Customer service: not another way of saying 'scratching post.'
Hi.
I have worked a lot of customer service positions over the years. You know who I am? I'm that girl who really, truly, genuinely wants to help you with your problem, because helping you with your problem is my job, and my job is easier when I just do it. I'm the girl who fixes your DSL. I'm the girl who unscrambles your billing. I'm the girl who would like to get through the day without being yelled at. Here are a few facts about customer service that I wish the world would keep in mind.
1. You are not the only one who needs help. Yes, your time is precious. Everyone's time is precious. But the fact of the matter is, if you had to wait fifteen minutes before you reached a live person, it's probably not because that live person was playing Minesweeper: it's because they were helping somebody else. They were, in short, doing their job. If you choose to yell for ten minutes about being forced to wait fifteen, the person who called after you will be waiting twenty-five minutes. That isn't fair to anyone. Not the customer service representative, not the person who called after you, and not your blood pressure. Please, play nicely.
2. Resources are always limited. You know how when you have ten things to do, it's the three that seem the most urgent that get done first? And sometimes, those are the three that are constantly catching fire? Yeah. If you're holding for twenty minutes before you reach a live person, the odds are very good that you're going to wait two weeks before you get an answer to that email. Why? Because call volumes are high enough that everybody is currently on the phone, and the same people who answer the phones answer the email. Also, sending fifteen emails doesn't do anything but increase your blood pressure and annoy the people who have to help you. Be patient. And if it's really urgent, call in.
3. If it's urgent, wait on hold. If you absolutely need an answer today, if the world will end if you don't get your answer today, if your career depends on you getting an answer today, wait on hold. Don't call the receptionist and start yelling. Don't send dire emails. Don't MapQuest the call center and come over with a bat. Wait on hold.
4. Have your information ready. The people who take your calls or answer your emails are not psychic. They don't know who you are just because you say 'this is Bob.' Whatever information that specific company needs -- be it a password, a special number, or just your account name -- please, have it ready before the phone is answered. Everyone will be happier. That said, wait to be asked, as it probably needs to be punched into a database, and the person taking your call may need to get there.
5. We know how long you've been on hold. There is really no need to announce it. If you've been on hold long enough to get cranky, so have the last five people.
6. The customer is actually not always right. Most people who work customer service will be pleasant, friendly, and helpful, especially if you're pleasant, friendly, and helpful to them. That said, sometimes you're going to be told 'no,' and no amount of escalation will change that. Feel free to politely request an escalation, but don't be a dick and just assume that means you'll get your way. We are no longer five years old. The world is not that easy to manipulate.
7. Compliment as much as you complain. If you got really lousy support, would you report it? Great. If you get really awesome support, report that, too. The incentive to go the extra mile comes from being treated like a human being and rewarded for doing an excellent job. When someone is wonderful, send the company a letter and say so. You can change the world that way.
Thank you.
I have worked a lot of customer service positions over the years. You know who I am? I'm that girl who really, truly, genuinely wants to help you with your problem, because helping you with your problem is my job, and my job is easier when I just do it. I'm the girl who fixes your DSL. I'm the girl who unscrambles your billing. I'm the girl who would like to get through the day without being yelled at. Here are a few facts about customer service that I wish the world would keep in mind.
1. You are not the only one who needs help. Yes, your time is precious. Everyone's time is precious. But the fact of the matter is, if you had to wait fifteen minutes before you reached a live person, it's probably not because that live person was playing Minesweeper: it's because they were helping somebody else. They were, in short, doing their job. If you choose to yell for ten minutes about being forced to wait fifteen, the person who called after you will be waiting twenty-five minutes. That isn't fair to anyone. Not the customer service representative, not the person who called after you, and not your blood pressure. Please, play nicely.
2. Resources are always limited. You know how when you have ten things to do, it's the three that seem the most urgent that get done first? And sometimes, those are the three that are constantly catching fire? Yeah. If you're holding for twenty minutes before you reach a live person, the odds are very good that you're going to wait two weeks before you get an answer to that email. Why? Because call volumes are high enough that everybody is currently on the phone, and the same people who answer the phones answer the email. Also, sending fifteen emails doesn't do anything but increase your blood pressure and annoy the people who have to help you. Be patient. And if it's really urgent, call in.
3. If it's urgent, wait on hold. If you absolutely need an answer today, if the world will end if you don't get your answer today, if your career depends on you getting an answer today, wait on hold. Don't call the receptionist and start yelling. Don't send dire emails. Don't MapQuest the call center and come over with a bat. Wait on hold.
4. Have your information ready. The people who take your calls or answer your emails are not psychic. They don't know who you are just because you say 'this is Bob.' Whatever information that specific company needs -- be it a password, a special number, or just your account name -- please, have it ready before the phone is answered. Everyone will be happier. That said, wait to be asked, as it probably needs to be punched into a database, and the person taking your call may need to get there.
5. We know how long you've been on hold. There is really no need to announce it. If you've been on hold long enough to get cranky, so have the last five people.
6. The customer is actually not always right. Most people who work customer service will be pleasant, friendly, and helpful, especially if you're pleasant, friendly, and helpful to them. That said, sometimes you're going to be told 'no,' and no amount of escalation will change that. Feel free to politely request an escalation, but don't be a dick and just assume that means you'll get your way. We are no longer five years old. The world is not that easy to manipulate.
7. Compliment as much as you complain. If you got really lousy support, would you report it? Great. If you get really awesome support, report that, too. The incentive to go the extra mile comes from being treated like a human being and rewarded for doing an excellent job. When someone is wonderful, send the company a letter and say so. You can change the world that way.
Thank you.