There is such a thing as being TOO technically savvy, and some companies are choosing to distance themselves increasingly from their customers by selecting options that make it harder and harder to connect.
For example, today I spent a big chunk of my time trying to reach Vodaphone. I’ve an updated model of iPhone and needed to let them know I was ready to do a SIM swap so I could start using it.
I tried calling the branch, again, and again, and again… now I’m writing this while I sit ‘on hold’ trying to get through to their customer support centre. I’ve been told that my call will be answered by a ‘real person’ within 5-10 minutes. So for a writer, this does represent time for a quick blog while I sit with the phone on my desk, on speaker mode, listing to a very dull version of what we’d call ‘technical elevator music’. Eeww! My ears are exhausted already!
If a company like the phone companies, or anyone else for that matter knows they are likely to be extra busy over the time of year when many people get phones for Christmas, and maybe extra staff are away, then please, why not ensure that your down times are covered sufficiently so that customers don’t have to wait endlessly for a call to be returned, answered, or a concern acted on.
Mmn – I just took a moment to see how that 5-10 minutes was going – 11.30…
Ok – so maybe customer service is not their strongest point, but honestly, it should be. After all, they are in the communications industry! Customers communicate with them and each other about their satisfaction… or maybe they all gave up trying to get through to tell Vodaphone how frustrating it is waiting, waiting, waiting for a call to be answered!
Not everything can be done at the touch of a button. If you are in business, regardless of industry or size, you owe it to your customers to consider them and their needs at busy times of the year – that might mean extra ‘real people’ on the end of a telephone, or allocate extra menu options maybe.
On behalf of customers everywhere, thanks!
PS: After 14.15 minutes, Vodaphone answered my ‘on hold’ call and everything was sorted in under 90 seconds! Wow, but a pity I’d had to waste at least 20 minutes on trying to reach them all day to get that result.
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