January 11, 2008

Mind-bending customer service staff

When you call a customer service centre regarding some sort of problem that you have had with their products or services, the initial response is to rant and rave, but clearly this is not going to get you anywhere at all.

So what do you do if you really want to get your way from the customer services?

Here are few steps:

1. Always maintain a calm, collected tone
2. Before you call, outline the situation for yourself, and decide how you want it solved
3. Always get the name of the person who answered the phone, even if you speak to them for only a moment
4. When you get a CSR on the phone, immediately ask to speak to a supervisor
5. Once you are connected with a supervisor, introduce yourself, and then inform the person that you have a situation that they are going to fix
6. Explain your situation in a calm, even tone. Do not pause for them to respond until the entire situation/story has been told
7. If the supervisor insists that your solution is outside of policy, ask for the full policy
8. Listen carefully to the policy, and then scan your list for solutions that fall within it
9. At this point the person should be working with you for a solution. Continue to keep a calm tone until you reach an acceptable solution
10. You SHOULD now have a solution
11. If longer than the specified time goes past and the solution has not gone into effect, call the same number and ask for the person by name
12. Keep your tone even. Introduce yourself immediately and ask to speak to a person who can solve your problem
13. When you are connected, introduce yourself again. Repeat step 6

Now you should have your way, or at least a decent compromise has been made.

Source [Consumerist]