Take civil action to help yourself with customer service
Appreciate the fact you are talking to a human
By Tim Wilson
As the holiday season has wound down, and we have embarked on a new year, many of us have also endured the high season for communicating with customer service.
Whether you are exchanging a gift, searching for a missing delivery or asking for a replacement, there is nothing quite as frustrating as navigating the online, chat and phone platforms of companies. This, of course, doesn’t end with resolving improperly processed orders or misdirected deliveries of holiday gift purchases. The same circle of hell awaits us all year when dealing with insurance companies, health care providers, banks, utilities, etc., etc., etc.
But let’s turn our response to this particular form of consumer torture on its head. Do you think anyone dreams of a career answering customer service calls? Anyone who does is either saint or psycho.
These folks spend the day taking phone calls from pissed off people looking for someone to blame for their problems. And before they get on the line, the callers typically have become further irritated by having to listen to a long list of options, pressing phone keypad buttons, and waiting on hold to talk to a human. Often that wait is exacerbated by a serenade of horrible music interspersed with recorded promises that someone will be available to help them “very shortly.”
There are ways to make these exchanges with customer service less painful on either end of the phone.
When you finally get through to the poor soul in customer service, start with the expectation that they want to help you. Don’t open the conversation with fighting words.
Whatever your issue, remember the person on the other end of the line didn’t cause it. They are well aware of their employer’s failings. They hear about it all day and may even dislike the company more than you. Do you think there is much of a chance that XYZ Company treats its workers any better than its discontented customers?
These days appreciate the fact you are talking to a human, and remember they are human. They are not a wall to be punched or a dog to be kicked.
Literally tell them you know it’s not their fault, but you hope they can help. Most people like to help.
“Most People like to help.”
This could be the one and only ally you encounter on your pursuit of customer satisfaction. Nobody else you vent to about this can do anything to fix the problem.
Take a breath and calmly and slowly explain your issue. Keep in mind they don’t know who you are and until you provide them an order number or some other piece of information they can’t help. Try to be patient when they need time to look something up in the “system.” Even more than you, they probably can’t stand how slow it is.
And when they ask you a bunch of questions to confirm your identity, that’s only done to protect you from Jack the Hacker, not to prolong your customer agony.
After you answer their questions then give them a timeline of the issue and your attempts to fix it. You can’t just jump into your story before they pull up your order or account.
Remain calm and don’t think hollering “Why can’t you just (fill in the blank)!” will provide a solution. They are as stuck with the process as you are. Don’t forget, the call is probably being recorded “for training purposes,” so they have to stick with the protocol or even a script if they want to keep their miserable jobs.
No matter how the call ends, and even if they can’t rectify the situation, be sure to thank them for their efforts and their time, no matter your level of exasperation. Yes, they are getting paid for their time, but they are doing one of the most thankless of thankless jobs. Your appreciation probably means a lot. And if there is any chance they can move things along for you, a thank you likely will increase the likelihood of that more than ending the call by ripping them. They didn’t cause the problem, but they may be able to correct it.
Remember, the customer service person doesn’t enjoy the conversation any more than you do. And as soon as their call from you ends, they get on the line with someone else just as angry as you or even more so.
With all this said, it doesn’t mean there are not customer service associates who are dolts, jerks or just don’t care. But the best way to figure out if you should hang up or hang in there is to take a shot at being civil. Worst case you end the call then with blood pressure lower than it could have been.
About the author: Tim Wilson is a lifelong resident of Massachusetts. He is passionate about his family, Marquette University, bicycling and all Boston sports.