Customer Service

In recent years, people complain about the quality of customer service many companies offer. Part of the problem seems to be the absence of human contact when the only way to reach some businesses is by going through a series of recorded prompts on the phone or finding oneself in a loop of written directions when trying to get help online. For example, when I call my local pharmacy,  I keep repeating, “Speak to pharmacy staff” and then wait as their eerie music plays while I’m on hold before I can talk to a live person. Once I’m finally able to speak with someone from a company I’ve called, I find that questions and issues can be resolved quickly as I convey details and gratitude for their help.

While my phone skills are fairly strong, my tech skills leave something to be desired at times. I suspect that my former seventh grade students sensed my hesitation regarding fixing electronics. When audio-visual equipment wouldn’t work, they’d usually ask, “Is it plugged in?” Fortunately, it was; unfortunately, that didn’t solve the issue. However, one of the best tips I ever received from a tech savvy colleague and friend was the suggestion that unplugging electronic equipment and then plugging it in again often fixes problems.

Although my younger siblings have more computer skills than I do, my parents often rely upon me for technical support. Not trusting my limited knowledge of computers, I seek reliable sources of information online and follow directions carefully, or I call or email tech support to get advice from an expert. Generally, I’ve found that by being patient and pleasant, customer service representatives are usually quite nice and helpful.

A few days ago, my parents’ internet service went out, which also affected their home phone service. Calling me on her rarely used cell phone, my mom needed help because they couldn’t contact the internet company by email or their home phone. After attempting unsuccessfully to reboot their modem remotely from my house, I called their customer service line and pretended to be my mother in case they wouldn’t provide information to me since it was not my internet account.

Fortunately, I was able to speak with a customer service representative right away who was very pleasant. As she apologized for my having to wait as she checked various information, I assured her that I understood. She kept telling me how “sweet” I was and said that most people are angry and not as patient. At one point, she asked me to see if the modem light was on. Since I was not at my parents’ house, I had no idea, so I told her that I was 81 and couldn’t go running upstairs. She then asked if there was anyone else at home who could check, and I said that my husband was 85 and wouldn’t know what to check. Although I felt a bit guilty for deceiving this nice woman, I suspect that I told her pretty much what my mom would have said anyway. 

In the meantime, my sister, who was running errands, was messaging me for updates and told me not to hang up with customer service until I had an appointment scheduled with a technician to come to their house. She said it’s nearly impossible to get an appointment and compared it to “finding a secret portal.” Just then, the representative told me that she was trying to get the soonest appointment because I had been “so patient and sweet,” but the best she could do was a few days later. I thanked her for her help and told her I appreciated how kind she had been.

After sending a message to my sister that I’d scheduled an appointment, I asked her if she could stop by my parents’ house on her way home to see if she could figure out what might be wrong. Remembering the advice of my students, I asked her to check and see if the modem might have accidentally come unplugged. A few minutes later, she messaged me: “Seems to be fixed. Their modem came unplugged. You were right.”

As it turned out, customer service wasn’t really needed this time since my rudimentary tech skills were able to solve the problem, after all. Nonetheless, I had a pleasant chat with a representative who genuinely wanted to help and repeatedly thanked me for being “so sweet” to her. Perhaps that was a pleasant reprieve from the angry and frustrated callers she had mentioned she often encounters, and in a way, we may have served each other. I hope so.

“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

Hebrews 10:36