Keeping Customers on the Line
By Mimi Rosenheim
"It's not Customer Service until someone picks up the phone."
I just love that. It's the punchline on a television advertisement for Ameritrade. Why does it appeal to me? I remember the plethora of times I've called companies that claimed to have superior customer service only to wait... and wait... and wait.
Sure, the service is fine once I actually speak with someone but while I wait, I'm in on-hold hell. You know the routine: bad music, voice-overs from chipper people telling me my call is important to them, and asking, wouldn't I be interested in hearing about their latest scheme to part me from my money? Of course, just before I speak with a representative, they pull out my personal favorite—a request for participation in the customer satisfaction survey at the end of my call. After all they've just put me through, they don't want to know what I think.
Don't Touch That Dial
Few companies consider the impact that the technologies they use will have on their customers. Most often, a company chooses technology to fit its staff's requirements. For example, I recently flew on a major airline and was extremely upset by the cramped seating. Understanding that the airline believes in a high-quality customer experience, I filled out the customer service card in detail. Apparently my comments made quite an impression. They called me six times. Yes, six times.
During the course of a week, at least five different people left messages telling me they received my comment card and wanted to discuss it further.
