem the 4 previous times isn't going to improve the temper of the caller.

I agree with this too keiran

And the long list of menu options and the long wait will already have upset its consumers before being connected to a human being.

And constantly being told by the automated system that the customer could go on line to resolve most queries will infuriate them, as they will have done this if at all possible in preference to speaking to a CS representative.

The trouble with detailed menu options is that if you make a wrong choice when you finally get to speak to someone you then have to be transferred - and end up waiting again or disappear into a telephonic bemuda triangle.

Just a quick apology at the begining of the call for the wait time goes a long way - but unfortunately very few companies seem to do this.

On the plus side two companies that I have dealt with recently who have been very good were M&S Pet Insurance and also Green Star Energy.

Pee

Complaints and rudeness may get action but if you have a discreet way to make life harder for them later? Well of course I would. Especially if they are rude to another member of staff, someone they don't think is important. Nice people I'll go out of my way for and go lighter with the bill.

HOK3Y

I worked for a property management company and we treated customers who called to complain with extra care for the most part. I guess it was an unusual company as we would bend over backwards to make customers happy. We all knew who our problem customers were and we all knew to tread carefully. However, if we had a customer who continually made problems or asked for extended service repeatedly, we would start to shift what we would and wouldn't do for them. They lost out on service as the more we gave, the more they took. It wasn't very often but sometimes we had to make a stand or spend all our time running around after the unreasonable. Very occasionally, a customer was told to take their business elsewhere.

cazpost

I've worked in a customer facing job for over 20 years. The nice customers always get better service. The rude,arrogant,ignorant and unpleasant customers get good service, but minimum service. We go the extra mile to help ot the confused little old lady or the harrassed young mum. You know if you are one of the bad customers if everyone slows down the customer they are serving ,or jumps up to do another job,just to avoid having to serve you !

captainhindsight_2

of course, why would you be treated with respect if you can't treat the person on the other end of the phone with respect.

energyworker

I try and help customers as best I can as do most of my colleagues. The biggest issue we face is that people are often not willing to go into things with the first person they speak to. We have a limited number of managers on the floor at any one time and often people will be answered and immediately demand to speak to a manager. We have a policy that if a customer requests that then the agent will try and talk them down however if that doesn't work then they will have to wait for a manager. In a significant number of cases the customer will then have to hold for fifteen minutes until a manager is free, gets more angry and then when the manager is available it turns out that the original agent could easily have sorted this had the customer given them a chance.

It is similar for customers who immediately want to file a formal complaint, this can be a lengthily process as it requires a formal investigation. I work quite high up in a specific area of complaints and a large number of cases result in the same apology and gesture of goodwill that the first agent could have offered if given the chance. Customers often chose to refuse to speak until they speak to someone "higher up", this just slows the process down.

I try my absolute best to help every customer, regardless of demeanor. It is in my interest to do so, 95% of my colleagues have the same attitude. I can appreciate some people are brusque, some people are frustrated and I am willing to deal with that. I have my issues with the systems in place at my own company, I agree that the energy industry is often marred by bureaucracy and processes that involve moving being what feels like several hundred agencies. I will do my best to get your issue sorted as quickly as possible. Often being a bit kinder in your demeanor will speed this up as will answering the questions I put to you, I'm asking them for a reason. I appreciate that often you as the customer have given this information before, however unless you'd like me to pause recording and go listen to the previous call it will probably be faster to just work with me. Likewise I hold my hands up to the fact that the company I work for, people I work with and indeed I myself make mistakes. I'll do my best to fix them and compensate you within the limits provided to me as long as you give me the chance.

That said abusive customers, any customer who threatens me or any customer who openly lies about something they have "been told by someone else" will get a warning and then disconnected. Luckily this happens maybe once a week at worst. Often a quick "please take a moment to calm down or I will be forced to terminate this call" will help.

Vodafone

MaffyD wrote: »

...

I do think that some companies (Vodafone, I'm looking at you) who can easily access past calls, past notes on file, past refunds or credits applied to accounts look at these as soon as I call.

The agent then assesses the amount of headache they might get from me, and I then get passed around like some kind of bomb, until I get to someone who takes ownership. Just this week on a single call 2 VF employees passed me through blind to another agent, and only the last agent helped me out.

Hi MaffyD,

If you have any outstanding concerns you'd like further help with, email me with your details via the link in our profile here.

All you need to do is copy and paste the link into your web browser and it'll take you to the Contact us form on our website. To make sure it reaches me, quote the code WRT135 - MSE in the subject line.

Once sent, you'll receive an automated reply with a reference number. Post back with this and I’ll check I've received it.

Kind regards,

Lee

Social Media Comms

Vodafone UK

lvf

Better_Days wrote: »

But it does matter if the customer has called up 4 times to try and resolve the same issue and the company hasn't done so. The vast majority of people have much better things to do than wait on hold for 20 minutes and repeatedly call energy companies and the like about the same issue. I agree callers should be polite, but having recently been given the run around by Plus Net over the period of about 6 weeks about termination charges I can certainly understand the frustration of some callers.

Callers don't think that call centre operatives are sipping cocktails round the pool, but no apology for long wait times, 'fake' I am sorry you feel like that' apologies, disinterest and parroting the same response which hasn't fixed the problem the 4 previous times isn't going to improve the temper of the caller.

Oh I agree it is poor service, I should really have elaborated more in what I meant (sorry that was my fault). I always strived to resolve all queries first time around back when I was doing it. What I meant by that particular quote was something that another person touched on in this thread. As they had called up 4 times before, the information they provided was often minimal/non-existent. Here is a sample transcript of a call which happened not once or twice, but several times a month:

"Hello, can I take your name and account number please?"
"You should have these details already."
"Oh, you popped them through the menu at the beginning? I'm sorry but these haven't come through to me, would you mind if I take them again please?"
"No I didn't put them in. This is the fourth time I have called about this so you should have my details."
"Oh I see. Yes, any notes will be listed on your account. I'm sorry that you have had to call four times about this, but I will ensure this is resolved on this call. Can I just take your account number or postcode please?"
"WHY WILL YOU NOT LISTEN TO ME?? YOU HAVE MY DETAILS ALREADY. YOU KNOW WHY I AM CALLING."
"I'm sorry but I won't be able to see the issue until I open your account, that is why I will need some details from you."
"*sigh* Put me on to someone more competent now before I get more angry. I want to speak to your manager."

Calling multiple times does give you a right to be frustrated, but you do have to remember that person is just there to do a job and will need a little guidance with your issue to be able to help. As I said, the above transcript was far too regular of an occurrence.

takman

lvf wrote: »

Oh I agree it is poor service, I should really have elaborated more in what I meant (sorry that was my fault). I always strived to resolve all queries first time around back when I was doing it. What I meant by that particular quote was something that another person touched on in this thread. As they had called up 4 times before, the information they provided was often minimal/non-existent. Here is a sample transcript of a call which happened not once or twice, but several times a month:

"Hello, can I take your name and account number please?"
"You should have these details already."
"Oh, you popped them through the menu at the beginning? I'm sorry but these haven't come through to me, would you mind if I take them again please?"
"No I didn't put them in. This is the fourth time I have called about this so you should have my details."
"Oh I see. Yes, any notes will be listed on your account. I'm sorry that you have had to call four times about this, but I will ensure this is resolved on this call. Can I just take your account number or postcode please?"
"WHY WILL YOU NOT LISTEN TO ME?? YOU HAVE MY DETAILS ALREADY. YOU KNOW WHY I AM CALLING."
"I'm sorry but I won't be able to see the issue until I open your account, that is why I will need some details from you."
"*sigh* Put me on to someone more competent now before I get more angry. I want to speak to your manager."

Calling multiple times does give you a right to be frustrated, but you do have to remember that person is just there to do a job and will need a little guidance with your issue to be able to help. As I said, the above transcript was far too regular of an occurrence.

That's ridiculous how can they ring up and expect to be recognised without any of their details!.


I rarely ring up call centres but recently I had a problem with my internet and I had to ring up a few times and none of the operators understood the problem and instructed me to do things I had already tried. I went along with them and it was never fixed. I didn't get stressed or angry and just went along with them when they said try it and see. In the end I just bought a second hand BT router which fixed the problem.

I get the impression that a lot of people ring up without even trying basic things to fix their problem so the operators just assume all callers are like this. When I ring up its a last resort so I've already tried everything they could tell me to do but I have to do it again to keep them happy. So even being the most polite person ever will not get good customer service if the operators don't have the technical knowledge required.

The only time I would get stressed at a call centre worker is if they gave me incorrect information or were rude to me. If I'm making a complaint to a company I do this in writing because ringing up a low level employee and shouting at them will accomplish nothing.

Grumpyswife

I think the crux of this is the way the call or complaint is dealt with in the first place.


I've been on both ends of this situation. Personally if I have a problem that needs resolving and a) I don't have to go through 10 minutes of choosing the right option in the automated menu, b) don't have to sit through the best part of an hour waiting for someone to answer the phone when it actually rings somewhere, and c) actually get to speak to someone who deals with the problem without trying to wriggle out of the responsibility, or who at least puts me straight through to someone who can, I am a happy bunny. All too often through you are met with irrelevant questions off a script from a person who doesn't seem to give a damn, and certainly doesn't come up with a solution. That is what will make me annoyed, and even more so if they then refuse to put me through to a manager or supervisor.


I never used to have such problems on the receiving end of such calls, I took responsibility and made sure I resolved them.


It is a very simple recipe for very happy customers. I also found that the word sorry went a long way. Take note BT and nPower.