Customer Service
- Thread starter Ken
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In general people get what they pay for, the problem is when you have a few large corporations (or worse, a de facto monopoly) all competing on cost alone you don't really get a choice. E.g.
If I want a cheap haircut I can pay £10 at a local barbers, can't make an appointment so have to wait 30 mins or so, only thing he says to me is "short back and sides?" and I'm out 10 minutes later. So instead I pay double at a salon, where I don't have to wait, I get given a drink, hair dresser is chatty and takes her time doing a good job.
If I want to buy car insurance with good customer service where do I go? Sure, instead of the £500 cheapest quote I got I could go for the £1000 quote, but it's actually the same company using a different brand so actually I'd get the same level of customer service.
If I want Sky TV with good customer service? Err I'm just s*** outta luck
If I want a cheap haircut I can pay £10 at a local barbers, can't make an appointment so have to wait 30 mins or so, only thing he says to me is "short back and sides?" and I'm out 10 minutes later. So instead I pay double at a salon, where I don't have to wait, I get given a drink, hair dresser is chatty and takes her time doing a good job.
If I want to buy car insurance with good customer service where do I go? Sure, instead of the £500 cheapest quote I got I could go for the £1000 quote, but it's actually the same company using a different brand so actually I'd get the same level of customer service.
If I want Sky TV with good customer service? Err I'm just s*** outta luck
Soldato
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Worst experience I've ever had is with More Than insurance, fair enough if they want to use Indian Call Centres but for the love of god don't use them for handling claims, they haven't got a ****ing clue!
once you have purchased the product why would the company care about you?
maybe smaller companies care, but to the likes of Sony, HP, the banks and insurance companies you are nothing.
The 10's of millions they save by running call centers abroad more than compensate them for the odd customers they loose..
the only driving factor for these companies is profit.
maybe smaller companies care, but to the likes of Sony, HP, the banks and insurance companies you are nothing.
The 10's of millions they save by running call centers abroad more than compensate them for the odd customers they loose..
the only driving factor for these companies is profit.
Man of Honour
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I love the way that since call centres have relocated themselves to cheaper foreign lands, complaints about them have risen strongly by number and volume. As if being filled with people who can barely speak coherent English and are clearly reading off a screen is a new problem.
Even years ago when they were more likely to be UK based, a scarily low percentage could string a sentence together, let alone one in an accent neutrally useful. Also, just as few in my experience could actually do anything or weren't reading from a preprepared script.
Nothing whatsoever has changed about them, just now there's this new racist gripe scraped from the bottom of the barrel, that has clearly been made enough of an issue such that a few companies have advertised overtly theirs are based in the UK.
Get over it ffs, if people still want 'the cheapest possible' deals for their services, or for them to even still be offered then offshoring is something said company has taken to survive. Or more likely in these tough times they're steps taken in order to keep profit margins as they are.
Even years ago when they were more likely to be UK based, a scarily low percentage could string a sentence together, let alone one in an accent neutrally useful. Also, just as few in my experience could actually do anything or weren't reading from a preprepared script.
Nothing whatsoever has changed about them, just now there's this new racist gripe scraped from the bottom of the barrel, that has clearly been made enough of an issue such that a few companies have advertised overtly theirs are based in the UK.
Get over it ffs, if people still want 'the cheapest possible' deals for their services, or for them to even still be offered then offshoring is something said company has taken to survive. Or more likely in these tough times they're steps taken in order to keep profit margins as they are.
You're absolutely right in that respect. Part of it isn't necessarily the lack of training though - it's the lack of empowerment given to the employees to resolve an issue there and then.
Try exchanging or returning an item in John Lewis or Waitrose - the staff (in general) couldn't be more helpful.
Soldato
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- 14 Jan 2009
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I've worked in customer service for years.
The fact is I couldn't give a damn about you, i don't get paid enough to care or go beyond the call of duty.
Half the time the customer thinks they're right when they don't have a damn clue what they're talking about. Why? Because they don't work there and deal with the situations every day.
"Couldn't you just do that?"
"Well, no because our systems over a decade old and rubbish, it doesn't let us do that"
"Thats hardly good customer service"
"Cry me a river"
Aside from that they're usually rude and treat you like a servant, like you're beneath them.
The only upside I have is where I'm in so good with the managers and security and the most efficient on my department they'll take my word over a customers and ignore any complaints.
The fact is I couldn't give a damn about you, i don't get paid enough to care or go beyond the call of duty.
Half the time the customer thinks they're right when they don't have a damn clue what they're talking about. Why? Because they don't work there and deal with the situations every day.
"Couldn't you just do that?"
"Well, no because our systems over a decade old and rubbish, it doesn't let us do that"
"Thats hardly good customer service"
"Cry me a river"
Aside from that they're usually rude and treat you like a servant, like you're beneath them.
The only upside I have is where I'm in so good with the managers and security and the most efficient on my department they'll take my word over a customers and ignore any complaints.
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I used to work in a call centre.
Was constantly getting in trouble, for calling customers back and generally doing my job. As it messed with stats etc. Being on too long to older generations going through things at their pace etc. Though it led to me training other folk, even though I was constantly getting pulled up for it.
But some custmers where of no help and demanded stuff that they were just not getting. Its like a game of lucky dip with call centres, get through to the right person and your sorted.
A lot of people see it as a crappy job they go in and out. Where others would acctually try to better themselves. But they are low paid, dead end jobs, so it is hardly them to blame.
Was constantly getting in trouble, for calling customers back and generally doing my job. As it messed with stats etc. Being on too long to older generations going through things at their pace etc. Though it led to me training other folk, even though I was constantly getting pulled up for it.
But some custmers where of no help and demanded stuff that they were just not getting. Its like a game of lucky dip with call centres, get through to the right person and your sorted.
A lot of people see it as a crappy job they go in and out. Where others would acctually try to better themselves. But they are low paid, dead end jobs, so it is hardly them to blame.
This does work but it'll be rare you'll actually get your problem solved usually it's answered by front desk who stick you in the Call waiting queue of the right department.
If you think CS is bad in UK I advise you not to move to Belgium 90% of CS lines are 50p per minute and the waiting times are high. They usually offer press 4 for english make you wait then you get someone who hasn't a word of english. If they don't have an item on the shelf in a shop forget completely asking for it from the store they won't bother or they'll say they'll have a look but really just walk away.
Don't ask them to phone another store branch they'll look at you as if you were mentally retarded for even asking.
If something does break you will have to fight tooth an nail to prove you didn't break it and they will never replace anything but send it to the manufacturer.
This is why I go to the UK with empty cases and buy there.
Oh if you sign a contract you must cancel 3 months before the end date and only by registered letter or the contract automatically renews. This goes for all contracts you sign if you forget even by 1 day you are in it for another year.
Actually surprised UK insurance companies don't have this clause...
Been here 14 years so know all about CS here.
I used to work at Sainsbury's and sometimes it was not always the colleagues fault when we didn't know where something was. It is quite common in a supermarket for the management to decide to rearrange everything, and it is usually done in one night. So you can come in the next day and not a have a bloody clue where everything has moved to!
Doesn't help if you aren't familiar with a particular department. Though to be fair, if you honestly don't know where it is you were supposed to find someone who works on that department and ask them, or a manager as a last resort.
Of course, saying all that, there were plenty of brain dead colleagues who wouldn't have a clue where the carrots were if they were holding a box of them in the hands.
Not when a company designs a customer-centric IVR, giving as many options to self-serve without the need to speak to an agent.
Making the IVR error out just means more calls in the queue, longer wait times, and wasted agent time spent doing things for customers that could have perfectly been dealt with inside the IVR.
As you may have guessed, I am an IVR manager, and our IVRs deal with 450k calls a month, the vast majority of which do not need to be dealt with by an agent.
In the UK, that would probably be deemed and unfair contract for a consumer.
Caporegime
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- 12 Mar 2009
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I'll second the notion that Apple are great. I recently took delivery of a shiny new iMac, unfortunately I had to send it back and claim a full refund, I rang them up, there were no problems whatsoever and a courier came to fetch the iMac the following day, full refund was added to my bank within 7 days and the guy I spoke to on the phone was very helpful indeed.
I've also just visited the Genius Bar a few days ago for an iPhone related problem and the experience was just as good there.
I've also just visited the Genius Bar a few days ago for an iPhone related problem and the experience was just as good there.
Caporegime
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- 29 Aug 2007
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One of the weird but pleasant differences between the UK and New Zealand (and to a lesser extent Australia) is that customer service here doesn't seem like a chore to the person providing that service.
When I go into most stores I'll get the normal, "Hey, how you going?" kind of question but they actually mean it and show interest. It's not a forced Americanism and a conversation will actually occur (shock horror!) if the customer wants it to go that way.
I've nothing but praise for the customer service people I've spoken to regarding both of our car insurers, our house insurance people, our bank, our internet, our phone company ... you get the idea.
Even recorded deliveries are generally made before 7.30am so that you can sign for them and avoid the dreaded "While you were out/Haha we never really tried to deliver it anyway" card. That's pretty good customer service.
When I go into most stores I'll get the normal, "Hey, how you going?" kind of question but they actually mean it and show interest. It's not a forced Americanism and a conversation will actually occur (shock horror!) if the customer wants it to go that way.
I've nothing but praise for the customer service people I've spoken to regarding both of our car insurers, our house insurance people, our bank, our internet, our phone company ... you get the idea.
Even recorded deliveries are generally made before 7.30am so that you can sign for them and avoid the dreaded "While you were out/Haha we never really tried to deliver it anyway" card. That's pretty good customer service.
I'm Customer Support Manager for a medium-sized software company, so I think I can throw in my 2p.Hi,
Early morning discussion to see what your opinions are on customer service.
Is it me or is customer service painfully poor and frustrating in general. I'd say 9/10 companies provide poor service. The 1/10 being the gem leaving you with peace of mind and possibly going beyond the call of duty.
By poor service it could be...
- Talking to some muppet over the phone or face to face who only had basic training provided by monkeys...sorry, trainers. Which leads on to...
- Talking to said muppet who doesn't know what they're talking about.
- The customer subsequently has to educate him.
- Here's a real pet hate...When you have to fight for not what you want but what you're entitled to.
- Don't you hate it when there's a lack of consistency.
- Compensation offered can really take the **** too.
In my opinion, customer service is shoddy across the board, whether it be insurance, ISP, mobile phone contract provider, tradesmen, local supermarket...whatever.
Very few companies I've dealt with know what they're talking about and cut out waffle and get straight to the point. If a job needs doing it should be quick and painless with a little something special so you'll go back to them.
It's good there are regulatory bodies, watchdogs and independent bodies to resolve complaints but they themselves can be useless.
Arghhhh, exhausted typing about it...
I agree in general that support offered in the UK is shoddy.
All staff in my team are fully trained past degree level - they know our products inside out, and are well trained in general platforms (i.e. operating systems, technology) used for the environments in which our software would be installed. In short, we know what we're talking about - no trained monkeys.
If we don't know something, or can't provide you with an immediate answer, it's escalated directly to the engineering/development team - it's rare that a support case is not resolved entirely, in a short space of time.
We sell software, and with that software is your entitlement to a level of customer service, i.e. if the product doesn't work, or you simply can't get it working.
We also have a no questions asked refunds policy within 2-months of purchase (which in addition to 30-day free trials for all of our products, means you can't really lose).
Does your software track how many people just hang up
and move to another, better, service provider?As a customer I dont give a flying **** if your system is old, and doesn't work. If what I'm asking for is technologically possible in this day and age then it is fair game to ask for it