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Is there much difference between callers in different industry sectors? Like are users calling about their Internet service better/worse than callers about phone service, appliance repair, etc?

Asked by dan79 over 9 years ago

It really depends on the part of the country and the issue. I will say that callers about cell phone issues and internet issues are usually the worst. Because of how technology based our society has become, most people place too much reliance on those two services so if one goes out, they feel like they are cut off from the rest of the world.

I would say if i had to pick one though, cell phone users are typically the worst. I remember one customer I spoke with who was crying when she called in and it took me ten minutes to figure out what the issue really was because I couldn't understand her. Her service wasn't working and it was the end of the world because she had been excluded from some party that she "NEEDED" to be at. The reality of the problem? She had accidentally turned airplane mode on and that's why she wasn't getting any calls or able to make any.

752 Votes

Why are most "you are on hold" and automated-phone-tree recorded voices female?

Asked by Sharif over 9 years ago

I can't say for sure but my assumption is that for most people, a female voice is more appealing and relaxing. So with that being the case, holding for 20 minutes is better with a female voice telling you that your call is important then a male from a psycology stand point.

The average major company only talks to around 10% of its customers. (This was from a study in 2010 or 2011) Meaning the ones who are having the problems are the ones calling in; (except in the sales capacity) so they want you to be calm when u get to the agent.

Great question though!

794 Votes

My friends and I debate which of our cable companies have the absolute worst customer service reps (my vote: Comcast by a country mile). Inside the industry, is there one company that's considered to be the worst as far as CS rep quality?

Asked by die.comcast over 9 years ago

Honestly, the cable industry as a whole has an abysmal record. The company I worked for did very well in my region (the Midwest) but nationally they are ranked pretty bad too( it wasn't Comcast). There are several factors that I could go on and on about that cause this but it comes down to one thing- no one can win when it comes to cable TV except the networks themselves. My experience in the cable industry has taught me that. I could go into more detail then anyone who hasn't worked in the industry would probably understand but the cable sector is broken as a whole. Its not just one companies' fault.

719 Votes

Do you think phone reps in outsourced call centers are worse, the same, or better than US-based reps? It's annoying when you get the guy with a thick Indian accent named "Peter", but do you think they're equally competent or even moreso?

Asked by Indy1 over 9 years ago

This is a difficult question. Some reps from other countries, yes, they are horrible. But that is equally so for US reps. In certain countries in that part of the world, people have to be more educated (i'm talking a bachelors degree or more) to work in a call center and the pay is less then what it is here in the US, hence the draw for companies looking to save money. I will say that, in my experience, the reps I have talked to in the Philippines are a little harder to deal with then reps from India.

We have all had an experience with "Peter" and the best thing I can say is to work through it the best you can because it's a struggle for him too. Don't forget that. Most companies though, if you ask nicely (key word there is NICELY) for a rep that speaks English better, they will try to accommodate. Give it an honest effort though. You'd be surprised the good experience you can have. Those reps are generally under more pressure to give the customer a better experience so when you give them a chance, they can surprise you!

The other thing we (as consumers) have to remember is, outsourcing is, for lack of a better term, our fault. We have demanded lower prices and companies had to find ways to give us what we wanted. We have brought this on ourselves. This is a prime example of getting what you pay for.

Now some companies who have outsourced have taken it too far, we can all agree on that. But having been on the other side of the coin, working with them (i have gone over to both India and the Philippines and trained some of these reps before) they do make a big effort to try and help us as its their job just as much as it is mine. But it's still our duty, as the consumer, to show them respect and let them do their job.

I will honestly say in closing i have seen and dealt with reps working from other countries that aren't qualified to wipe tables at McDonald's. I have also experienced that in the US as well. The worst reps I have dealt with both professionally and from being the customer were all US based. They (reps in other countries) already know we are frustrated that the job they are doing used to be here and that they aren't as good at English as we are. They are human though. Just like you and I. They deserve the trust of letting them attempt to do their job before we get frustrated and ask for "someone who speaks american".

I'm a big believer in professional karma. You get what you give. You give them respect and patience, even when they are difficult to understand and they will be more willing to bend rules if they can or go the extra mile. The more rude you are to them, the less leeway you will get from the rep if they even can budge. Sometimes rules are rules no matter what. But the better you treat the rep, the higher the chances are that they will bend over backwards to help you even if its not exactly in the scope of support they can offer.

Remember, treat that rep how you would want to be treated in their position.

724 Votes

Do companies really record every phone conversation like their recordings say? And can they easily pull any recording they want, if there's a dispute or something?

Asked by Anna1234 over 9 years ago

As i haven't worked for EVERY company, i can't say definitively that they do, but it is most definitely an industry standard. Those calls can be used in court. Just like the notes in a customers account.

As far as pulling a call, it is very common. From customer disputes to quality scoring and even call collaborations. We very regularly go into meetings and the supervisor will pull a random call and everyone discusses it. These are all in an effort to make sure when you call in, you get the most quality service you can.

Is every agent perfect? of course not. No agent is. But they are used for accountability and development to make sure you (the customer) are taken care of to the best possible standard

723 Votes

When a caller asks to speak to a supervisor, are you insulted because they're implying you can't solve their issue, or just relived to get rid of an annoying customer?

Asked by funwithboys over 9 years ago

I have never felt insulted when a customer asks to speak with a supervisor. Have i ever felt relieved? frequently. Most supervisors in the call center industry have been in that position for years. It's not uncommon for someone to be hired into a company as a supervisor.

I worked for a cell company where my sup was hired in. He would regularly be taking an escalation from me and ask ME what the policy was. The agents you talk to when you call in, they do it daily. They know most of the policies backwards, forwards, and sideways. The supervisors job is to focus more on the development of the agent when it comes to call quality and time management. Also helping with professional development as well. Policy slips out of their mind, even if they started with the company as an agent.

So to circle back around, when someone asks to speak with a supervisor? i have already told them what the sup will tell them so all i feel is irritation that I have to take time dealing with getting the customer to my supervisor despite having answered their issue or resolved it to the best possible method i can based on company policy. 95% of the time a person escalates to a supervisor ( IN MY EXPERIENCE) they wasted their time.

Angry callers who are just being stupid, i'll gladly hand them over to a supervisor when they ask for it. I want to talk to someone reasonable. Not some jerk who is mad his bill went up 3 dollars because of taxes. Something we have 0 control over. (funny note, in my experience, people get more mad over tax increases then actual price increases, go figure!)

Now every ONCE in a great while, a supervisor is the only person that can resolve the issue (your situation requires a refund higher then i can give or something likr yhsy) then i gladly give it to the sup because that's the best course of action to get your issue resolved which is what I'm paid to do.

The difficult escalations for me (from both the supervisor and agent standpoint) is when the issue is an agent directly. He was rude, she was chewing gum (or some other type of food) on the call. Those mean extra work. Listening to the call, talking to the agent. Listening to the call again with the next person up the food chain (the supervisors manager or whoever the sup reports to) and then deciding the course of action if its determined there is a credible issue. It's time consuming. But i feel, having been on both sides of the issue, i would rather have an escalation regarding the conduct of the agent then a policy, because I can do something about an agent issue. Policy issues on the other hand, all i can do is listen to the venting of the customer and tell them I can't change the policy. I feel like it wastes the persons time some times and I don't like wasting someones time. That's why I use the line "I understand your issue but my supervisor would give you the same answer i am", its honest.

713 Votes

Do you have a go-to script or strategy for getting an angry caller to calm down?

Asked by bigbadwolf over 9 years ago

I use a few different strategies when dealing with angry callers. I actually enjoy them. I like making people have a better day so if I can diffuse an angry person and make them like me, I see that as a win.

Customer service 101 you learn to look at it from the customers perspective. That's why I liked doing retention work for the cable company because that's all i did. So i always try to see it from their point of view. Using that tool resolves a majority of issues.

Unreasonable individuals are a whole other animal and are unfortunately the more common angry customer. I have to remind myself that not everyone is going to leave my phone happy because of something out of my control or their lack of acceptance to the situation. First, i always try to use reason. That works about 10% of the time on a good day. Since it's rarely effective i will double back to trying to see it from their POV. As this is difficult, at this point, i usually have to put my foot down and take control. Once I have assessed the actual issue and confirmed this from the customer, I resolve it, or if its not something that i can resolved (technical difficulties, IT is working on it, something like that) I have to do my best to tell them to get over it and be patient.

The most effective call center agents can tell you to shut up, get over it, and pay your bill anyways, and they will make you feel like it was the best experience you have ever had. because we don't have body language to use as a tool of communication, our tone is 80% of what we do. What we say is the other 20%. You will find most people that have an extensive call center based resume can usually do this without thinking. That's what makes us good at what we do. We have to be able to relate and mirror all different types of culture and mannerisms so we learn how to deal with almost any type of person.

But when all else fails and a customer is still being angry and unreasonable, i have to very simply and professionally shut them down. "other then the issue that you called in about which i have explained, is there ANYTHING ELSE i can help you with." I hate hate hate having a call get to that point. But when it is, I'm done, the customer is done, and we need to both be adults and part ways.

615 Votes

Call Center Employee (Retail)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Is there much difference between callers in different industry sectors? Like are users calling about their Internet service better/worse than callers about phone service, appliance repair, etc?

Why are most "you are on hold" and automated-phone-tree recorded voices female?

My friends and I debate which of our cable companies have the absolute worst customer service reps (my vote: Comcast by a country mile). Inside the industry, is there one company that's considered to be the worst as far as CS rep quality?

Do you think phone reps in outsourced call centers are worse, the same, or better than US-based reps? It's annoying when you get the guy with a thick Indian accent named "Peter", but do you think they're equally competent or even moreso?

Also on Jobstr...

Do companies really record every phone conversation like their recordings say? And can they easily pull any recording they want, if there's a dispute or something?

When a caller asks to speak to a supervisor, are you insulted because they're implying you can't solve their issue, or just relived to get rid of an annoying customer?

Do you have a go-to script or strategy for getting an angry caller to calm down?

Call Center Employee (Retail)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Is there much difference between callers in different industry sectors? Like are users calling about their Internet service better/worse than callers about phone service, appliance repair, etc?

Why are most "you are on hold" and automated-phone-tree recorded voices female?

My friends and I debate which of our cable companies have the absolute worst customer service reps (my vote: Comcast by a country mile). Inside the industry, is there one company that's considered to be the worst as far as CS rep quality?

Do you think phone reps in outsourced call centers are worse, the same, or better than US-based reps? It's annoying when you get the guy with a thick Indian accent named "Peter", but do you think they're equally competent or even moreso?

Also on Jobstr...

Do companies really record every phone conversation like their recordings say? And can they easily pull any recording they want, if there's a dispute or something?

When a caller asks to speak to a supervisor, are you insulted because they're implying you can't solve their issue, or just relived to get rid of an annoying customer?

Do you have a go-to script or strategy for getting an angry caller to calm down?

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