Call Centers, Speaking English, Knowing More Than Me

I just had another experience with an agent at a call center.

This was different than many of my recent tormented calls to call centers involving airlines and financial service institutions.

I called Northwest Airlines about a problem involving frequent flyer miles not properly credited. It took about two minutes.

• I logged in the ID number and the pin. I was stunned when the agent came on line and we went right to work to solve the problem. I was not asked to repeat everything or provide my mother's maiden name and the birth date of my oldest child.
• The agent spoke English - fluently and clearly. This is not a requirement. But in too many instances I cannot understand the person who is suppose to help me.
• The agent understood the problem and knew more about the subject than I do.
• A synopsis of recent experiences:
  • Fidelity Investments: You always get someone who is knowledgeable and takes care of the issues. Solid
  • Dell Computer: A mixed bag. When they are bad, they are horrible; some issues take, not just hours, but days to resolve. If you are not under warranty, you might as well throw the equipment out; your time is more valuable than waiting for a person who can help you in one of the worst telephone prompt systems on the planet. You always have to go back to 'GO,' the disconnects are horrid.
  • American Airlines: The agents are just fine, but their internal communication system using both email and telephone sucks. When the agent cannot get the correct person at AA, you lose.
  • United Airlines: Horrible is the kindest word I can use for the agents assigned to handle ordinary people. They are difficult to understand, they know less than most travelers, and the time wasted is monstrous. Tip: The last time this happened I cheated. I called the number reserved for elite travelers, begged for help, the agent solved it in less than five minutes. I had wasted over an hour and half with two people in the call center in the Philippines.
  • Northwest Airlines: Frankly I do not like the reputation of this airline for the way it treats its employees but these agents are, overall, the best in their business.
  • Washington Mutual: I like these folks a lot. The fees are high but you get appropriate service.
  • M&I Bank: I may be miffed with my bank's role with WMC, but when it comes to service they are top notch whether it is a problem with a misplaced check, a check card, or a credit card.
  • ATT: Not bad. I dislike what they did on the Wisconsin cable bill, but overall their prompt system and their agents work well.
  • Charter Communication: I have not had the problems many of my friends mention but I hate their prompt system. When my Internet service goes out I know how to reboot the computer and the modem. I would like to get past those prompts and get right to the agent.
  • Any company that does not have a call center and expects you to send in an email to which they might respond in a week: screw you.

Secret tip of the week: (maybe not so secret): when you are tortured by the endless prompt system, many of those systems can be defeated by simply repeating the word "agent.'

Comments

[Bill]

Add Delta Airlines to your list.
My daughter was on a flight that was delayed. The agent (in India somewhere) knew less than I did. She did not know the difference between am and pm (in our time zone) as she told us there was a flight leaving at 9 o'clock - in two hours. I informed her that the 9am flight was 14 hours away, not two.
She said the flight was on time, when it obviously wasn't and gave me estimated departure times that were 45 minutes in the past. The agent told me that my daughter was confirmed on the next flight - (she was not - in fact she was so far down the standby list she had no hope of getting on the plane and would therefore be stranded in SLC with no accomodations).
Of course it's not all the agent's fault (but a lot of that was), much of the blame falls on Delta for having a system that does not provide accurate and timely flight information. Delta's website also had out of date information on the flight's status.
Like you I had to call back several times to get someone I could understand and that had two brain cells. I finally ended up with a real American in America (what a relief!) who was able to provide some answers and accurate travel advice. But that doesn't make it OK. The overall experience was awful.

[Jon]

You might be interested in a web site put together by some associates of mine:
www.gethuman.com

In addition to a list of companies and an explanation of how to get to a live (human) agent, it includes information for how call center phone systems should work. It was put together by people who know how to make those systems work to help people, not frustrate them.

Jon