Friday thoughts . . .

Happy Friday!

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Of late, I have been dealing with a lot of service issues at home, and this week I would like to share my experiences with the customer service agents of 3 different companies.

Company 1: could not even get through to report the issue. I bought an expensive blender, 3 years ago, with a 7yr. warranty. When I had a problem with this product, their website gave me two options: either call them, or send them an email. I called, twice, and each time their system gave me an option to hang up and get a call back to avoid long wait times, without losing my place in the queue. So I did – Neither did I get a call back nor an acknowledgement to the email I sent. It’s been more than a week and I am still waiting for a response.

Company 2: responsive but took a longtime to solve the issue. The interaction was with a solar power company. When I reported the issue, they came and diagnosed it as an inverter mal-function. They ordered a replacement part to ship directly to my home. They assured that they would be tracking the shipment on their end, and would schedule a technician to replace the part as soon as it arrived. After I got that part, whenever I contacted, they never confirmed a date for service even after 2 weeks. Finally, after a crucial conversation, a technician showed up and fixed it. Note that is took almost 5 weeks to fix since the initial diagnosis. 

Company 3: resolved the issue on the first call but had to be escalated. The interaction was with an online TV service provider. I paid for an annual subscription of a streaming service with the sole purpose of watching a particular show that is available only through them. The fine print said that the service cannot be cancelled in between. A month and half later that show had been abruptly taken out of their streaming. I called and asked them to either give me an ETA for when it would become available, or to cancel my subscription. The agent first said that the subscription can’t be canceled, after some persuasion he agreed to cancel it, but he could not refund. I had to ask for the supervisor, who agreed to cancel the subscription by prorating the 2 months of billing and refunding the rest. Now keep in mind, this is the same thing that the original agent wanted to do, but he missed the key word - cannot refund in full

Now, I want all of us to reflect on these situations as if they were our interactions with our colleagues at work:

1. Are there folks on your team who never pick up your calls or call you back? They don’t even acknowledge your emails? No matter what you do, you could never get through to them. That is not a very pleasant experience, right? I want all of you to introspect: Are you that person? Notwithstanding the reasons for your lax behavior- it’s a minimum professional courtesy to at least acknowledge, right? Acknowledging that a problem exists, is the first fundamental step to resolving it.
2. Are there folks on your team who immediately respond to your emails or phone calls and assure you that they are on top of it but nothing ever gets done on time. This may or may not be an intentional behavior or a competency issue but nevertheless the team’s productivity takes a hit. Sidelining them instead of having a crucial conversation with them will not address the core problem. Addressing the root cause, by having a crucial and honest dialogue is the key to a team’s maturity.
3. Are there folks on your team who articulate well and resolve issues right away? Now-a-days, most of our communications are through phone and video calls. During this time of remote working, our ability to communicate in a crisp and clear manner plays an ever important role. Ambiguous communication leads to unnecessary chaos. Applying sensible communication techniques leads to a team’s success. 

A company’s culture is defined by the collective behavior of its people. I welcome all of you to be the flag bearers of your company’s culture and be the role models through your exemplary behaviors. 

If you are willing, share your work experiences, in acknowledging issues or addressing behaviors or applying communication techniques. 

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Blessed. Thank you and have a great weekend.