Customer Service Call Centres - Pain or Convenience?

Question

How many times have you called a customer service line to be put on hold for half an hour, then finally get through to someone across the world who knows little about your query, nevermind speaking the language? Does anyone have any good experiences with these customer services places or are they all bad news? Should we stop using companies that have international call centres?

Answer 1

Just say "Namaste" or "Magandang Umaga" (which ever is appropriate) when you get on the phone with them and you will find they'll be very helpful.

Answer 2

Yes, we should stop using them. It is not onlu a pain for the caller, but also for the majority of people who are working there. It is nothing else than conveyer belt work, with people having to fullfill impossible SLA's (Service Level Agreements). They have e.g. 2 minutes time to deal with a customer, which alone is impossible, because they want to give support to the people, but then the team leader is sitting in their back and showing at the clock.
In many call centers that are understaffed, people are not even allowed to go to the toilet whenever they have to, but have to check if the phone lines are covered. There was a court case by a pregnant woman who wasn't allowed to go to the toilet, because she had been recently (well, the baby is pushing on the bladder, she has no choice).
In some countries people are forced to work under these apaling conditions because they are unemployed and would loose their dole...and it keeps the unemployment stats down for the governing party. The long waiting times are because those places are understaffed and some poor soul has to pick up one call after the other. If they stay on the phone longer than they are allowed to, they get stick. SLA's also say how long a phone call can stay in the cue (which is hardly ever achieved) and they also check how many people hang up whilst waiting in the queue. If this happens a few times, because someone wanted to give good service to a customer, they get stick again.
At the end of the day it is not about the service, but about the money.
A bank for example doesn't employ the call center people themselves. Instead they outsource it. This means, that the bank wants to give good customer service to their customers without paying much and without having to worry about looking after their employees, so they ask a call center company to do the job for them. The resilt is: The more calls in the shortest time can be dealt with at the first contact, the better. This can mean, that you hang up on someone, because otherwise you loose your job for being not fast enough. Customers get dissatisfied and don't bother calling, so the calls get less.
It makes sense and it is a disgusting place to work at. Companies want to have the profit from their customers, but don't want to deal with them, so they do the call center thing.

Answer 3

Customers services have been created by companies with 'customers services issues' which they are not prepared to solved.

Any companie providing good customers services do not need call centres, because they won't have any complains.

As the client's satisfaction is not their highest priority, they make communication access for the clients complicated -to discouraged them- and anonymous: so there is never in their side anybody to blame for poor services.

I avoid as much as possible call centres, this is modern life, when you pay for goods or services but only frustration is there when something doesn't go as promised and there is no willing from them to make it right.

Answer 4

International Call Centres ? yes,stop using them if you want to but, if you really want an answer to a question where else you gonna go? apart from a personal visit,then,make appointment (won`t be same day service) & majority of Banks are shut at the weekend? just to add to the woe 0800 numbers are not free on mobiles & if you are stuck in some God forsaken place & need help straightaway what you gonna do?

Answer 5

not using the call cantre is not going to solve the problem that you have in the first place

how do you no where the call centres are, do you really no tha they are on the other side of the world some call centres may not be in this country but that is probably a minority,

if your getting put on hold for half hour than don't call at the peak times

Answer 6

I hate calling those places. The people try hard enough, but they are understaffed, and unable to service their customers well. Only on my last resort will I call those places. 99% of the time I can figure out my problem myself.
I don't blame those people. It is the company they work for

Answer 7

Courtesy and politeness alongside with professionalism is what makes the essence of purchaser help. maximum lawsuits people have against the shopper provider industry is the varieties of folk who finally end up in those jobs. What bothers me is the rudeness of a few people who're in customer help who have not have been given any style of expert attitude by any ability and are somewhat chilly and impolite to people. customer assistance would be extra effective if agencies that use them would demonstrate screen people making use of for those jobs to verify if their character and attitude would slot in what the enterprise expects of their customer help paintings rigidity.

Answer 8

I have no good experiences with them whatsoever. They are useless.

I am currently considering changing my bank because when I call them I can't understand anybody. And I'm also considering changing my mobile phone provider after a 45 minute wait on hold last week!!

Answer 9

Most of my responses have been negative - language differences - time difference - computer loops - what a mess - where are the "REAL" people?!@

Answer 10

i've had good and bad experiences at the same time
maybe just ur luck?
some of them are very helpfull