Working for or telephoning a customer service helpline is a thankless task. Last week my mobile phone plan ended, and with it the discounts I had enjoyed over that time. I needed to call my provider to determine if I should remain loyal or take my business elsewhere.
The call surprised me, not by the relatively short time spent on hold but by the process I encountered once I spoke to a customer service rep.
I called the number provided and explained that I had been receiving a discounted price with additional benefits for the duration of my phone plan. Now that I was free to sign with any mobile provider it made sense that those discounts continued, if they wanted me to remain a loyal customer.
Then I was questioned for some time. Tackling the problem head on, or so I thought. Was I happy with my existing service? How much data did I need? Do I make overseas calls? These questions and more helped build the picture of the phone plan I would like.
With my needs determined and time ebbing away, I was told that the customer service rep team didn’t help existing customers. The team I needed to speak with had just finished for the day while I had been on the phone. I’m no expert, but it might have been easier connecting me with the right team from the beginning.
Taking an annoyed breath, I asked what to do next and was offered a call-back. Although my time had been wasted, at least the system worked and I wouldn’t be back on hold!
I requested the (correct) team call me the next day in the morning. But then it got weird, the customer service rep explained there was a chance an error may occur, and the team wouldn’t call me back. If that happened, I should get in touch to start the process again.
I asked what errors could occur and was told the team occasionally forget to follow up on requests. Human error? My confidence in getting a call-back was similar to a lizard sunbathing that finds itself eyeball-to-eyeball with a cat. I think there’s a pretty obvious flaw in their call-back process.
Sure enough, the next day came and went without receiving a call. After two days of researching other mobile provider plans and reflecting on whether I should stay loyal to a provider that couldn’t remember to call me back, I mustered the courage to call again, asking immediately to be put through to the team handling existing customers. With a sense of déjà vu repeating questions and answers, I was able to get the resolution I wanted… retaining my existing mobile plan.
So what have I learnt? Customer service centres really do live by their own rules. And call-backs aren’t always a thing. If you’re lucky enough to get one, treasure it.
