Article 30 - Services

YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT TO US, BUT NOT THAT IMPORTANT...
by Jeffery Gitomer

Ever hear this? Thank you for calling (fill in the name of any big company). All of our people are busy now. Your call is important to us, please stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order it was received.

If my call is so important, how come you don’t hire more people to answer the phone?

I am often asked the question, “How is service in America?”

I travel 250 days a year.
I stay in 150 different hotels a year.
I fly more than 200 times a year.
I eat out at least 750 meals a year.

My reply is, “Service is somewhere between medium and poor. And getting worse.”

Why?
1. Corporate cutbacks.
2. Automated attendants.
3. Call routing.
3.5 Poorly trained people on the front lines.

To serve you better, please select from among the following eight options.

To serve me better? I believe the TRUTH is, “To save us money…”

If you don’t have your account number, your tracking number, your claim number, your file number, your invoice number, your credit card number, or the last four digits of your social security number, you’re dead meat. And you better have the answers to a bunch of “security questions,” that are asked of you “for your protection,” or you will not get the service you need. Sorry, that’s our policy.

As a customer, I have a list of a few things you can do in the heat of the moment:
Be friendly and polite at first.
Be firm.
Don’t swear.
Be clear and prepared.
Stick to your objective no matter what roadblock they throw at you.
The closer you get to their emotion, the better chance you have at getting your way.