I've enjoyed reading Sarah Hatter's (from 37signals) blog post about phone support. I can't say anything else that I totally agree about it, and I'd like to share my own experience.
Recently, I bought a ticket for my mom to come to visit us in New York. She finally couldn't do it for the dates we had picked so I had to cancel the airline ticket that I had already paid in Orbitz. I did this through their website, I saw how much of penalties it'd be, and it wasn't too much, so I accepted without too many other alternatives. Basically, from the total cost of the ticket, I'd have to take a small penalty fee for Orbitz and big one for the airline. The rest wouldn't be reimbursed but could be used as credit for another reservation, for the same passenger, of course. None of those tickets are transferrable, which yes, it's OK, it was just a delay of dates on the trip. Now, she is able to come again in a couple of months, so I tried to find a way to use that remaining credit to make a new reservation. I couldn't. After spending a lot of minutes (I should be an idiot, I guess) trying to find their phone number on the website, I called. A nice lady with a very weird accent for me answered, I tried to explain the issue and she was very gentle and told me that I had to do the reservation by phone. I asked if there wasn't any way that I could do the reservation online myself. She said no. I asked how come. She said that in order for me to use that credit I had to do it by phone. She started asking me the preferred days for traveling, whether at morning or at night, etc. All of this was OK, but it was very, very difficult for me to understand what she was saying sometimes, and most of the times I was embarrased to ask her to say things again and again. It was very, very difficult and frustrating to do this over phone for me. I apologized, thanked her and hung up. I couldn't do it.
This could have been easily solved over an online interface or over email (they already have my freaking credit card numbers!). I've been mostly happy with Orbitz and after all they are not guilty on having me as their customer, one that cannot speak to nice ladies with very weird accents, but it'd be easier for everybody to not leave phone support as the last resource for solving an issue. I still have to call and claim my unused credit. I've been avoiding it, both because I still want to find the energy and patience and because I'm waiting for next payroll :)
Paralelly, having spent a couple of weeks with the family in Mexico City I remembered how annoying phone calls to people's houses from companies are. All of us at my family place are economically actives. Because of this, a lot of companies, credit card companies, banks, inssurance companies, etc, annoy at any time offering their products. I almost had forgotten it since my phone activity is not too active here. Those fucking companies (or the representatives rather) call, introduce themselves and start talking saying that you've won an special thing, bonus, award for your records' activities, whatever. This is so impersonal, so cold, so bitter, tacky and so stupidly impolite and annoying that I've reached the point on saying nothing at all but hanging up immediately. Some other times I interrupt saying I was busy, how they dare calling with all their bullcrap without asking me a single question on whether I can or want to receive the call. This is incredibly annoying and find it very unpleasent and impolite. What, as customer, I have to do? Avoid connections with those companies, they don't deserve my attention, they had lost it. I should only maintain a private cell phone for family and friends and try to not give that number to any kind of company.
Die phone support, die!
Recently, I bought a ticket for my mom to come to visit us in New York. She finally couldn't do it for the dates we had picked so I had to cancel the airline ticket that I had already paid in Orbitz. I did this through their website, I saw how much of penalties it'd be, and it wasn't too much, so I accepted without too many other alternatives. Basically, from the total cost of the ticket, I'd have to take a small penalty fee for Orbitz and big one for the airline. The rest wouldn't be reimbursed but could be used as credit for another reservation, for the same passenger, of course. None of those tickets are transferrable, which yes, it's OK, it was just a delay of dates on the trip. Now, she is able to come again in a couple of months, so I tried to find a way to use that remaining credit to make a new reservation. I couldn't. After spending a lot of minutes (I should be an idiot, I guess) trying to find their phone number on the website, I called. A nice lady with a very weird accent for me answered, I tried to explain the issue and she was very gentle and told me that I had to do the reservation by phone. I asked if there wasn't any way that I could do the reservation online myself. She said no. I asked how come. She said that in order for me to use that credit I had to do it by phone. She started asking me the preferred days for traveling, whether at morning or at night, etc. All of this was OK, but it was very, very difficult for me to understand what she was saying sometimes, and most of the times I was embarrased to ask her to say things again and again. It was very, very difficult and frustrating to do this over phone for me. I apologized, thanked her and hung up. I couldn't do it.
This could have been easily solved over an online interface or over email (they already have my freaking credit card numbers!). I've been mostly happy with Orbitz and after all they are not guilty on having me as their customer, one that cannot speak to nice ladies with very weird accents, but it'd be easier for everybody to not leave phone support as the last resource for solving an issue. I still have to call and claim my unused credit. I've been avoiding it, both because I still want to find the energy and patience and because I'm waiting for next payroll :)
Paralelly, having spent a couple of weeks with the family in Mexico City I remembered how annoying phone calls to people's houses from companies are. All of us at my family place are economically actives. Because of this, a lot of companies, credit card companies, banks, inssurance companies, etc, annoy at any time offering their products. I almost had forgotten it since my phone activity is not too active here. Those fucking companies (or the representatives rather) call, introduce themselves and start talking saying that you've won an special thing, bonus, award for your records' activities, whatever. This is so impersonal, so cold, so bitter, tacky and so stupidly impolite and annoying that I've reached the point on saying nothing at all but hanging up immediately. Some other times I interrupt saying I was busy, how they dare calling with all their bullcrap without asking me a single question on whether I can or want to receive the call. This is incredibly annoying and find it very unpleasent and impolite. What, as customer, I have to do? Avoid connections with those companies, they don't deserve my attention, they had lost it. I should only maintain a private cell phone for family and friends and try to not give that number to any kind of company.
Die phone support, die!
