Customer service has become increasingly about cost-cutting and doing the bare minimum, as opposed to offering a good standard of service.
No longer is customer service seen as a chance to impress and look after customers, but instead to do the bare minimum at the bare minimum cost.
There are two main culprits here: outsourced customer service and live chat. Outsourcing customer service can often spell trouble when it’s delegated to workers in other countries who cannot speak the customer’s language fluently. It’s also unlikely that they’re going to be highly knowledgeable about the product or service in question, given that they’re often contractors who aren’t permanently representing the same company.
Then we have the dreaded live chat, a place where you can wait for hours in a virtual queue only to be cut off by your session timing out. Customer service is becoming increasingly impersonal, with rising dissatisfaction from customers who receive inadequate support.
How to get better customer service as a customer
First and foremost, customers should be aware of where to find companies’ customer service. It’s important to take into account all of their options regarding getting in contact.
From here, we can begin with the most effective method. It’s likely you’re in a rush, and so sending mail, emails, and social media messages may not get you a fast response. Instead, look to see if they have a phone number.
Once you begin ringing the customer service hotline (check to see it’s free before doing so), you can also join a Live Chat whilst waiting. This way, if live chat responds first but isn’t giving you adequate support, you’re still in-line to speak to a human on the phone.
If you do have a conversation on live chat, it’s worth saving the chat afterwards. Companies will often ask if you want to export the chat to your email or PDF. This can be helpful down the line if you encounter contradicting support from the firm, or are offered a deal that you want them to follow through on.
Social media
If the hotline is nonexistent, costs money, or has long queues, then you can opt for social media. It’s a lot easier to ignore an email than a public complaint. Companies do not want users publicly highlighting problems with a firm, and so will often be quick to respond and resolve.
Plus, this is often the easiest way to contact a company. Hotlines and emails are often not even mentioned on a Contact Us page (if there even is one). But we all have a Facebook account, or Twitter or Instagram, so it becomes a matter of seconds to search for them. Usually, their social media account handles will be easily found on Google or in-app, so you can waste no time in messaging them.
If you do publicly tweet a complaint, be sure to follow it up in their DMs. Some companies may rather deal with delicate matters in a private conversation, so give them the opportunity to respond to either one.
