Call Centre Hang Ups
But for many consumers, rather than providing a brave new world, the era of the touch-tone telephone and call centre-based customer care simply means de-personalised service and a lot more hassle.
Who, these days, hasn’t needed to speak to someone urgently and had to sit on the phone listening to a menu of options before selecting the one they think may suit them best. And if the lines are busy, you may then have to listen to messages about how great the company is and how much your call is ‘valued’. Eventually, of course, you will get through, but it’s unlikely you’ll be able to speak to the same operative twice, so if you need to call more than once, you might find you have to repeat everything you said the first time round. Sound familiar?
Consumers often give call centres a bad press, but do they really deserve it? Surely in a world where everyone wants everything instantly, call centres are simply a response to our requirements. You can ring for just about anything from the comfort of your own home, they’re open later than pretty much anything on the high street and in many cases they’re not there to replace face-to-face customer service, but merely to offer us, as consumers, additional choice.
One thing’s for sure, the call centre looks as though it’s here to stay. But who’s getting it right and where are the others going wrong? Why not have your say...
