Life before Cable TV...Image via Wikipedia
Sometimes I enjoy using Live Chat instead of calling. As a Contact Center Consultant, it’s always interesting for me to observe business practices and the skills of Agents handling chat.
Recently we decided to try using an HD Antenna with our TV along with a new Recorder/Receiver (insert shocked expression here if you can’t live without 300 channels of cable). We don’t TV watch often and when we do it is our favorite Thursday night shows.
We decided to keep our Internet and Phone package with them. We still had two products with them and I had looked at the pricing in a recent brochure sent to us that week so I was prepared to pay a few dollars more due to the dropped 3rd product.
The next bill came and whoa….the Internet cost went up but not as described in the “prices effective…(date)” brochure. It was much more. I decided to do a “live chat” with one of their reps to see what happened.
Here’s some of the actual dialog:
Me: Would like to check on billing for Internet and Phone. Think I was billed wrong.
Agent 1: I do apologize and will get this resolved for you and POSSIBLY you will get the promotional plan for the two services. (OK, this should’ve been my first clue…possibly? ….promotional?) Let me connect you with a specialist
Now I’m feeling good because I have a “specialist”. This will be fixed in no time!
Agent 2: Hi! You’ve reached the Order Entry Department. I’ll be happy to complete your order today!
Me: Hi This is not an Order
Agent 2: Sorry about that. Let me transfer you to our Billing Department. Would that be alright?
Me: OK (Already 10 minutes into the chat and nothing but wrong Agents. Gotta see where this goes.)
Agent 3: My apologies for the frustration this issue has caused you. I’m going to do everything I can to resolve this with you today.
Yay! the magic “Resolve” word finally. This is looking better.
Agent 3: I already have your bill pulled up. (nice!)
Me: Internet is now $___. I thought it would be lower because I have 2 products, not just Internet.
Agent 3: How much were you paying last month for your service?
Me: (1, 2, 3…deep breathe. She told me she has the bill pulled up. Why is she asking me?) Can’t you see?
Agent 3: I just want to verify it
Me: I don’t have the last one, just the current one in front of me. My question is… I dropped 1 product, still have 2. Should I be paying $___ now?
Agent 3: Well, on ___ you removed 3 products and then you added 2 products.
Me: I kept same 2 products and just removed 1 product. I didn’t upgrade either of the 2 products. I have a current pricing brochure which shows a lower price if I have 2 products.
Agent 3: One moment…..(good, she’s checking with Supervisor I think)…………….The promotion has expired.
Me: What promotion? This is a regular pricing brochure with new pricing as of _____(that week). It has pricing for everything and no mention of a promotion on this, just standard rates shown for 1 product, 2 products, 3 products, etc.
Agent 3: (ignoring the brochure comment entirely) I apologize for the confusion with your bill. If you want the same 3 packaged services as before, please contact us after 3 months.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
How many Moments of Truth did you count? Here’s just a few:
1. Multiple Transfers: If you are balancing 3-4 Chats, be sure to actually READ what the Customer is asking. Like Listening skills for Chat.
2. Asking for account information you just said you already had: Why are we making Customer’s jump through unnecessary hoops?
3. You’re Chat Number 5,368: Been a good Customer for 8 years. No mention or appreciation of that.
4. I’m Not Really Going To Do All I Can to Resolve This: I said I had a brochure with lower pricing that wasn’t promotional. Why didn’t you ask me if I could fax it or even discuss its existence with me? Why are my pricing numbers different from yours? Have you really done all you can? Don’t think so.
5. Brochures/Marketing vs. Internal Knowledge Base conflicts: Give your Chat Reps (and all Customer Facing Employees) copies of your latest brochures so they know what the Customer is talking about. Update your Knowledge base with Marketing/ Pricing/ etc information immediately upon release and don’t make it so complex that Customers and even Employees have no idea what the price is.
6. We Really Love Our New Customers Better: Don’t ask Customers to call back in 3 months and pretend to be New Customers. How about some Customer love NOW?
Filed under: Call Center, Contact Center, Customer Communication, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Customer Retention, Customer Service, Customer Service Skills, Knowledge base, Proactive Customer Service, Quality Assurance, Training Tagged: | Business, Call Center, Call centre, Contact Center, Customer, customer experience, Customer Loyalty, Customer Service, Online chat
Melissa – My blood pressure was rising just reading this! Just the other day I had a similar experience with Sony re: a minor issue with my laptop. My biggest frustration was the length of time I waited between my answer to their question and their response. It never dawned on me that perhaps I wasn’t the only one they were “trying” to help. Very frustrating……
Lee, Thanks so much for your chat “sympathy”!
Some centers have Agents who are “multi-tasking” between chats since the Customers are taking time typing in between responses and the thought is “why waste time or hire more reps”. Some Agents are great at this. Others can’t juggle Customers well. Sometimes it is also the Center management which is giving too many “chat sessions” to each Agent at the same time.
Poor Phone Agent skills = Bad Customer Experience Poor Chat Agent skills = Bad Customer Experience along with the ability to print out the chat session and blog the dialog
> From: “comment-reply@wordpress.com” > Reply-To: