When technology fails customer service| IPscape

In a world where great customer service is a key objective for most companies, it’s a shame that sometimes the people answering the calls are let down by the technology they are using.

It’s a sad reality that I recently experienced first-hand in a telephone conversation with a service provider. I was originally asked to verify my account information by an automated IVR. After being verified, I was connected to a customer service representative. However, they also could not proceed without asking me the same questions. About 3 minutes into the conversation, I was told that I was not speaking to correct department to handle my query and was transferred to the appropriate department. The next customer service person – again very friendly and helpful – again had to ask for my details as the information was not passed on.

Of course, I have worked in this industry for a long time and I knew that the person I was speaking to was not responsible for the faulty process which required me to repeat the same information three times. I patiently gave my details, again, and within no time at all my call was resolved.

This situation could be very frustrating for a customer that has no idea what’s happening behind the scenes and cannot understand why they have to give the same information repeatedly during the course of a single call.

This is the age of technology, and with so many options available, I do feel really sorry for the contact centre agents who are let down by a decision maker who doesn’t understand that customer service is all about the customer experience.

There is a better way, for those who are willing to adopt.