Learn the Secrets of Dealing with Call Centers

Customer service centers are everywhere, ubiquitous for the Western world when speaking of professional processing of customer request and complaints. There’s no wonder why as there are very few things that feel better than having someone dedicated to making sure you are satisfied. It’s almost like having your own personal servant, if only for a few minutes.

However, that’s merely an illusion isn’t it? Because we all know that that dream is not consistently realized when calling a call center. Instead, you often end up speaking to a young whippersnapper, freshly weaned from their mother’s chest, working at a job they’d promptly leave without a second’s hesitation if something better came along. It’s perfectly understandable. Anyone who has ever worked at or managed a call center will tell you that turnaround is the name of the game. Call centers are always (at least the better run ones) training new people to create a buffer that compensates for the flow of employees on their way out to bigger and better things. It’s the only way to keep the illusion going.

The Problem

Because a call center is often in a state of flux where part of the staff knows what they are talking about and the other is in the process of getting up to speed, it is not uncommon for information to be provided to customers and clients which is off, or sometimes wholly wrong. There is a learning curve and no one is expected to be perfect so the notion is acceptable.

At least for the employers and employees it is. The rest of us want the right information right away without margin of error. Not much of an issue if you’re calling about your dissatisfaction with Trident gum, more so if you’re attempting to book a red eye flight to Okinawa leaving in three hours.

Call center managers know that there is a balance to be struck between their agents’ understanding of a product and/or service and the happiness of their clients. It is standard practice to keep the caller in the dark about what exactly is happening at the other end of the line, a realization that most people come to only when faced with a problem with the call center itself. Then they find out first hand how difficult it can be to get anything resolved. Most of us have more than enough of such exasperating experiences.

The Fix

So what to do? How do you make sure that when you are calling a customer service center that you are getting the whole truth and nothing but? How do you make sue you’re getting the best deal? Or if something that’s ‘final’ really is? Well there are a number of tips and tricks you’ll probably want to memorize or bookmark that will go a long way in aiding you and we’ll take a look at a few now.

Agent Sifting

Typically when someone calls a call center they feel that whoever the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) dumps them on is the person they are stuck talking to, regardless of their level of skills or amount of knowledge. Not true at all. There is an entire room full of people you can talk to, some better and some worse. Your first task is to find the right agent for your needs through agent sifting, which is bouncing from agent to agent until you find one you like. Here are a few common methods:

1. If the wait time isn’t long simply hang up the phone and call in again (preferably before you’ve given away your account information). When you call back you should get a new representative.
2. If you’ve already spoken to a great agent in the past ask for them by name (some representatives absolutely love that, by the way).
3. If the wait time is significant, try asking them to transfer you to another department and then have that new agent switch you back. Often you’ll be ahead in the queue because it’s an agent call transfer that has priority over a regular caller.

Signs of an Excellent Representative

You can usually tell within the first minute if the agent you are talking to is good or not. What you are essentially looking for is the believer agent, one who likes nothing better to do their job well, in light-hearted happiness and with infectious enthusiasm. This is in contrast with the prisoner agent who would sever a limb to see the clock strike 5:00pm, and the dreaded spectre who has developed a deep-seeded grudge against their employer taking it out on you. Luckily there are telltale signs that you are indeed speaking to one of the rare and exceptional few. You want to talk to an agent who:

1. Greets you with enthusiasm.
2. States their name clearly.
3. Gets straight to the point of helping you.
4. Suggests alternate ways of attaining your goal.
5. Laughs easily (even it’s a fake laugh).
6. Doesn’t complain but looks for the silver lining.
7. Confesses to inadequacies in their system and finds ways to circumvent problems.
8. Answers questions quickly and easily.
9. Relates past experiences to your particular situation.

You do not want an agent:

1. Who yawns on the phone.
2. Keeps you on hold for more than 2 minutes without checking up on you (or worse, doesn’t put you on hold when looking up or confirming information).
3. Sounds as if they are reciting their lines.
4. Doesn’t wait for you to finish speaking.
5. States that they are new as an excuse for mistakes or inconveniences.
6. Doesn’t give you their name when asked.

Call Service Representative (CSR) Identification

Regardless of whether or not you fall on a good or bad representative, be sure to always write their names down as well as the time you called and the topic of conversation. We all have computers and phones so there is no reason not to do so. You can even record the call if you wish – though admittedly that would be overkill in most cases (not a bad idea for important calls).

This has the potential for two effects. First, when you ask an agent their name they will instantly be on their best behaviour, especially if you make it a point to have them spell it. Second, if you are engaged with a customer service agent and you bring up their colleague’s name, what you talked about and when, they will also bump up their game a few rungs. A caller who asks for a name is a caller who isn’t playing games and will report any problems if they occur.

Note: Previously asking for an agent’s last name was a great way to hold them accountable for the information they dispense. However there have been horror stories of agents being targeted by disgruntled customers/clients. Exceptions include even the murder of representatives. If you’re concerned that the agent’s name is too common ask for the first letter of their last name for your records.

Getting the Best Results

There are a few easy to remember points to keep in mind if you want to make sure you are obtaining the information you need and not just what you ask for. These are common and sometimes obvious points that are surprisingly not used by the majority of callers.

1. Ask if there is anything else you should know that you didn’t cover in your questions.
2. Call back 15-20 minutes later and ask the same questions to a new agent. If they have a record of your last call just tell them you weren’t sure about the details.
3. If you’re getting a ‘no’ for a question you are looking for a ‘yes’ to ask point blank: “So their is absolutely 100% no way at all that this can be done, not even for a supervisor, [insert name of agent]?” Occasionally the agent will then triple check their answer and come back with a different response.

Dealing with Large Companies

Large call centers often offer certain perks or powers to their agents which comes in very handy when they deal with stubborn clients. Agents will sometimes have something akin to a discretionary fund where they can reimburse or credit a certain amount for whatever reason they choose. Sometimes they also can perform tasks that can only be performed once or twice per account.

Certain industries lend themselves to such practices, namely: financial institutions, government run departments/divisions, and large telecom providers. (Although it can be difficult to find out if such items exist for exploitation, unless you know someone who actually works there. Asking point blank can work but that is completely dependant on the agent.)

For corporations with major competitors you can bet that there is some leeway to be leveraged. Example: if you’ve ever called to cancel your phone plan over the last couple of years you know that they will offer anything from lower rates to free phones given the right conditions. Often even the suggestion of switching plans can generate the same favourable feedback.

Conclusion

The main thing to remember is that these customer service centers are run and staffed by regular people attempting to make a living helping their customers and clients (or at least appearing to be). While they exist within a corporate structure founded on rules, protocols and regulation they are not set in stone and the people who maintain them are not so rigid and inflexible as the rules themselves. Push the limit as hard as you can, don’t take no for an answer, and remember that these are people just like you.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series which will talk about how to deal with supervisors, accessing information call centers have on you, and more ways to influence call center representatives to your way of thinking.

Do you have an interesting or amusing customer service story? Share it in the comments below!