[BC] Poor customer support

[Broadcast List USER]

Well, the fact of the matter is that you need both if you have a large  
customer service program.

The first problem is that MANY people call first.  They won't consult  
the instruction manual.

So, they call.

That isn't good for anyone.  It is IMPORTANT to get the customer to  
consult the manual.  If they don't, it is a big cost for everyone.

Next, the vendor puts them onto the Tier One Customer Service.

Duh?  Is it plugged into the wall?

Is it turned on?

And so on.

ONCE they get through that, and only once they do, the get to the Tier  
Two, who actually have a clue.

WHY should a base company like Com-whatever have to have high dollar  
tech support try to fix problems for stupid people?

Verizon's T-1 support group would be a different issue.

--chip
On Feb 28, 2010, at 2:59 PM, broadcast-request at radiolists.net wrote:

> Message: 29
> From: Jeff Glass <Xmitters at aol.com>
>
> 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