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Was it good for you? Please, please tell me you love me.
Why...
Is it that any time I ring customer service, I immediately get sent a questionnaire asking if I enjoyed the experience?
The experience better be good or I simply won’t be a customer. How’s that for simple market research. Doh!
All these calls are recorded 'to serve me better' so why not listen to them rather than ask me, the customer, to do the retailer/service company’s job?
Most of the time I have to contact these people because I have a problem. A really good operator’s words can take the sting out of waiting hours to get through, so why undo all that warm fuzzy feeling by pestering me about an experience I would rather never have had in the first place! Having access to my email or sms (text) address should not be a short cut for companies’ customer research.
...and another thing
Any customer service that says “we are experiencing an unprecedented high level of calls at the moment,” might like to have a re-think as to the customer experience. Here’s a clue…. If your customers are kept waiting past five minutes on more than two occasions, it’s not an unprecedented event. The company either needs more staff, or produce goods and services that don’t require people to ring about them so often.
Here’s another titbit. If you want people to be even tempered don’t leave them hanging on call waiting for 45 minutes listening to music that keeps on descending into white noise hisssssssss. (Are you lissssssssstening Vodafone as you clearly never try ringing your own customer service helpline)? You might as well just have people scraping nails down a blackboard. And Companies wonder why nerves are on edge when the call finally gets answered?
...and another thing
I happily admit to shopping on line and prefer to use PayPal. However if I am asked either to create an account, log in or give my details when the site accepts PayPal I immediately cancel. The whole point of PayPal is to dispense with endless form filling. Do I really need to remember yet another password if I want some Draino or personalised cup-cakes?
...and another thing
The other day I decided to replace my electric toothbrush at a shop versus buying it on-line. I had to fight very hard just to pay in cash. I did not want to:
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1) Pay by credit card
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2) Join their Facebook
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3) Receive monthly emails on special offers
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4) Share my details with anyone
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5) Buy extended warranty cover
The digital age has been a blessing of convenience and great access to information. I just don’t want unknown people having continued access to my data and resent being asked ad infinitum to provide it.
I am quite capable of choosing my own brand of snake oil. I just want to be able to complain in privacy about it when my hair falls out without…
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a) It taking two hours to get through
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And
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b) Being asked if I enjoyed the experience.
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4 Comments
Oh so true
Excellent comments this week – they will be entered into our prize draw – please leave the usual details including date and place of birth with you mobile number and bank details – and remember the terms and conditions – we reserve the right to use you – you wife pets and distance family in our advertising feature – and…………sir please don’t hang up our automated dialer will now begin!!!!’
The whole online customer experience in a nutshell! Dead on.
Thought I had a secret lover……Was it good for you?