Miss Assertive Although Im still surprised over escalated calls about very simple concerns, I have long understood sometime in my years of taking heightened calls, that sometimes, regardless of an agents competence and earnest efforts to de-escalate a call, a customer would still insist to speak to a Supervisor. Other than calls with verbalized or implied threats or potential for executive complaints, there are this spate of extremely difficult go-getting customers who would stop at nothing until they get what they want, be they irreasonable demands. What can you say? Our networks policies just spoil its customers rotten, even allowing them to hold its own cut throat business-saving policies hostage. Like asking for free phones or exorbitant unwarranted credits, another favorite demand of SOME really recalcitrant customers would be to speak to a manager several times past your best efforts in telling them in many different ways and at varying levels of polite, strong, empathetic statements that some things are just what they are, that A or B are the only options since C cant be done and that even a manager can not part the Red Sea for them & save them from purgatory. My customer earlier was a typical example. And I tell you, shes not even my most difficult customer yet. I have seen the worst customers yet & they give me my sense of humor & understanding that not all human beings come from Earth. Some actually come from the unfathomable darkness & depths of Pluto. My customer earlier was well-spoken, coyingly empathetic & assertive beyond words. The only reason I like her is her prodigious vocabulary. Shes also very scary at the same time inasmuch as I know from experience that these customers who speak excellent English are also excellent writers of executive complaints that could cost us our jobs. Beware of calm, articulate customers. Their threats are not empty. Some dont even say something remotely resembling a complaint. I can understand Miss Assertives insistence to talk to a manager real time as she had been calling repeatedly about her issue since January. In fact, it was her 10th call yet about the same reason. The reason why her issue had never been resolved was that shes asking for the impossible- waive $800 worth of early termination fees for lines cancelled following her movement to a non-coverage area. Truth is, the area she has moved in has the best voice & data coverage. Which explains why her repetitive requests for severance fee waiver was declined each time and even by previous managers in the higher escalation tiers. Refusing to give up on her pointless battle & consequently refusing to pay her bill, the outstanding balance on her account sent her account to collections. Now customer cant apply for a loan due to the fact that her unpaid bill for months give her credit class a bad rating. My customer then told me that she actully got with FCC who allegedly came to her side & together with a lawyer, both said that the network violated her consumer rights for damaging her sterling credit status. Not contented with my explanation as to why we cant waive the fees notwithstanding, Ms Assertive wanted to speak to a manager - real time. Of course I politely offered a call back as the managers on duty were still all engaged on their current calls, and each had a couple of pending assignments to take care of. But my customer insisted on holding even till midnight which is actually five hours away from my shift. Welcome to the quintessential part of our job whoch is every supervisors dilemma as this part puts our communicative skills - strategic, power in negotiations, knowledge in human psychology- to the test. After failing to talk her into accepting a call back three times, I came up with the following spiel on the 45th minute she still chose to hold to a manager. Maam, I can see why you would want to go on holding & I respect that. I imagine how difficult it must have been for you to trust us after the last few managers who promised you a call back did not make good of their word. Ad much as I understand why your concern is serious & urgent, no manager is still able to take your call & so Id like to plead that youd reconsider accepting an immediate callback from of them ASAP. Ill give you an interaction number that has my employee details & tracking number of the recording that captures this promise. Can I please have your best call back time & number? The customer still insisted she would hold. After three minutes, I devised a strategic, elaborate spiel, thanks to my colleague Ms Perfection who helped me with an idea. I told my customer this, Earlier on the call, and a few times all throughout, I explained why your request just couldnt be granted. Inasmuch as we all go by the same stipulation of the terms & conditions in your service agreement, any executive, at any point of the escalations above mine will still reinforce the same idea. I however, had already explained to the head of the managerial team why you still would want to hold on to your request. In fact I relayed to them the details of your complaint and so the head told me that in an executive consortium, theyd deliberate for alternative solutions around your case & then one of them will call you back ASAP once theyd reach a consensus. Confident that I could finally get the customer to agree to a callback, she made this rebuttal: I would like to get involved in that deliberation and so Id still hold. Now feeling desperate, I resorted to a psychological tactic - guilt-ridding her into agreeing to a callback since what I was about to tell her was true anyway. So in a very kind & understanding tone of voice, I told her, It is alright Maam. Id just give up my lunch break just to make sure Im still here to help you while waiting for a managerial takeover. To my disappointment, the customer exclaimed, Oh thank you Emma for sacrificing your lunch for me but I WOULD STILL HOLD FOR YOUR MANAGER. Running out of what else to say after more than an hour of holding with her, I came back to her in a weak, exhausted theatrical voice and I said, Im so sorry Maam if right now I now sound like Im about to faint, would now be the best time for you to just take a callback? The customer then said, Oh sorry Emma for putting you in a very difficult situation but you can eat something now for I would still continue to hold. Poor hungry Emma.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 07:08:37 +0000
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