One of my colleagues in the speaking business, Bob Wendover, sent in this amazing story – and it’s not amazing in a good way.
For years, the cable industry has unfortunately been one of those
industries that finds itself in the bottom echelon of customer service
rankings. While I believe the industry is making an effort to do better,
and some companies are definitely becoming more customer-focused, it’s
this kind of story that makes me wonder if they are going about it the
right way.
My buddy Bob decided to make a change in his cable TV plan so, as
most customers do, he called the company’s customer service support
number. Eventually, after various prompts and a short wait time, he was
connected to a customer service rep who introduced herself by her first
name and asked to whom she was talking to. He replied, “Bob,” which is
how he always introduces himself. Then she asked for the name on the
account. He said, “Robert Wendover,” and she went on to verify the
street address. She then informed Bob that he was not authorized to
change the account. Her explanation for this was simply… ridiculous!
The reason the customer service rep told Bob he was not authorized to
make the change was because when he first introduced himself, he didn’t
do so by using his formal name, Robert. At this explanation, Bob was
surprised, to say the least, flabbergasted even. He asked her if she
could ask some questions to verify his identity, but she refused to do
so.
He hung up, disappointed, if not even slightly angry, and called
right back. When a different customer service rep eventually came on the
line and asked his name, he said, “Robert.” This time, he was able to
make the change.
This is a result of one of two things: either hiring the wrong person for the front-line or not properly training
the person (or maybe a combination of the two). This is more than a
lack of flexibility. This was a display of questionable intelligence.
So, the lesson here is simple:
- Hire the right people: These should be people who have good common sense and the right attitude about taking care of customers.
- Train these good people properly: In addition to
whatever technical training they may need to answer customers’
questions, teach them some soft skills, such as how to communicate and
when to be flexible. - Common sense should prevail: If you’ve hired the
right people, and they are trained well, let them do their job. Empower
them to do what is right for both the company and the customer.
Bob’s story is an example of a ridiculous Moment of Misery.
It was a simple customer service experience gone bad, an experience
that could have easily been handled with a little – actually, very
little – common sense.
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