Comments on: Customer Service Hoops

By: Ron Turner

Ron Turner — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:03:35 +0000

My friend just emailed me about a new site at http://www.contacthelp.com that contains what looks like hundreds of companies, their phone numbers, instructions for reaching a live person, etc. You can even upload recordings of customer service calls and update/add listings as well. Very cool site!

By: Phil

Phil — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:43:59 +0000

You’d think that with the freer flow of information on the web that companies would finally understand that customer service is really the only important thing that they sell. But alas, it seems they’re probably run by folks who are just either out of touch or really lazy (don’t really want to do the hard work involved with customer service.

I call the kind of approach you’re talking about Clockwork Orange Marketing (Youtube has clips of what I’m talking about). I’d really love to spread the Clockwork Orange Marketing (COM) meme. It’d be great to mark companies with bad customer service with the COM badge all over the web.

Clockwork Orange Marketing: let’s stop the torture!

By: Theresa Zagnoli

Theresa Zagnoli — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:01:30 +0000

Amen to all the comments. It is amazing to me that companies don’t place more stake in their customer service and that employees are seemingly not held to any standard for their rudeness, inefficiency or disinterest in helping you.

While there are several companies I could point out, I would have to say Whirlpool takes the award for worst customer service in my book. Long story short – not functioning refrigerator under warranty for full replacement. During my 3 week ordeal (that’s right three weeks without a refrig during summer no less) I was transferred around to countless departments and always heard different answers. Seemed the common thread in all those who I talked to through – I am right and you aren’t. Seems the old adage of “customer is always right” has gone out the window! Needless to say, there won’t be another Whirlpool appliance in my future.

By: Coop

Coop — Sun, 18 May 2008 10:30:03 +0000

I agree with the message but disagree about t-mobile. Their support has always been awesome for me and it seems like I call and get a person almost immediately. As a side note, they also seem to only hire cool surfer dudes and hot chicks in their call centers. I swear I’ve fallen in love with every female t-mobile employee that I’ve ever spoken too. They usually fix the problem asap (for example I had my account transfered once, a problem sending MMS messages, also I once called and talked to a girl for about 20 minutes about how awesome the Shadow was when it first came out, LOL).

On the other side, Bank Of America is ALWAYS a chore and it takes forever just to get a response from their website. I cringe when I have a problem with them.

By: John Whiteside

John Whiteside — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:53:04 +0000

T-Mobile – ugh. I once submitted an email support request for a simple question regarding my hotspot account (info I should have been able to get just by logging in to my account) and got an email that said, “We’ve got a lot of emails now, so we’re not answering them; call us on the phone.” Because yeah, that’s more efficient than having someone sit down and respond to the emails.

They are one of the worst.

By: Shelley

Shelley — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:54:45 +0000

@Katybeth True that! When my luggage went AWOL on a trip home last year, the auto-message at the MISSING BAGGAGE DEPARTMENT said “thank you for your call,” and I was constantly tempted to yell “I don’t have a CHOICE!”

@Bill that sounds like it’s headed in the right direction… yay!

And Chris, as we say in Quaker Meeting sometimes, “That Friend speaks my mind.”

By: Bill Binnig

Bill Binnig — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:39:33 +0000

I definitely share your pain. It seems like like telecom companies are the worst – I recently had a nightmarish experience with Verizon – which is ironic given that, at it’s core, IVRs are a telecom service.

Under full disclosure, I work for Jaduka, a telecom-related company. So, I understand why a company wouldn’t want to publish their corporate phone directory online. But, I’ve always thought a great customer service solution would be to list specific customer service functions by the most commonly requested help or FAQs and then provide a privacy-protected call link, like Jaduka’s Click-and-Connect or dukaLINK to the right specialist.

Similar to GetHuman or NoPhoneTrees.com, but the company would never have to list the specialists number and could use automated call routing to find an available agent on the back-end. The customer is still having to self-select the right person to speak with, but its done in a much better interface for the task – a freeflowing Webpage versus a serial audio phone tree.

By: Jim Goodrich

Jim Goodrich — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:04:36 +0000

I used to work for a corp whose approach was the Internet is just one of the ways to get to us for help and we answer the phones live 24/7 with no call time limits for the support staff. That’s a great customer service approach. A variety of methods to get help, pick the one best suited to you.

Unfortunately, that corp got acquired and it all went away. And they put the live support staff on time limits to be cost effective. So that when you do get a live person it’s a situation of Angry customer, meet stressed out Support staff. Not a formula for success on any consistent level.

By: chrisbrogan

chrisbrogan — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:33:44 +0000

@Rachael – great point about expats. That’s harder still.

By: Rachael Hampton

Rachael Hampton — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:40:04 +0000

For those who are expat and can’t call the toll free. Finding a local number can be even more a task.