Calling Customer Service

It’s rare that we call a company in order to tell them what a great job they are doing or how great their service is.  No, we usually call when their is something wrong.  If you can put yourself in the shoes of the agent that you are speaking with, you can more than likely get what you are calling for without a hassle.  Here are some simple do’s & don’t’s that will make your call go smoothly.

Don’t Be Rude Right Out The Gate: Frustration is understandable depending on the situation, but being rude doesn’t get you anywhere.  It also makes it difficult to try and help you with your concerns.  Something that you may find interesting is that when they say “all calls are being monitored”, your interaction could be used for internal purposes.  Do you really want a large group of people hearing a conversation that you had with an agent where you were being obnoxious over something that could be easily addressed? 

Do Be Reasonable:  It’s not wise to take out your bad day on a service agent who has all of your information in front of them.  While it’s illegal for them to do anything with that information, at the end of the day, you don’t know who you are talking to and what they are capable of.  Resolution can always be obtained in one way or another.  Just be clear, concise and respectable!

Don’t Assume That A Supervisor Has More Power:  A supervisor is usually someone who was promoted from a phone agent and has the same ability as the agent who answered the phone.  The only difference is that a supervisor is harder to reach because they have a lot more responsibilities that don’t usually involve interacting with customers on a day to day basis.

Do Accept A Call Back: If you have allowed the agent to assist you or have already in the past, requesting a call back would get you better results instead of waiting on hold for multiple minutes at a time.  There is no harm in asking for the name of the supervisor you will be speaking with and getting an estimated time of the call so you are prepared.  Being provided this information upfront also gives you peace of mind.  Allowing someone to review your information and having time to offer a resolution is always better than waiting on the phone while they do it.

Don’t Rate The Agent Poorly Because Of The Company They Work For:  Let’s say the agent was a great person to deal with but couldn’t give the results you were seeking.  It’s usually because they have to work within the scope of the company’s  policies.  By rating 0% across the board because you want the company to feel your wrath, it does nothing but potentially cause harm to that agent’s position within the company.  I don’t know about you, but I prefer that those type of agents maintain a good standing so their skills become an example of what low-performing agents should achieve to be.

Do Provide Feedback: Usually those surveys that you take after the completion of the call affects the agent that you speak to.  The key is to listen to what the question is actually asking you.  If you are not happy with the company and their policies, let that reflect on your survey answers when asked about the overall experience.  It matters in today’s age how a company does on satisfaction surveys, so upper management is always going to listen.  If you are rational during your responses (especially verbally), you may be surprised that even if your request is outside of company policy, someone will reach out to you.