Calling Support

I posted the below at Ars Technica. It should be an adminfoo article

First I wanted to note that U-99 and Meekro should be appointed the Stars Of This Thread. Excellent posts, and thanks guys!

Second, I wanted to comment on an elephant that's in the room but so far uncommented-on: lots of customers abuse the CSRs they talk to. The lie to them, rant at them. They look for every angle they can use to trick or bully the provider into forking over more than the other guy gets. I guess that's part of life, but next time you're on the phone with a CSR, its seriously worth asking yourself the question "If everyone got what I am asking for, would this company be able to stay in business?"

For the purpose of further discussion, I will name the above question 'the Reality Test'.

Third I will share a few tips that have helped me a) usually get good service and b) usually correct a service incident gone awry. Here they are:

1) Before making the call, decide on the outcome you want. It should pass the Reality Test.

2) As U-99 notes, be polite throughout. You can still be implacable - polite doesn't mean doormat after all. Stay engaged throughout, keep your ears and mind open to their POV. (Rant mode = ears closed.) But continue towards the outcome you're after. Whenever you can, go for a personal connection to the rep. Example: "I'm sorry, I know it sucks to pull you into my problem, but can you see where I am coming from here?"

3) Keep good notes! Write down the time you started each call. Ask for the case number. Get the rep's name/extension/email (as appropriate). Note each transfer time, and each new rep's name. Summarize what each one of them did (or didn't do) for you. They keep notes - they have whole systems to do so - and you should too. If you expect problems and can legally (audio) record the call, do so.

4) Here I disagree with U-99: be honest with them throughout the call. Don't say you did {x} unless you actually did {x}. You may be sure {x} won't solve the issue, but it's their product, they know its quirks. How embarrassing and time-wasteful for you if {x} in combination with later {y} actually would have solved the problem! You called them because you need them to do something you cannot do yourself. So it makes sense that if they ask you to try a solution, you probably shouldn't second-guess it before trying it! One exception: if you feel their proposed course of action will make problems worse, say so (politely, of course!). Put it in your notes. But having done that, let them meet your objections and then, if they still want, do as they ask.

5) Escalate appropriately. When it becomes clear that the rep is spinning her wheels or just tryng to blow you off, ask to be escalated to a team lead/manager/next tier/whatever. Be polite but insistent. This also applies if the rep has an accent you're having trouble understanding.

Did all that and still haven't reached your desired outcome? Take a break, and re-evaluate afterwards. If you still need to seek satisfaction, by all means do so. Your notes now are extremely valuable in achieving that goal. They are not a club to bludgeon anyone with, but they do show that you were reasonable, well prepared, and willing to do what it took to fix the problem - and that speaks volumes. By now you've mapped out some significant part of their service org, and this knowledge is helpful in figuring out your next steps. Try the customer support line again? Visit company website and use one of their contact methods? Winkle out an executive's email address or phone number give her a jingle? It's up to you, but with those notes you'll have a very solid tool to establish credibility and reasonableness.

Finally it's worth noting that most large companies are - en masse - relatively heartless beasts. And the bowels of customer support are sometimes wierd places, a sort of grey limbo area where processes just sorta grow, rather than being architected and crafted as a part of overall product strategy. It's a rather common organizational disease. Instead of using this as a Cause For Grudge, you might try thinking of your efforts as a constructive effort to help them see an aspect of their business they were not in touch with, and helping them to fix it. Also note that while companies tend to heartlessness, people do not. But at least some of the people you will speak are trapped in that limbo area - your goal is to reach someone who has the ability and authority to resolve your problem. Given those two prerequisites, this person will probably not be a heartless beast - unless you've pissed him or his friends off already.

All that said, I have still had a few bad customer service experiences. But I've also been pleasantly surprised - at least two companies have gone out of their way to reward me for a) putting up with customer service problem and b) helping them fix it.