Often it is the less-than-satisfactory experiences in life that result in one being more grateful for the good things.
I know good old fashioned customer service is harder to come by these days, but I honestly assumed there were still some remnants of customer service remaining in most industries.
It now makes a lot of sense to me that there is a shift by the larger companies, returning their call centers back to Australia after a surge in complaints and dissatisfaction from customers.
Here is my experience.
Recently I moved apartments and one of the things I had to do was relocate my internet service.
My service provider is affiliated with one of our larger telco’s (begins with a T), and I had contacted them some time prior to arrange the transfer of my service to the new address. They confirmed it had been done. All I had to do was take my equipment to the new address and plug it in.
So I moved house. The electricity worked, the gas and water were connected, however, the internet did not. There was an NBN termination box and 7 ethernet sockets next to it. Which socket went where? There was no labeling, nor instructions.
So I called the building management, thinking that all apartments would be cabled the same way and that this must be a commonly encountered problem for new residents. “No, we have never had that problem before” I was told, as I reflected on my apparent stupidity. Here I was running a technical business and apparently, I was not technical enough to work it out.
So I searched for a help line to call. No number. I went to the telco website and ran through the list of FAQ, but none covered my enquiry. So I logged a “ticket” with the technical department, hoping for a rapid response. Then I spied the Chat button. I stared a “chat” and communicated my problem in great detail. This resulted in a suggestion: “can I call you ?”, so I provided my mobile number.
Soon, my phone rang and I was confronted with a young lady speaking in a thick foreign accent, trying to help. There were chickens squawking in the background. Over the next 40 minutes we went around in circles, going over the connections, all of which was futile. Part of the problem was that I couldn’t understand her, and part of the problem was that she was reading from a document given to her for such occasions. She had no technical ability.
So I gave up on that approach and decided to take the initiative. I pulled the termination box apart and worked out which socket was most likely to have an internet connection (socket 1). I soon realised that I didn’t need the network connection device, so I removed it and taking the most logical assumption, plugged the internet cable into socket 1. Of course, it all worked. I then proceeded to check all 7 ethernet sockets to see where they went inside the apartment. After an hour or so, I had worked out where all connections went and was able to install my equipment.
The entire 8 hour endurance test made me reflect on the importance of customer service. If only there had been some.
In an extreme contrast, I am happy to say that our company Tecsun Radios Australia does provide quality customer service, and now, more than ever I realise how valuable it is. We have the advantage that we speak English and have experience using every product we sell. Most importantly, we want to help our customers!
So if you ever have a problem with one of our products, rest assured we will be able to help. You just cannot beat old fashioned service.
Postscript: 3 days later I received a call from my telco seeking to provide assistance. I was unable to understand what their operator was saying due to his accent, but I told him that the problem was resolved. He mumbled something and hung up.
I am now more mindful of those companies that keep their customer service within Australia.
Click here to shop our range of shortwave radios, antennas, and accessories, and rest assured you can call or email and speak to myself or a colleague to troubleshoot, if you experience any difficulties setting up your radio.
Garry
Good read, Garry! Being in the past (I pretend I still am today, too) a network admin, I might have skipped the call you made all together and put a pipe in my left hand and a magnifier in my right at the drop of a hat. But your story also makes one think that when you buy a service, you are also buying (supposedly) assistance to be sure it’s also working! Without going down a rabbit hole–the stories I could tell!–I feel that, in Australia, the general solution only lies in whether or not you have a teenager at home that you have a good relationship with (or a remote facsimile that unlocks with bribes) and get therm to sort it out. Such thinking is completely wrong! Having also read many many online reviews from computer games to welder generators, the impression pops up again and again that a customer will take the “BANG! Stop or I’ll shoot!” approach to solving issues… going to product reviews (which always seem fishy to me anyway) and oo-toob before thinking about picking up the phone and simply trying to solve the issue in an amicable manner–the service which they also paid for. Often, I guess the fact is that we’re used to being treated the same here there and everywhere as costumers and end up also, inadvertently, placing all shops and services in the same class of customer service! It is true, a bit of patience and a bit of kindness can go a long way on the customer’s part! (Also for our own blood pressure!)
Garry I can certainly relate to your sentiments and unfortunately it seems to me that telcos and similar companies are high on the list of companies that have poor regard for their customers. I am very happy to say that Tecsun Australia is not even on that list. Keep up the good work and thanks for my great radios and other gear.
Fully agree, companies split up in sub-devisions if possible and decide to outsource “service” as this brings no money and so move it via call centers to cheaper countries. BUT satisfied customers brings you at the end lots of happy customers, which bring even new customers to your organization.
I love the Tecsun blog, but only have a Tecsun pl-330 and an AN-100 loop antenna and am happy with those, so some swl’s around bought too Tecsun products, f.e. like the pl-368.
Keep going strong and best 73’s de Wim from Belgium.
P.s.: I am in your mailing list and always look forward receiving your interesting mails.
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