Thursday Thirteen

This week my Thursday Thirteen offers 13 tips that everyone can us. Keep this list in mind next time you have to call an 1-800 number or your local utility company for customer service.

Thirteen customer service tips for the customer 1.... If you are calling to dispute a charge or something on your bill have a copy of it with you for referral 2.... Before you call to dispute something make sure that you have read through it carefully. Nothing makes you look like a bigger idiot then to have the answer right on the bill. 3.... No matter how mad you might be don't take it out on the person you are talking to on the phone. Your likely upset with the company and have never even spoken with the Representative on the phone. All yelling at them will do is make them less likely to help you. 4.... Listen to the IVR (menu options when you first call in) it is there to help direct your call to the right department so you can get quicker service. If you just press 0 it's likely you will wait on hold get the wrong department and have to be transferred where you will have to wait on hold again 5.... If you are calling for information from them have something ready to write it down. Don't make the customer service rep wait while you go looking for paper and pencil that you knew you would need in the first place. 6.... Use the hand set not the speaker phone. Speaker phones are great while your waiting, but please pick up the hand set when you hear the representative. You call will go much faster if they can hear and understand you. 7.... You want your questions answered and the Representative likely has questions that he or she is required to ask you. Give them the chance to ask the questions they need to so that they can better answer yours. Also if they ask for your name, it is your name that they need not the name on the bill. (On average I have to ask for a persons name 2 - 3 times in a call) 8.... Know why you are calling, and be clear about it with the representative again this may seem obvious but surprisingly its not. 9.... Make sure your authorized on the account. Due to Federal/State/Provincial privacy laws you now have to be either the account holder or have authorization noted on the account to make inquiries. It doesn't matter that you have been responsible for it for 20 plus years and been the only one who calls in about it. It has to be noted if it is not we can't tell you anything it is the Law. 10.. Don't phone Drunk or High!!! Phone clear headed it may sound like a stupid guide line or thing to bring up, but at least once a week I get a call like this. 11.. Have the time to take to when you call. There are some processes and requests that just take time to do, it's not the fault of the representative or anyone else it just takes time. If you don't have it your just going to get frustrated and so is the representative. 12.. When reading Credit Card information don't rush, it is important that the Representative understands the numbers and gets them down correctly. If he doesn't you will likely have to call back and deal with billing problems. 13.. Treat the Representative like you would like to be treated when someone calls you at work, because that exactly what you have done. Use your manners and be polite in all honesty it will get you a lot further then yelling and screaming at them. I know speaking only for myself am much more likely to go that extra mile for a customer to treats me with respect.

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