The final mile

ugh, the famous "nobody home"... I've experienced it myself too, and it's just rude. In my case, they never even bothered ringing my bell, presumably because I lived on the 4th floor; they just immediately rang the bell of the lowest floor appartment, delivered the parcel there, and then logged a "nobody home".

I should put a bit more effort into delivering my images to potential viewers; it's been 2 months since I updated my blog :redface:
 
Everyone ought to read this blog from Bill -- three cheers for the final mile.

Failure to do so ought to result in having the stripes ripped off your uniform, being mustered out of the Corps, and witnessing your monopod broken over the Captain's knee.

This reminds me sooo much of an adventure I had a couple of years ago.

I was ghost-writing a book on customer service for a friend who is a corporate consultant, so I was learning quite a bit from him about the subject.

At the same time, I switched phone companies. Presently, I get a letter from my previous phone company informing me that within a month they will be sending a check for a deposit I gave them back when God was a boy. I set the letter aside.

Two months later, I am sorting out my desk and rediscover the letter, and it reminds me that I have not received the check.

I call, and after going through the horrors of the damned finding my way through their labyrinthine phone-tree system (they no longer recognized my number because I was no longer a customer . . . get it?), I finally speak to a live human.

“My name is Tiffany, and my goal is for you to have an excellent customer service experience.”

My first reaction: Oh, no, someone who just came from the training . . .

Me: “Well, Tiffany, I got a letter two months ago saying your company would be sending a refund within a month, and I haven’t received it.”

Tiffany: Do I have permission to access your account?

Me: YES!

Tiffany: Well, let me see. You have been notified that you are due a refund, and it hasn’t been sent out yet. Is there anything else I can help you with?

Me: Tiffany, you just told me what I told you. Do you see a problem with that?

Tiffany: Well, Mr. Elliott, that’s all the information I have.

Me: Could you tell who could inform me WHY I haven’t received my refund?

Tiffany: Accounting.

Me: Could I have their number, please?

Tiffany: I’m not allowed to give that out.

Me: Tiffany?

Tiffany: Yes, Mr. Elliott?

Me: I don’t think I am having an excellent customer service experience.

Cheers, Jock
 
The "helpful hundreds", who can never seem to help, or find anyone who can, sit in their very small cubicals, with head carefully "scrunched down", sneaking a quick snack and being very careful to get the angry customer off the phone within the mandatory 30 seconds, anxiously hoping for the bell (the going home one!).

And, it took me longer to type this silly sally, than all the above.

I'll call you, never happens.
Your call is never remembered or recorded.
Mistakes are always the computer's.
Just a sec, is not on any clock that I've ever seen.
The nurse's minute, is a "medical" minute ( can be from 5 minutes to several hours).
Appointments are only for me, not the other party.

These and other things have driven me farther into Hermitage.
And no, this "venting" did not make me all better, but it gave me a brief distraction. :D.
 
Me: Tiffany?

Tiffany: Yes, Mr. Elliott?

Me: I don’t think I am having an excellent customer service experience.
:laugh1:

I must say that I worked as a callcenter employee for the customer service of a health insurance company last year, and it wasn't always fun, but I did try everything I could to help the customer. Sometimes I just couldn't (due to the law, the contract rules, or the company's internal processes), and it was frustrating. To the company's credit, even though I never came close to reaching my targets in terms of average conversation time (6 minutes), they asked me to stay for longer because they thought I'd been doing a good job. I know that not all of my colleagues were the same in terms of trying to be helpful, although the majority were. On the same floor, there was a team handling job applications for the national postal service... man those people were rude to the applicants!:eek: It really matters what kinda attitude the management strives for. If a company cares about good customer service, it's really not that hard.
 
Back
Top