Customer Care - and whatever name today's "innovative managers" give to it - has become synonymous of Hell. Be it the old Customer Service, with the revamped ideas and the "groundbreaking" Customer Experience philosophy, or a simple internal service at your job like the IT, procurement, HHRR among others, the moment someone should do something for you to get you going and have things working the way they should, you enter Hell.
It's quite funny how they usually depict themselves like in the picture added above: smiling, beautiful, caring people ready to make your life easier, to get you on the go as soon as possible. Sadly, we all know that that's not the case. Long waiting times, often talking to several agents, telling them all exactly the same information over and over - because in this modern, digital world, they can't send a freaking e-mail from one area to another, or enter the information you gave at the begining - so you have to repeat time and again the same data, receive the same reply, and all of it on your dime.
Some cases are easier than others, but that doesn't make them less of a Hell. I was recently forced to call the IT department to get my office laptop configurated. I had no laptop, so I needed a swift job in order to get quickly incorporated to the staff. In six months IT stretched their response time from 24 hours to 48. I was emphatic on the urgency of the case - I'm sure people struggling with a virus or needing a second laptop configurated can wait - but they paid no attention to it. Didn't even ask me what was my work schedule (we have several schedules, and I've the earliest one), so by the end of the first day the technician called me 5 minutes before the end of my shift. A commitment was made that he would send a coworker before noon the next day.
I was keeping track on an old laptop that had been half configurated for me, and which shot down each time I opened a file that requiered Office. Noon came and went but the technician was nowhere to be seen. Around 2 pm I decided that it was time for me to stop starving and waiting, and go grab meself some lunch. THEN the technician called. To the remark that he was supposed to come before noon, the excuse was that he was sorry, but since it wasn't one of his cases, he didn't check it out before, so he didn't notice, but he could come up at that moment. I told him I could leave him the laptop, but I had to go lunch. He didn't like it, so we agreed that I'd call him once I'm back from lunch. I basically sniffed up my lunch in 20 minutes, rushed back to my place and called him, so he had plenty time to configurate my laptop.
If you make the maths, you'd notice that I called the technician at 2:20 pm, 2:25 max. He said he was in his way (he's in the same building as me), and he arrived at 3:20 pm. First person I know who needs an hour to climb max. 15 floors. Or maybe I'm well trained, since I can make them in 15 minutes carrying three bags, in high heels, and taking breaks every four floors. Displeased, I stared at him, gave him the laptop and told him that I was leaving in 16 minutes. He went on a diatribe of excuses, and then got to work on the laptop, finding in 5 seconds a problem that was too big and too complex to be solved quickly. He wasted then ten minutes of my precious life explaining me how there was a whatever problem, that could only be solved with a key a coworker of his had, but which be available - if available at all - on Monday (today), or within two weeks. Otherwise he would have to format the laptop, but even for that there were two choices, one that was more elegant and another that was faster. So basically it was up to me to choose which one I prefered.
I was out of patience, so I told him that I couldn't care less. It was HIS job and he should make the best decision. All I wanted was a swift solution and get my laptop ready and working as soon as possible. I told him pointedly that I made it clear that the job had to be done urgently, so I didn't really had time to go through technicalities. He tried to go on explanations about how it was his job and resposability to tell me what the options were, when I cut him half way and told him to save his explanations, because those didn't get me working faster. He actually got offended and remained offended.
He worked on my laptop and then left it to another coworker of mine who has another schedule, and then came back today to finish the job, and still acted offended. So let me get this straight: HE was supposed to pay attention and comply the promise made to ME - the client - by HIS department, but HE failed. HE also failed in complying with the job as requested. HE was showering me with EXCUSES for HIS ineptitude, but I'm not allowed to be upset because he made an effort out of coming up with excuses for his incompetence, which I should have accepted. Instead I actually DARED to confront him with the fact that HIS excuses were of no use for me, that I need his WORK, not his pathetic justifications. As result, I'm the bad guy and he's entitled to be offended.
I won't say here that it's not his fault, it's the fault of the culture of incompetence and condoning mediocrity in which we live, because it IS his fault. Choosing incompetence and mediocrity instead of honest, careful, hardwork isn't imposed on us. If it were so, we would all be incompetent and mediocre and wouldn't even notice it. If he wants to adscribe to this mentality and this lifestyle, he's in his right, but that doesn't mean that we must accept it, when his mediocrity affects us.
In my case, I can't go with another provider, but I can certainly file a complaint, or the next time request for my case not to be attended by this poor excuse of a technician. There are cases when we can do more. If we don't receive the service we want, we can change providers, companies, subscriptions. Staying because "all of them are alike" is your choice, but if you stay, you quit bitching. Truth is that Customer Care is a two way line: on one side there's the Hell the agents create for us, but on the other side is how we make our voice heard, how we react and how we tell them just how displeased or pleased we are with their service, and take action if things don't change.
Take things in your hands, don't let Customer Care Hell tramp over you.
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