| We all have to fall back on call centers | | | | alone. There are hundreds of customers |
| these days whenever we need some help or | | | | suffering miserably at the hands of these |
| information for our bank accounts, mobile | | | | call center agents as the agents cannot offer |
| services or tour itineraries as we don't have | | | | any solution to their woes and matters even |
| the time to visit the relevant department. | | | | get more complicated and confusing. In most |
| But the experience is seldom satisfactory and | | | | of the cases it seems that the call center |
| many people believe that customer service | | | | agents have no clue about the business |
| over telephone simply does not work in this | | | | processes and they just give misleading |
| country. Of course we cannot ignore the | | | | information and false assurances without |
| convenience of 24/7 but how far can we expect | | | | understanding or studying the problems or |
| to get our queries resolved by the call | | | | cases. |
| center agents? | | | | |
| | | | The companies are heavily investing on the |
| My personal experience is that simple queries | | | | call centers but the investment so far is |
| like the balance of a savings account or | | | | concentrated on infrastructure whereas the |
| payment due date of a mobile telephone bill | | | | need clearly lies in the area of training and |
| can be handled by a call center. In fact most | | | | development of staff members. What is |
| of the call centers had IVR facility and you | | | | required for the call center staff is a good |
| even need not interact with an agent as the | | | | understanding of the business process and |
| machine will read out the balance or due bill | | | | adequate supervision but that is |
| amount. But when it comes to taking a | | | | unfortunately completely ignored. The BPOs |
| decision the efficiency level of call centers | | | | have failed to provide process training to |
| drop drastically and most of the time the | | | | agents so that they can help customers and |
| outcome is very frustrating. | | | | are simply providing some computers, network, |
| | | | CRM software and an accent training which is |
| Usually a phone banking customer has access | | | | definitely not adequate for setting up a |
| to internet and so to me the IVR is not so | | | | customer help line. |
| much of a value addition as one can check the | | | | |
| same information in the web. So what is | | | | My experience with India's No. 1 travel |
| really expected of a call center are the | | | | portal help desk was even more pathetic. I |
| queries which an automated system cannot | | | | made an internet booking about 6 months back |
| resolve and needs human intervention. For | | | | thru their website and when after 24 hours I |
| example why my credit card was charged twice | | | | was not mailed the e-ticket I was desperate |
| or my phone bill is not being mailed to me | | | | to speak to a call center agent. I had to |
| and in these kinds of cases the call centers | | | | wait for more than 3 hours to finally get |
| are not really meeting the customer | | | | hold of one agent as either the numbers were |
| expectation. | | | | busy or I was put on hold and finally |
| | | | disconnected. I was almost missing my flight |
| I have a very bad experience with the | | | | and after that I promised myself never again |
| country's leading mobile services provider; I | | | | with last minute tickets online. |
| used to get my mobile bill to my email and | | | | |
| since last few months the bills are not | | | | There are numerous bad experiences like this |
| mailed to me when I had to take the | | | | with call centers and I think people are |
| initiative and report to the call center. I | | | | learning to avoid them and depend more on |
| am still struggling to get this resolved | | | | physical presence to get their queries |
| despite repeated calls and emails, and for | | | | answered and problem solved. It is no doubt a |
| the past 3 months I am paying them in spite | | | | great concept that can make the life of the |
| of not getting the bill just because I cannot | | | | companies and customers better but |
| afford to have my phone disconnected. Every | | | | unfortunately the companies have a long way |
| time I call them I have to tell my problem | | | | to go before being able to really help their |
| from scratch and they assure me of sending | | | | customers thru help desks. Right now the call |
| all my bills and provide me with a token | | | | centers are nothing but a bunch of |
| number but nothing has happened yet. | | | | unsupervised fresh college pass outs who have |
| | | | no idea of what they are doing and in some |
| Nothing can be more frustrating than this and | | | | way struggling to answer customer queries |
| I have discovered after searching some | | | | using their imagination and some limited |
| product review sites that I am probably not | | | | information in the computer databases. |