Welcome to 2004...
Ok, I am once again dealing with utility companies. Calling their service department begs the question, “Who built these peoples system!”
This week I called 3 different utility companies all of which had to me input account numbers and what I wanted before forwarding my call to a person. Once the person answered they all asked me the same questions that the phone system just asked me. In most cases this included my account number, and phone number. Any one of these should be enough to pull up the grade I got in math in 3rd grade.
In one case I had to be transferred to different person who again asked me the same questions. The reason for my transfer was the person I was talking to could not set up all the services I wanted to use from this company. They had to transfer me to someone else, why?
In another case I had a bill that had to be paid. They had me call a different number, in the same company. Oh and that billing department did not take debit cards or credit cards. This makes me wonder what year it is… we are in 2004 right? Once I had paid the bill it will take 24 to 48 hour for the service department to know the bill has been paid. I can get a conformation number and call the first number again and talk to a supervisor… For a grand total of 5 transfers and 3 phone calls, and 4 times repeating the same information to move one account.
In all these cases, only one was open past 6 pm. None of these offered me a way to transfer service using a web page. All required me to talk to a person and a phone system. I wonder how hard this is for people with disabilities.
Dear Companies
I want to use your product and pay you money to do so. It is my understanding that you want this to happen. Therefore, I am offering you a deal. Make it easy for me to pay you, to request new product or move my service. I promise if you make it easy for me to do this, I will use your services, pay my bill, and not yell at so many of your hardworking employees. This would lower worker burn out rates, reduce costs, reduce accounts receivable ages, and grow sales. I think this can be a big win for both of us. What do you say?
Yours truly,
Dan
P.s if you are looking for some direction on how to make things easier, have all of your VP personally transfer their service to a new address using you phone or web systems.
Comments
You make me giggle. a lot. Thanks for being the one to handle this. love you!
K
Posted by: K | October 12, 2004 12:57 PM
NO LIE BROTHER MAN! I mean to say, for real.
B
Posted by: brittney | October 12, 2004 03:00 PM
I tell you this from personal experience:
When you get transferred around inside a company, one of two things happens:
Either all the data you entered on the phone gets lost when the first employee transfers you to the second, or, your call just completely goes into the other department queue as though it were an extenal call. Thus the second individual has no way of knowing all your information has been verified, so they do what they're supposed to do - and verify the information.
Not that this makes it any easier for you, the consumer.
Now, I have no insight for the rest of your problems. The only thing I can remotely think of so far as the person in department A not being able to set up all your services is that they want to be able to do some sort of internal tracking and they handle it all via the phone system rather than through some more efficient means.
All of which could still be handled through some easier method for the customer to deal with.
I'd like to say I feel your pain, brother. We are also moving into a new home and I am having to transfer and connect and disconnect. I haven't had any of the same problems you have (This time. In the past, yes). For me, everything has gone quite smoothly (Aside from getting a straight answer from the phone company about whether the one and only phone number that will ever be dialed on the phone line is covered under the cheep plan, or whether it would be a toll call under that plan).
I think we've just found a way to make our billion. Develop, Market, and support a phone system and software that will monitor all this so that everything can be handled with a single phone call!
Posted by: Shannon | October 15, 2004 12:49 PM