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Customer Service (general) rant

K

KnickNut3

Platinum Member
Call me sensitive, but it really gets on my nerves when a CSR asks "Is there anything else I can help you with today?", especially after they just didn't help me at all, and especially when it's a very specific hotline.

CSR: Welcome to the rebate department for ______. How can I help you?
You: Hello. I had a rebate for ____ and you said ____ in a postcard, but _____. What can I do?
CSR: There's really nothing you can do. We have chosen not to honor our rebate and our decision is final.
You: Whatever, jerks.
CSR: Is there anything else I can help you with today, sir?

Just annoys me. Especially since it's a rhetorical question just to try to make it seem like they care. They know you don't have any other business with them.

Now, I'm not saying the phrase is bad on help lines, etc., but in some cases it's obvious.

Maybe that's just me.
 
BBB.org is the link

oh yeah, after that hypocritical "wht else can i help...", it usually ends up wiht you saying "no, THANKS", right? 😀
 
Generally what they say is written on a peice of paper in front of them. Kinda like:

"If caller says this, reply with _______________."

or...

"If caller has a problem and is defiant, place them on hold for 30 minutes while pretending to transfer them, and then hang up if the caller hadnt done so already."
 
it's just what you do.

I worked Customer Service for a couple summers in college. You can't just hang up on the customer, so you ask the question, the customer says no, and then it segues into a natural end for the phone call.

I would also say it to snotty customers like you just to annoy them. heh.
 
Reminds me of that Onstar commerical where the Onstar rep calls the person to tell them they've located their stolen car, and then quickly says "Is there anything else I can do for you?" I'm like, yeah, tell him where his damn car is!
 
Originally posted by: Tiamat
"If caller has a problem and is defiant, place them on hold for 30 minutes while pretending to transfer them, and then hang up if the caller hadnt done so already."
Click to expand...

I did that once :thumbsup:

the lady was a total biatch, though. she insisted on speaking to my manager (nothing to do with me, but she'd been given the run-around by other reps and assumed that I'd do the same thing). when I told her that my manager was in an all-day meeting, she raised hell and started calling me a liar.
 
Script or not, I still remind them that they didn't help me with the first thing, so they can't possibly help me with anythilg else. They get stupid - guess they don't have a script for that.
 
Originally posted by: loki8481
it's just what you do.

I worked Customer Service for a couple summers in college. You can't just hang up on the customer, so you ask the question, the customer says no, and then it segues into a natural end for the phone call.

I would also say it to snotty customers like you just to annoy them. heh.
Click to expand...

I have never been rude to a CSR, because I know it's not their fault that they're of no use to me.

The script is just annoying. I know it flows to a natural end of the conversation, but so does "have a nice day."

I guess it's better to be safe, though.
 
Originally posted by: daveshel
Script or not, I still remind them that they didn't help me with the first thing, so they can't possibly help me with anythilg else. They get stupid - guess they don't have a script for that.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
 
What would you rather have them say?
Anything else and you'll be starting another thread about how they're impolite or what not.
 
The CSR has no choice, they do what they are told. Your problem is that you allow them to screw you over on the rebate.
Your answer to, "There's really nothing you can do. We have chosen not to honor our rebate and our decision is final," should be "Actually, there is a great deal I can do, and your company's decision is not the final say in this matter. I saved all my documentation and records, I'm recording this call right now, and my next step will be to take legal action against your company for behaving in a deceptive and fraudulent manner in denying the rebate that I rightly qualified for according to your own rules and guidelines. If your company persists in choosing to deny my rebate, my next calls will be to the BBB and my state AG, and what I might need to do to initiate legal action against your company*. I don't care what it costs me to get this $20 rebate, I will do what I need to do strictly on principal. Now, can you handle this or must I speak with a supervisor?"

I see nothing wrong with using a mildly nasty tone with a CSR if necessary. They are in control of one thing, they are preventing you from speaking with a supervisor.


* Never EVER threaten to call "my lawyer", that's like pulling out a nuke at a knife fight and will end the conversation then and there.
 
Didn't mean to misrepresent the situation, Vic. I was just giving a random, simple, example of a CSR not helping you.

This actually was spawned by a CSR conversation about a rebate I had today, but the response was more like "we need to retrieve your envelope out of storage to check the postmark date (they said I mailed it a month after I actually did). Give us at least three weeks to retrieve the envelope, then try calling again. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Originally posted by: dabuddha
What would you rather have them say?
Anything else and you'll be starting another thread about how they're impolite or what not.
Click to expand...

I agree that it's one of the better things to say. I'm just saying that it gets on my nerves when they say that right after they haven't helped me at all, because the diction implies that they HAVE already helped me. That's all.
 
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
They do it just to get on your nerves. I know I used to when I worked tech support.
Click to expand...

They rub it in your face that they're useless just to annoy you? Haha... I guess you need something to keep you interested in a pretty mundane job.
 
Originally posted by: KnickNut3
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
They do it just to get on your nerves. I know I used to when I worked tech support.
Click to expand...

They rub it in your face that they're useless just to annoy you? Haha... I guess you need something to keep you interested in a pretty mundane job.
Click to expand...

well, it's not like they're not useless by choice.

it's not like the CSR herself could have given you the rebate, or has any kind of ability to alter the companies rebate policies.
 
Originally posted by: KnickNut3
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
They do it just to get on your nerves. I know I used to when I worked tech support.
Click to expand...

They rub it in your face that they're useless just to annoy you? Haha... I guess you need something to keep you interested in a pretty mundane job.
Click to expand...

I only did it to people being an ass. If the caller was nice and cool or whatnot, I'd say something along the lines of "Is there anything else I can try to help you with?" instead. It sucks when someone that is pretty cool calls and you can't help them. I know I felt like a bitch when that happened.
 
To some extent, some scripts give the customer a sense of confidence we actually have a clue in what we're doing. To other extents, it sounds very cheesy and useless (redundant).

You can tell you're calling a call centre when they/we start off with...
"welcome to ______, how may I help you?"
"thankyou for calling _____, my name is _____, how may I help you?"

Saying "anything else I can help you with" is along the lines of "good afternoon, how you doing today?" The question expects a long reply but the actual answer is short and pretty much meaningless. The people who generally ask them don't expect a long winded reply. Just an automated reciprical reply.

Companies want their CSRs to exert professionalism, not general daily spoken language like you're out among friends.

People hate calling into call centres and prefer to deal with the company on a face-to-face personal level, as CSR service experience vary greatly and customers prefer to deal with people whom they've developed rapport with. People get especially irate when they call a local # expecting to have reached their branch when in reality all calls are directed to the call centre and then dispatched (think transfer queen) elsewhere to various call centre departments. I hate having to transfer clients as much as clients hate to be transferred.

Calls get redirected to us when volumes are high, but we can only perform one or two functions and any other requests gets transferred back. We're not given the proper tools to do the job right. Heck, that's not even our main jobs and derails us from our job and sales opportunity, yet sales expectation is the same regardless.

Call centres are here to stay to help companies centralize and save money, at the expense of CONSISTENT customer service.

 
I always thought CSR scripts were just an urban legend.

no scripts at my old CSR job, thank god. there's no way I'd have been able to deal with that kinda micromanagement.
 
Oh yeah, we can't say "Bye bye" instead we have to say "Goodbye" as they say it sounds condescending (sp??)

Same set of rules but only enforced at the call centre level, but not at the branch level. Things like we having to get permission to use the client's first name (which is the appropriate way to go about it) and once we conference to the branch level the CSR straight out regards him/her by first name. Go figure.

Call monitor evaluations are not consistent as well. Not only do they listen in, but they can actually see what's going on onscreen. I once got a mark against me because they said I wasn't using notepad to take my notes while the customer was speaking. WTF?? How the hell do you know I'm not taking notes on an actual physical notepad?!! Sheesh. Talk about nitpicking.
 
Originally posted by: loki8481
I always thought CSR scripts were just an urban legend.

no scripts at my old CSR job, thank god. there's no way I'd have been able to deal with that kinda micromanagement.
Click to expand...

They're real. I had one. Got in trouble for not following it too. 😛

Although, ours was more of an outline. You could adlib or deviate a bit, but you had to get certain things in there. Of course, there were some MCSEs on the floor, and they followed the script verbatim. 😛
 
Originally posted by: PeeluckyDuckee
I once got a mark against me because they said I wasn't using notepad to take my notes while the customer was speaking. WTF??
Click to expand...

No ATOT then, I presume? 😉

 
God I hated my Customer service job the company I worked for sucked it was a mail order prescription pharmacy and they were always loosing stuff. I ended up getting fired because I was honest with the costumer. ("instead of you package is on the way you'll get in a few day" I would tell them straight up that its stuck somewhere in the warehouse and it hasn't moved in over a week. one time I got a call from a kid of some old lady who dies because she didn't get her heart medication. It was a pretty depressing job I hated it. but even now I don't make as much money as I did then.
 
I love calling comcast:
Me: I've been disconnected about 40 times a day for 3 months now. This is the 5th time I've called. I was told my case was referred to level 3 support, but I never heard anything back.
CSR: Disconnect?
Me: 100% packet loss, intermitantly throughout the day.
CSR: Are you using a router?
Me: Yes...
CSR: Plug the cable modem directly into the computer.
Me: Look my network works fine. I've read the Comcast message boards, and thousands of people are having this same problem. It's got to be YOUR network.
CSR: Have you tried power cycling the modem?
Me: Not lately.
CSR: Do you see the small black cord going to the back of your modem?
Me: Yes.
CSR: YOu should unplug that to turn off your modem.
Me: Oh, I was on my way to the circuit breaker box. Are you sure I shouldn't use the circuit breaker?
CSR: I'm not sure what that is, but you should use the cord on the back of your modem.
Me: Ok, I'll make sure to try that. I tell you what, I'll call you back after I do that.
CSR: Alright sir. Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Me: No, I'm all set.
CSR: Thank you for calling Comcast and have a great day.

 
Originally posted by: Nebor
I love calling comcast:
Me: I've been disconnected about 40 times a day for 3 months now. This is the 5th time I've called. I was told my case was referred to level 3 support, but I never heard anything back.
CSR: Disconnect?
Me: 100% packet loss, intermitantly throughout the day.
CSR: Are you using a router?
Me: Yes...
CSR: Plug the cable modem directly into the computer.
Me: Look my network works fine. I've read the Comcast message boards, and thousands of people are having this same problem. It's got to be YOUR network.
CSR: Have you tried power cycling the modem?
Me: Not lately.
CSR: Do you see the small black cord going to the back of your modem?
Me: Yes.
CSR: YOu should unplug that to turn off your modem.
Me: Oh, I was on my way to the circuit breaker box. Are you sure I shouldn't use the circuit breaker?
CSR: I'm not sure what that is, but you should use the cord on the back of your modem.
Me: Ok, I'll make sure to try that. I tell you what, I'll call you back after I do that.
CSR: Alright sir. Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Me: No, I'm all set.
CSR: Thank you for calling Comcast and have a great day.
Click to expand...

yeah I usualy get that from my cable provider. but then I just start talking techinical jargon about how thier netowrk sucks and I threaten to switch to DSL...I usally get a mounth or two free each time I do that 😀
 
I always hate it when it goes like this.

Me: <talks about stuff>
CSR: <gives me the info I wsa looking for>
Me: OK Thanks. That's all I needed to know.
CSR: Is there anything else I can help you with.
Me: No, That's all I needed to know. (Isn't that what I just said)
CSR: Thanks for calling...
 
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