Stryker Speaks

I really hate the new trend of “user based tech support” the message boards and wiki’s great for the average end user. Questions like “how do I lock my wireless internet” or “I cant get the program to install”

But once you get past that 1st level of basic questions the usefulness of those options drops off dramaticly.

I say the same goes for “call center’ support

1) The secret pin code you have to enter once you call an 800 number to get to the right person to help you with your problem. “oh prima en espanial diga espanial”

1a) Why is EVERY COMPANY ALWAYS Expiriencing “heavier then usual call volume”. If that is your outgoing message more then 50% of the time your open…. THE HEAVY CALL VOLUME IS [I]USUAL [/I][B]HIRE MORE PEOPLE!!!![/B]

2) You finaly get through to somebody 9 times out of 10 they are not the “right” person so again you get transfered. less then 5 minutes ALWAYS means more then 30……

3) Very true in the tech world, but other places as well. I finaly get to somebody, my guess this person does NOT actually speak english they are just parroting a script (this is why everytime you get transfered you have to start all over again “please verify the cable is pluged in securly to the back of the device…” I KNOW ITS FUCKING PLUGLED IN!”)

Dont get me wrong they speak english better then I speak Hindi or Spanish or what ever their native tongue is, but its still frustrating when I have to constantly try and find the most basic way to convey my message something is ALWAYS lost in the transation

4) After 30 min on hold, and another hr trying in vain to clarify my problem, you finaly get transfered to a manager…. I am rarly in a bad mood when I start one of these calls, but the process is so painful, that I am usualy in one by this point…. Having worked as a customer svc agent before I do my best to maintain my politness, but somtimes its just impossible….

I dont know if there are any studies to back this up, but I would hope that as more and more companies rely on outsourced customer service, and more and more consumers become dissenfranchised and frustrated. I HOPE this causes some form of backlash that forces companies to make their Customers a priority again ….

Eh but what do I know?