Your worst day sets the standard, not your best day.

I found a transaction on my checking account I couldn’t quite identify, so I called my bank. Doesn’t sound so dramatic but it turned into something traumatic. A little Waterloo rather than a shining Austerlitz, just to reference the French HSBC advertisement in the picture.?

Before I start, I must mention that HSBC US is in turmoil. They are exiting most of the U.S. market and have sold their business to a bank called Citizens. The transition of all accounts was just two weeks away from the day I called in and I’ve also learned a few days later that a lot of employees had already left the organization. That much in their favor – it’s never easy for an organization in dissolution. Yet, even in good times, HSBC has never been a leader in service for me. I can hardly think of a call that was under 20min duration and there were too many that extended to over an hour. Last Tuesday, was my personal record. A painful 4 hours and 20minutes.

During this mammoth session, I’ve talked to 16 different HSBC employees. About half of them sitting in the continental U.S. (I usually ask because I’m just curious how call centers work) and the other half in South-east Asia. It’s still a miracle to me that we talk to people on the other side of the globe and its instant without delay. What’s often lacking though is the sound quality. One employee seemed to be sitting in the bathtub with the microphone underwater. The next one was so quiet that I had to crank up the volume, only to get my eardrum nearly ruptured when she put the music back on. Those sound terrorists had the audacity to tell me that?myphone connection was bad.

A first take-away: This is not about who answers, and I don’t mind mild to medium accents. But if you put your call center into Manila or Jakarta, make sure your call center agents have a good sounding line. If that’s even possible, I don’t know. I’ve just talked to a friend 1000 miles away in St. Louis, MO and he could hear me fine! My line is alright. And please, call center agents should never blame the customer for a bad sounding phone connection.?

Back to my infamous call. At HSBC (and other banks) they do have the habit to put you on a brief hold from time to time. The first brief hold last Tuesday was 43 minutes. The service agent came back just to tell me that she has an expert on the line now and would transfer my call. I said thanks, she pushed a button, and the line dropped. That was back to square one for me and it wasn’t the last time it happened that day.?

All combined, I’ve had to explain myself 14 times all over again because I’ve had to bring the next expert up to speed or the line dropped. The latter instances could have been avoided if HSBC had called me back. Other banks and service organizations ask you for a call back number should the line get disconnected. There is nothing more frustrating than telling your story all over again. The official Groundhog Day is February 2nd. HSBC has put me in my personal infinite loop on February 7th.?

And then there is that music. We are all used to be put on a brief hold, but after 2-3 minutes the corporate tune that is playing becomes an instrument of torture. I still have the ring of the HSBC song in my ear after listening to it for about 3 hours last week. Heck, I was starting to play guitar to it to not get dragged into the monotony of hundreds of repeats. And it does not have to be this way. During my last call with Apple, I was asked what kind of music I wanted to listen to or if I preferred to wait in silence. That’s how its done! Silence for me, please!?

Finally, this is not Trip Advisor or Google Reviews. So, this is no revenge article. We’re collecting customer moments to gain a deeper understanding of how Customer Experiences are being created and how they unfold. HSBC is in transition, and they deserve credit for it. I’ve probably seen them at their worst last week. However, a customer experience is defined by the minimum quality of service you can always deliver. Your worst day sets the standard, not your best day.?

Back to the beginning. The analogy to Napoleon’s battles is not really my thing, but you want your customers to have an Austerlitz moment (a win) every time they get in touch. Many of today’s customers already move on after one Waterloo event.? That said. Farewell HSBC, welcome Citizens. Very curious to see what you have in store for us.?

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