How to get the best customer service

As a previous customer service representative with more than 13 years of experience working for major corporations and small companies one thing is certain,companies pay alot of money to make customers a priority. I am sure there have been more than a time or two where you had a negative customer service experience that had a greater impact on you than positive experiences. Sometimes it seems like you are just one person who doesn’t really matter in the long term goal of the company. However, generally speaking this is not the case. Both major and small businesses value their customers and often go to great lengths to please them, only if you ask the right questions. Situation: Let’s say you just received your cell phone bill. The bill is a little higher than usual, so you decide to take some time later to call the 800 customer service number. You just got home from a busy day, so you decide to settle in before you make the call.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Patience, Time, Knowledge, Human Understanding.

1. Take time to read the bill before you call. Even if it seems confusing, take the time to get a general understanding. If you need assistance you can go online and see if there is an explanation or an automated tutorial. The reason why am I say reading the bill is essential is because once you do get a customer service representative on the line he or she will have a better dialogue with you to help you understand it. Alot of confusion comes from misunderstandings. The customer service representative can concentrate on explaining what you do not understand versus giving you a general for overview. In some of my conversations with customers, it seems like I spent more time explaining general things versus what they really did not understand.
2. Highlight or circle the areas of the bill that are in question. This is helpful, because highlighting the sections you do not understand will ensure that all your questions are answered. This would avoid calling back into the queue, and having to wait another than unnecessary amount of time.
   
   Another good tip, is to write down your questions in advance. even if other questions may arise later, at least you'll have a guideline about what you want to ask.
3. Make sure you are calling at an appropriate time. There have been so many circumstances where people have called while watching television, washing the dishes, screaming at kids, doing sexual acts, going to the bathroom, or almost falling asleep. I understand that your time is precious, however how do you expect the customer service representative to really take your concerns seriously if you are not paying attention? I have actually spent more time on the phone repeating things over and over, because a customer was not paying attention. Why not find a quiet place and an appropriate time that will reduce the amount of time he spent on the phone, and the customer service representative will take you seriously.
   
   P.S. For some odd reason, I used to get sexual content over the phone. May they confused the number for a 900 number. I don't know, but I hung up on those calls, and I had a right to.
4. After the customer service representative states the company name, their name, and the famous "how can I help you" do not tell them your life story. The most appropriate thing to say is simple," I have a question about my bill." You can actually get into the details later, because chances are, the customer service representative will not remember every detail of your story after their introduction. Do you really want to repeat everything again?
5. Do not take your frustration out on the customer service representative. In my experience people were so worked up while they were on hold waiting to speak to me that they never really address their problems. They vented for 30 minutes, while others were waiting on the line simmering waiting to speak to me. In general, the customer service representatives are there to help you, so it is not their individual fault that something went wrong this month with your bill. The customer service representative may be more apt to help you if you have a kind attitude with them.
6. Escalating is not always the answer. I must admit there are certain situations where a manager or supervisor needs to step in to resolve the problem. However, if your request is unreasonable, you may get what you want if you fight hard enough, but the customer service representative will place a note on your account that you are a problem customer. Regardless of what you are calling to fight for, if you ever really needed assistance in the future the person answering the phone may place judgment on you based on those notes. This is just human nature. They may think you call in all the time and complain, which does not really make you an ideal customer.
7. Be proactive with your questions! Keep in mind that the customer service representative speaks to many people per day, and they cannot read your mind or know what your concerns in detail. If something is not clear, say it. Do not be intimidated! This will make the customer service representative use a different explanation approach, which may be just what you need. People understand things in different ways, and good customer service representatives are trained to explain things in different ways.
8. Always, always, always get the name of the person you spoke with and their extension. Some customer service representatives reserved their right to privacy by giving you a pseudo name and their extension. This is okay, because the companies (especially corporate) know that they are using this pseudo name. This is important because if you ever need to refer back to this conversation, you can reference who you spoke with.
   
   It would also be helpful to write down the date and time you called, and make a quick note of it on your bill.
   
   Tip: Asking for their name insures that a notation will be placed on the account. Although many companies require their customer service representatives to make notes on accounts, high call volume and not enough after call time hinders good notes. Some notations may fall through the cracks. So asking for their name, will put more pressure on their liability, so they will take the time to make the notes.
9. Send kudos! More often than not we remember our poor and most negative experiences with customer service. Very rarely do customer service representatives get kudos for the work they do. Sending kudos will not only help the customer service representative get recognized for the job they do, but will also help you. Kudos will help you, because if you ever need assistance again from that customer service representative he or she will remember you and want to go above and beyond for you.
10. Treat others like you want to be treated! Customer service is probably one of the hardest mentally depleting and emotionally hindering jobs that people do for a living. Although it is the customer service representative’ s obligation to help you, remember they are just human too.
    
    Perhaps a family member just died, and because of financial obligations they have to go to work.maybe they don't have any more sick days and there time back or their company does not have a bereavement policy. They may decide to hold their emotions inside and put you and the job first, so the last thing they need is your frustration. Like the saying goes “you attract more bees with honey than with vinegar.” They will appreciate your kindness, and want to go above and beyond despite their despair.

Tips & Warnings

• This is a general overview, but is very helpful in our daily life.