Customer Service – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly!

We have all experienced it at one time or another great customer service that left us very happy customers, bad customer service that left us feeling unhappy but possibly tolerant, and really ugly customer service that made us feel like we would never purchase anything from that company again, EVER!

So, what makes good customer service?

The customer calls with a question about their product and they receive: 

• A pleasant voice who answers right away and is a knowledgeable person who can help you.  Or,
• A simple menu that is easy to use and gets you to the correct department or person that can help you.
  
• Your problem is solved, no muss, no fuss and the call is completed. And you will definitely buy from this company again and give them a great review. Best of all, the product arrives in a timely manner and is exactly as was offered.  You love it! 
  

Bad customer service, or maybe just a bit “less than.”

• You place the call and are put on hold with obnoxious sounding music that would make many people hang up right there.  Or, you go through a menu that directs you to a person or department and are immediately put on hold. 
  
• After holding forever, the person that answers the call is having a bad hair day and doesn’t seem very happy to hear from you. Their tone is very stern and unfriendly. Now you’re feeling defensive.
  
• You go through a long litany explaining your problem, and they now tell you they’re transferring to another department. Ugh!
• You are transferred, and guess what? Another long wait and music that makes you want to pull your hair out! So irritating.  Don't get me wrong - I love music, but some of the on-hold music is designed to make you hang up - I'm sure of it!
  
• The next person answers the call and you go through the long litany again explaining your problem. And, they want you to try all of these different things to test your product. Oh, good! This person knows what they are talking about and will be able to help me. But, they aren’t really listening and disconnect you! Feeling frustrated yet?
• You call back, and go through all of the previous steps, but finally get to someone who can help you.
• Your problem is solved at last, but you aren’t coming away with a happy feeling, and you're hoping you won’t ever have this problem in the future. You may or may not be motivated to give this company a review, but it won’t be 5 stars.
  

The Ugly!

• You call the company, and when you’re connected, you discover that this company offers multi-languages by pressing a list of numbers. Well, isn’t that great! You will be speaking to someone who understands you.
• Then, after choosing your language, you are directed to another menu where you hear a long list of departments. You write down a few as you’re not quite sure which one is for you. You choose a selection and that takes you to a department where you are immediately put on hold with music you can’t stand for a very long time. O.K. Now, you’re beginning to feel irritated.
• Finally, someone answers and they don’t understand the problem you are experiencing. You try to explain your problem, but when they begin talking, you realize they haven’t been listening, and they are reading from a script. (Step 1, turn off all power, step 2, step 3, etc.).  After some back and forth and frustration on both sides, you ask if you could speak to that person’s manager.
• Now, they are offended and begin to give you a magnitude of push-back. The conversation goes in circles, but finally, you are going to be transferred to the manager.
• During the transfer, you are disconnected! Did they do that on purpose?
• You call back and go through all of the steps again, but this time, you get a new person – not a manager, and repeat the explanation regarding your problem once again.
• This person asks you to try different things, which you do because you think that maybe your problem will be fixed. NOT!
• After spending a long time on the phone and going through all of the steps, this customer service person tells you that they are transferring you to a different department.
• Of course, we are back to waiting on hold with the terrible music again! Waiting…..
• The new customer service person answers, and you are hopeful, so you go through your explanation again.
• Once again, they want you to go through a long list of tests. You tell them that you have already done this with a previous person or two, and that none of it worked, but they insist you have to do this. You have already spent a lot of time on this call and it’s not getting better.
• Finally, they are wearing you down, you relent and begin all of the suggested steps again only to find out that none of this works – AGAIN!
• They tell you that your problem must be escalated once again and want to transfer you again. You caution them to take your phone number, as you are worried they might disconnect you again. No worries, they say….
• This circus repeats itself a few times when finally, you have lost your patience completely and your voice begins to rise.  You're turning into the customer from hell and it's not going to be pretty!
  
• The last customer service person you speak to concludes that “you” must have done something to break the product and it’s your fault! B.S. you say, and tell them you want to return the product only to learn that this product is not returnable! Blah, blah, blah! You hang up really angry and your product still doesn't work.

To say the least, you are not a happy customer and will leave them a bad review. And, chances are very high that you will never purchase product from this company again, EVER! And… you will be sure to tell everyone you know how terrible this company is and that their product is worthless! I know there are even worse horror stories to be told, but I think you get the picture.

Whether you are the customer or the customer service person, good intensions by both are important. When a customer feels like you are genuinely trying to help them and not trying to make them feel stupid or blaming them, the instance will go much better. It is stressful at times dealing with problems all day long, but the customer service person can be instrumental in making it a good or bad experience most of the time. There is that occasional customer who will never be happy, and are often times referred to as the "customer from hell!"  Maybe they have a good reason to be that way, and maybe they don't, so as the customer service person, you can only do your best and be sure you have a full supply of antacid pills and aspirin  available.

To customers - In reality, the majority of customer service representatives are really trying to help you.  They deal with problems all day long and still try to smile and help each person with good solutions.  So, don't forget to thank your customer service person and if you are sent a survey, leave them high marks.  If writing a review, be fair and give them a good one.

To customer service representatives - maybe we can help - ask us for information about working in a stress-free workplace with Plantronics Soundscaping.  It may really help all that stress you experience on a daily basis by making your environment more soothing and relaxing.  Many times, you are the company's first point of contact, so a bit of patience goes a long way. 

At Lexair, we pride ourselves in offering our customers great customer service.  If the person answering the call doesn’t have the solution, the customer is immediately transferred to a person who does - one transfer and no distasteful music or wait times.

Our certified headset specialists are well trained in product knowledge and will help you with any questions you may have. Rest assured we are not only there at the beginning of the sale, but we are there for our customers after the sale as well, so they keep coming back.

If you work in customer service or a call center, check out our professional corded headsets by headset family group from our Plantronics Resource Page. Any pricing shown on these group pages is MSRP. To see our actual pricing, click into the product item.

For both customers and customer service representatives, here's a little tip:  As my Grandma used to say, “You’ll get a lot more with honey than vinegar.”