Slashdot Mirror
Average Time To Resolve Problems is Three Times Higher Than Customers Want (zdnet.com)
Businesses seem to be setting the bar for "good" customer service too low, according to a recent study, which could have significant business impact as the customer experience becomes even more vital as customers decide to buy. From a report: Boston, Mass.- based identity and access company LogMeIn recently released a study to analyze the business impact and consumer attitudes of today's customers and their journey to a sale. It surveyed over 5,000 respondents consisting of business leaders and consumers around the globe. Its 2018 AI Customer Experience study shows that over one-third of consumers were not impressed with their customer journey. Over four out of five (83 percent) of consumers citied an average or poor experience, saying that they had at least one issue while interacting with a brand. Conversely, 80 percent of businesses believe their customers would give them a favorable review -- even whilst admitting that less than half of customer queries are resolved during the first interaction. Two-thirds (68 percent) of business respondents agree that their agents struggle with the volume of customer enquiries, and 61 percent of consumers feel that it takes too long for an enquiry to be resolved.
3 x 0 = 0.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Could it be that rampant, unchecked free market capitalism means that companies are employing less people to do the same amount or more work and customers are noticing?
Hey, but don't worry, this is definitely the most efficient system and nobody could possibly to better, probably. And all that money will eventually trickle down to the rest of us, right? I mean, it's not like these businesses are paying people stagnant or lower wages and the rich are walking away with ever bigger slices of the pie, right?
Right?!
Customer Service Representatives are 3x higher than the customers
Sig Follows: "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself." -- Mark Twain
Could it be that rampant, unchecked free market capitalism means that companies are employing less people to do the same amount or more work and customers are noticing?
I'd say that the unchecked free market capitalism means that companies are employing zero people to do the same amount of work: when I try to get support from a major company, it is pretty much impossible to get to an actual human being. Often the best I can do is to get shuffled off to a customer "support forum", where people post their problems, and other customers, working for free, post their workarounds to solve the issues.
What a great business strategy! Get your customers-- the people who pay you!-- to do your customer support work for free!
Can't tell you how many times I've heard that and thought, hmm why not hire more people to handle a 30+ minute wait time. Or, how about you just tell me when you lowest call volume is and I'll call back then. But, somehow I think your higher than normal is actually your normal call volume.
Last time I was experiencing a problem I called 7 days in a row, with each new person assuring me they would be the one to fix the issue. Finally on the 7th day the last person told me to not call back as it wouldn't help resolve the issue. So I haven't called back. Instead I took it upon myself to resolve the issue and found an alternative solution that didn't involve their services anymore. Now that I have an alternative, they are calling me to ask if I'm still experiencing problem. The last call they made to me was awesome, "are you still experiencing problems", nope I canceled your service about a week ago, "[click]".
This, and the originating service or product likely has "scripts" for the outsourced individual to read. This type of thing is fucking awful for call centers. Scripts don't solve problem, they create more problems due to pissing both the caller and the call-center-staffer off. "customer service" is just that - performing a service. Whether or not the call center staff member says please and thank you, pretty sure nobody gives a fuck. They're not calling for someone to be nice to them they're calling for a real reason - to conduct business perhaps, or to solve a problem they're having. Sure being nice is an added extra bonus, but you know what? It is totally not necessary. Perhaps the nicest thing would be to: 1.) be very brief, yet as transparent as possible under constraint of brevity; 2.) never ask open-ended questions like "is there anything else I can help you with?" - the customer called for the reasons they already mentioned. stick to that. 3.) Launch your required business processes instantly. I don't give a fuck about the problem statement if you're not going to listen and then ask for my XX number or my YY username or some shit. Ask up front, guide the caller through the process, don't let them control the conversation; and 4.) don't apologize that's so fucking annoying and we know you don't care/mean it. Empathy Otter understands us and knows exactly how we feel, you the call center staffer should realize that we're not actually communicating with you and you don't have to care about us. You just have to do the job you were put there for, quickly, quietly, efficiently. Explain your actions before you take them, then take them, then explain the results. No cheery "smile while you talk" no needless empathy statements - wasting my time and your breath. Perhaps the best call center I talk to is the *gasp* state run health benefits exchange. No IVR menus, no robots to talk to, just you call and they answer.
Boston, Mass.- based identity and access company LogMeIn recently released a study to analyze the business impact and consumer attitudes of today's customers and their journey to a sale.
Journey to a sale?
Really?
Whats next, a caravan to a refund?
How about a junket to a recall?
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
"Customer journey" is one of those horrible words thought out by marketing drones in expensive suits. When I'm a customer, I don't go on a fucking journey (if I want to journey, I'll take my luggage and go travel); companies have customer treatment, which can be good or poor, and that's it, fucking period.
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
The only thing I want is for them to stop lying and telling me "we are experiencing unusually high call volumes", and instead tell me "we have analyzed our call volumes and refuse to hire any more operators as we have targeted your normal wait time to be 12 minutes".
If they are having unusually high call volumes it means they screwed something up. But nobody *always* has unusually high call volumes.
Some of this is consumer driven -- people have little patience, and even less of it for expensive items they find confusing but necessary to own.
But I wonder how much of their unrealistic expectation is driven by unrealistic burdens placed on them? Eg, my widget is broken and I need my widget (which of course I am required to provide to do my job) to work. When my widget is broken, I can't work and my boss and my customers get pissed I am not helping them.
I think people generally are super-stressed anymore by the 24x7x365 world and the margin for error/downtime is so close to zero that any problem resolution that isn't instant is seen as insufficient.
That's an unrealistic expectation, but it's not driven by their own personal needs, it's the nature of the environment that pushes it. And it turns into a huge feedback loop that just results in everyone thinking everything needs to work 100% of the time and that any fixes will be immediate.
1. Companies need to take some more care to release products that work as advertised! If you want to reduce the number of support calls, make sure the product you're selling doesn't NEED that much support for malfunctions or failure to perform as stated on the box or in marketing materials.
2. Provide better documentation. (There was a Slashdot discussion about this topic just a day or two ago, with someone asking why nothing seems to come with a decent printer manual anymore.) If customers can't figure a product out that they just bought, they're going to call in to ask about it.
3. Stop hiring the cheapest warm bodies you can get to answer your phones or do online chat support! I just had a terrible experience using Amazon's online chat support last week. Had a simple request .... Just wanted to find out if I could exchange a broken camera that came as part of a videoconferencing solution, rather than having to tear the whole installation back out and box it ALL up for a return. The first lady I chatted with SLOWLY asked me bunch of really basic questions, such as confirming the product I was asking about was a specific one.... After all that, she tells me she "has to forward me to a specialist who can handle my concern" and I start chatting with a second individual, who asks the SAME annoying questions over again. I think it took a good 45 minutes to finally get the answer that they couldn't help me at all unless I shipped the whole thing back. (I could have just done that process online in 30 seconds.) When I asked if we could just do an even exchange -- that required another 10 minutes for them to tell me they couldn't because of some kind of system problem on their end.
4. If you call in and it says your wait time will be excessive? Offer to let the person hang up and receive a call back when someone is available. T-Mobile does this on their support line, and I believe Tesla Motors does it too. It should become the industry standard. Let people get back to whatever else they're doing rather than tying up their phone listening to hold music and waiting.
I changed cell phone carriers recently because of bad customer service. I bought (paid cash) for a new phones for my family. They activated it at the apple store (unlocked phone). I get my cell phone bill from Verizon and I see activation fees. That is a fee for me buying a new working phones and Verizon doing nothing. I call support and I'm told this is a industry standard practice. I protest that in with past carriers I was only charged a fee for signing up. I was never charged for switching phones. Again the rep says I should have read the entire terms of service before I signed up. I asked him if he always reads every terms of service for every provider he uses. He informs me he always does (so he's a liar).
They offer to give me a one time credit of one activation fee because I was unaware, but insist this is a fair practice. They then ask if I'm happy. I tell them I'm not happy. He then offers to give me credits for my old phones to offset the cost. I don't have any old phones, I recycled them when I bought the new one! He then tells me about their rewards program and how I can use their rewards by installing an application on my phone to offset these costs. When I tell him I don't install apps on my phone without doing my homework he continues to press it. I again refuse and he gives me to a manager. She again tells me it's my fault and I should just use the rewards because I'll receive gift cards to offset these "one time costs". She again tells me all carriers charge these fees. I inform her these kind of fees are predatory and silly. I refuse to pay them. She again tells me there is nothing they can do and I should just use the rewards. She words it as "I have offered you a solution to your problem and you refuse to accept it. Is that correct?" I tell her I have my own solution. I will find a carrier who doesn't charge these fees. She tells me I am a valuable customer and they would hate to lose me. She wants to know how to make me happy. I say "drop this silly fee!"
This goes on for another 30 minutes. I hang up. Drive to T-Mobile. Within 45 minutes I've got our phones activated on t-mobile. The new account activation fee was $10 less than verizon's activation fee. The paperwork and the rep both confirmed they do not charge activation fees on phones, only for 'Sim card starter kits' and even then if you are a customer they never charge you in that store. On top of that, my bill dropped significantly without losing my 'unlimited' data plan. Coverage in this area is the same and I get free netflix. Later that night I got notice from Verizon of a credit to my account, and with the fast cancellation verizon now owes me a refund.
I would have respected the customer service if they didn't send their time trying to sell me on their silly rewards program. I might have even sucked up the extra fee. Their "its your fault" attitude and instance on their stupid rewards program was enough to make sure I will never go back.
Is a pre-sale question a "problem"? I thought the report was about tech support, but it instead is about sales support/customer service: "each customer's journey to a sale", "as customers decide to buy".
Exactly. I am the only person on the planet who doesn't read a tiny document in full while a sales rep stands over with other customers waiting. I also don't have a law background, so I really should bring a lawyer with me to sign up for new services. This explains why everyone is in pairs at the Verizon store I guess.
Instead of a list of buried fees that are predatory and have no value to me the customer (as if activating a phone is a big expense for Verizon), what if I was presented with a nice list of fees and what they are for? I bet that fits on 1 sheet of paper. Better yet, what about not charging for services that take no effort on your part. Did the apple store rep scanning a bar-code and handing me a iPad to fill out information cost Verizon $30? Did it cost them $5? Why do other carriers not charge this fee?
The real reason for leaving is not the fee (the fee is the start of the reason and is a stupid fee). The real reason is how I was treated. I was lied to and told all carriers charge this fee. My quick phone call to a t-mobile store discovered this is false. I was told it was my fault (that always makes the customer happy). I was not offered any help, but instead they attempted to up sell their shitty rewards program (probably so the customer..err sales rep could get a good job mark). I was they told I'm a valuable customer and they would do anything to keep me from leaving. Turns out like meatloaf, they would do anything for their customers, but they won't do that.
Top it of with Verizon being the reason the FCC sucks so bad. I'm glad to leave. I should have done it sooner.
In conclusion, Verizon has the highest hidden fees, the most expensive phone plans, shitty customer service, and really really really wants you to install an app on your phone.
I had a similar experience with Verizon, and like you transferred us to T-mobile. We had originally gone to Verizon from AT&T because Verizon didn't suck quite as badly. Now we're at t-mobile for the same reason.
That said, if you *buy* a phone at t-mobile (you went to them, as did I, with pre-existing phones) they will probably offer you "free" stuff along with your phone, like a tablet or a waterproof bluetooth speaker. If your experience is similar to mine, the salesperson will say to your face that the additional gadget is free. They will use the word "free".
But what they mean by "free", as explained on literally page five of the six page, single spaced, small font contract, is that the retail cost will be amortized over 18 months in your monthly bill. This is what has come to mean "free" as in when you buy a "free phone", and is, I guess, why the salesperson can say that it is "free".
Then, you will discover that the price they're charging contains a heavy premium over the commercial price for the same object. For instance, aforementioned waterproof bluetooth speaker, available across the street at Best Buy for $79 costs $300 (I'm not making this up) at t-mobile if included as a "free" add-on when purchasing a phone. Be warned!
And yes, I got bit by this. My own fault for not reading through six pages of very dense, intentionally unreadable contract while standing at the cash register in a busy store.
When I got my first bill, I went back to the store to have a discussion with the salesperson, and then his manager, about what the word "free" means. After a lengthy conversation, which I confess got rather loud at a couple of points, they took the entire $300 off my bill. Which is fortunate, because I was running out of carriers to move to.
The point is, they may have different techniques, but *all* carriers are trying to screw you. You *have* to read the fine print, especially towards the end of the document where the warhead lurks.
My daughter, an adult, recently bought a phone at Best Buy. She had saved up some money and wanted to pay cash for a phone and get it activated. The salesperson sold her on a better phone than she was originally looking at, naming a price for it that was in her budget. She said "are you SURE that this is the ENTIRE price?" He insisted, multiple times, that it was. And then, she got charged an additional $350 for the phone in her bill amortized over 18 months. These people are the scum of the earth and should be treated precisely like Kaa in The Jungle Book. For the same reasons.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Nobody has the time to read a 20 page wall of text or the money to hire a lawyer to tell them what it actually says. Those walls of text are another example of poor customer interaction and when they contain anything even vaguely surprising buried in paragraph 4 on page 10 in fine print, border on fraud.
I had a similar experience. I was calling the support number on my DSL statement to see if I could get a higher download speed on my line.
Called, put in my phone number, confirmed details, sent to voice prompt roulette. Then clearly said "Upgrade DSL"; transferring to account inquiry. After being asked if I wanted to know what my last bill was, I said "no" and back into voice roulette. This time I said "DSL"; prompt couldn't understand; repeated "DSL"; transferring call. The person answering the call said thanks for calling DirectTv, please give me your account or phone number. Confused I said "no, I wanted to see if I could update my DSL service". The person said that the department was closed and the call was transfered to them. I asked them when does the office close, she said 8:00pm. Now I'm really confused, I looked at the clock just to double check before telling her that it wasn't even 7:30 yet. Slight pause on her end and she said, ohh, let me see if anyone is there. Few minutes later she came back, sorry nobody in that department can I get your number (I had already given it to her at the start by the way) and have them call you tomorrow. Not feeling in the mood for more voice roulette I asked the rep what number she was transferring me to, I wrote that down and hung up.
Now the next day was one of the best support calls I have ever made. The phone number she gave me rang like twice, an older guy answered saying he was Gary from San Diego and what he could do to help. I told him I wanted to see if I could upgrade my DSL, he asked for my phone number and zip code. He then tapped a some keys and then said it looked like I already had the fastest speed in my area. He then said to hold on a sec and he'd run a few speed tests. 30 seconds of typing later he comes back and says sorry I just uncapped your line and ran a few different speed test but didn't get anything better. So in less than 4 minutes I had my answer from a tech guy who probably broke the rules by uncapping my line to confirm it wouldn't help. I thanked him for checking and said I probably would be going with cable modem, he said sorry and wished me luck. No voice roulette, only need my info once, gave me a straight answer, and it only took a few minutes.