How Not to Do Customer Service Over the Phone

I was going through my day yesterday, doing my thing, and in the back of my mind I was wondering what today’s post should be about.

And then it happened.

I had to make the dreaded phone call to my prescription provider.

The total length of the phone call was a little over 34 minutes. With no resolution.

After about a two minute wait, I was connected to a person I could barely understand. I received a lot of the “Thank you, yes, let me look into that for you”, “Thank you for waiting so patiently” and “I’m so sorry for the extended hold”.

I appreciate the “Thank you” and “I’m sorry”, the politeness of the words that were coming out of her mouth, but there was no feeling, no emotion, no caring. It was clear she was reading from a script with broken English.

This conversation occurred three more times after the first lady.

FOUR TIMES???

FOUR DIFFERENT REPRESENTATIVES?

WITH FOUR HEAVY ACCENTS YOU COULD BARELY UNDERSTAND?

If I ever I wanted to say it, now would be the time… WTF?

Wouldn’t it have been nice to talk to one person who could answer all my questions and resolve the issue with ease?

HERE’S TODAY’S LESSON :)

If you can train your employees to handle more than one job, do it.

We want the profits of big companies, just don’t follow their policies.

Train your employees to give the best possible customer service to the customer, whether on the phone or in person. After all, that customer has a question about your business or is not a happy camper for some reason. Shouldn’t we try to NOT add to their stress level? Shouldn’t we try to calm and divert any situation to the best of our abilities?

The best companies I have worked with have this same philosophy. If everyone knows a little about the the other’s positions, they are better prepared to handle any questions or situations.

So keep on being great doing what you do, and if you would like to leave a comment or contact me directly, you’ll get the best customer service I can deliver to the best of my ability.

Happy Small Business,

Christine