How many times have we called a company's customer service department and been thrilled. Almost none. There are a couple of exceptions to this case. Amazon.com and zappos.com (now owned by Amazon). The customer service agents at both these companies have a few things in common that makes our call experience very pleasing.
They will not waste your time.
They can track your orders at lightning speeds.
They will not question your return, in fact they'll recommend an alternative.
They will not persuade you to buy any product. They just suggest.
They will sound naturally cheerful.
They will not be rude, period.
I was just reading that the customer service philosophy at these companies defy common grounds in all senses. Unlike those of traditional companies, the customer service reps at Amazon and Zappos don't read out from scripts. They don't have a max limit on how long they can talk with customers. As a standard practice, at least at zappos, every new employee spends the first 4 weeks answering customer calls. I somehow always believed in such practices. Especially at product development companies. Developers and senior programmers often carry an air around them and come to their own conclusions about how customers should use their products. In fact, some developers and programmers treat the customer service department as their step child. It's only when they sit and listen to customers bitch and moan about a product they've developed, that they will truly understand the magnanimity of some of their 'minor' errors.
If all companies could imbibe such tenets into their philosophy, a lot of us would be happy to get on the phone with customer service representatives. What a world would that be :).
They will not waste your time.
They can track your orders at lightning speeds.
They will not question your return, in fact they'll recommend an alternative.
They will not persuade you to buy any product. They just suggest.
They will sound naturally cheerful.
They will not be rude, period.
I was just reading that the customer service philosophy at these companies defy common grounds in all senses. Unlike those of traditional companies, the customer service reps at Amazon and Zappos don't read out from scripts. They don't have a max limit on how long they can talk with customers. As a standard practice, at least at zappos, every new employee spends the first 4 weeks answering customer calls. I somehow always believed in such practices. Especially at product development companies. Developers and senior programmers often carry an air around them and come to their own conclusions about how customers should use their products. In fact, some developers and programmers treat the customer service department as their step child. It's only when they sit and listen to customers bitch and moan about a product they've developed, that they will truly understand the magnanimity of some of their 'minor' errors.
If all companies could imbibe such tenets into their philosophy, a lot of us would be happy to get on the phone with customer service representatives. What a world would that be :).
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