[BC] Poor customer support

[Jeff Glass]

In a message dated 2/28/2010 8:00:38 AM Central Standard Time, broadcast-request at radiolists.net writes:

>Tom is 100% right. I do customer support for Barix-and you'd be amazed at the
>calls I get every day. Most 'engineers' don't have a single clue about how
>IP/networking works.
>I regularly get calls from people who expect that all they have to do is plug
>their units into an RJ45 jack anywhere in the world and *presto* the units
>should talk and play audio. In response to this I developed QuiklinkIP, which
>actually DOES this-yet there are no customers who want to buy the service
>(which by the way has NO connection with Barix-it's my own
>idea/product/service). People believe that the basic units should do this
>automatically, and for free.

Dana,

I suppose if I had the choice of hiring a tech who could handle 90% of the support calls for $40.000/yr, I would do that rather than hiring a $70,000/yr person who could handle 99.9% of the calls. That's not smart because those 10% callers could really trash my company on the streets.

Human nature comes into play in that most consumers don't like to go back to the well.  Some of this is economy, some of it is human nature again.  I personally think it's reasonable to expect a call to tech support to be effective and hassle free. If I were taking such calls, I would concentrate on the product's purpose, and why it is not functioning, then tell the customer what to do to effectively solve the problem. Their expectations beyond this, would roll off my back. Customer expectations beyond this often exist because they simply don't know.

Some people will not be happy regardless of what is done for them. It's hard to be in customer service, and not focus negatively on these extreme cases.

Customers will attempt to get something for nothing if they can. That's natural to some extent (pushing, to determine the limits) and to a certain extent, good business for the caller's employer. I will do what I can morally, ethically and legally benefit my employer. But when I'm turned down, I understand. The vendor also has their limits, which I respect.

The key to all of this is, the vendor must me committed to either helping the customer get the product working, or take the product back, hassle free. Management have lots of creative ways to attempt this, some good, some awful.

Jeff Glass