10 Simple rules for getting a resolution from Customer Service

Greetings Monetary Minions!

We are deep in the thick of November; right at the doorstep of the frivolous spending frenzy that is the holiday shopping season. Chances are you are going to be giving or receiving some 74th edition of gadget when the 75^th edition came out only a week later. Or a 100 piece play set that somehow seems to only have 99 pieces…the missing part essential to holding the whole thing together. Or an appliance that you just know is broken even though you didn’t even begin to read the instruction manual on how to turn it on. One way or another you’re going to need help. In some shape or form you’re going to end up playing the customer service game.

Now I know…you HATE dealing with customer service, right? They don’t care….they don’t know anything…they’re just out to take my money…blah-zay blah-zay blah! I will readily admit that there are tons of cases where this holds true. However, as a frustrated customer service rep, I have to tell you that we are not (always) the problem. Much of the consumer heartache and pain comes from the consumers themselves by trying to buck the system and make mountains out of mole hills. It’s always believed that the customer is always right. I hold a different standard: THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT…EXCEPT WHEN THEY’RE WRONG. But fear not friends, consider this post to be the machete you need to get through the customer service jungle.

1.       Don’t be an ass.

You win more flies with honey. We understand you’re upset. We understand something ain’t right. But calling in to curse people out doesn’t make us motivated to help you more. If anything you could be flagged as an abusive customer and no one will deal with you. We put these things in your account notes, you know.

 

2.       DON’T BE AN ASS.

It bears repeating. After our mandatory greeting we will ask you what the problem is. What you say next is going to set the tone for the entire call. If you go into the conversation with a condescending or snippy rude attitude we will go into defense mode automatically. It doesn’t mean we won’t help you…but the apprehension will be unnecessarily high, which is something you especially don’t want if you want to have some exceptions made for you.

 

3.       Don’t just push zero to get to a “live person”.

The phone tree is there to make sure that you get the correct person to assist you with your problem. I can’t tell you how many times a customer explains to me that they have an Internet problem and get mad at me for being a cable rep and have to get put back on hold to talk to Internet. I didn’t push that button…you did.

 

4.       If I tell you I can’t do something for you it’s not because I don’t want to…it’s because I CAN’T!

You can’t blame McDonald’s for poor customer service if you ask them for a taco and they don’t give you one. I once had a customer who wanted to escalate to my supervisor because I couldn’t reset her user name and password and she just couldn’t believe that I refused!! I fix cable…that’s it! Not only that, she didn’t even have Internet service.

 

5.       You don’t always need a supervisor.

In my experience the actual need for supervisor intervention is quite rare. People think asking for a rep’s supervisor is like tattling to their parents…but when you come on the line and demand to speak to one it can delay your resolution. I don’t know about other call centers, but if their supervisors are anything like mine they are going to go through hell or high water to avoid taking that call anyway. And when they DO take a call most of the time they only end up rehashing the same information the rep gave them.

 

6.       Don’t bog us down with unnecessary information.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not heartless bastards. It’s just that we have metrics to meet. If it’s a slow day we don’t mind making small talk. But on a day when we have calls coming in every 2 seconds we would much rather help you with your issue than to hear about your cat named Capt. Fuzz Cheeks.

 

7.       Make sure you have everything you need before you dial.

Again time is of the essence. Many agencies have it in their policy to tell the customer to call back if they don’t have all their stuff together or if the customer places the agent on hold for a certain length of time. I know that this seems unfair, especially if you were on hold for a long time. But look at it this way: You’re probably on hold because the person before you had to go get their info. Also…and this is crucial for any subscription service…make sure your bill is current.

 

8.       Have a heart.

Many call centers are open 24X7X365. We want to be able to spend time with our families on weekends or holidays but our jobs dictate that it can’t always happen. Getting yelled at because you can’t admit that you got in over your head by buying Little Timmy’s bike unassembled should not be the highlight of someone’s Christmas.

 

9.       If I’m asking you to do something…just do it.

I understand that there are some people who are complete technophobes and would rather have other people just deal with the problem. But there are people who shy away from doing the most simple tasks. The conversation usually goes like this.

 Me: Push the power button please.

You: Which one it the power button?

Me: The one that says power.

You: This is too hard! Can’t you just send a technician?

Me: It doesn’t require a tech. The box is just off. Turn it on.

You: HOW?

Me: Push the red button.

You: I don’t know how to do that. When’s the soonest you can have someone out?

 

I feel like Chris Tucker in Rush Hour; “PUSH THE GODDAMN BUTTON!!” It’s even worse if you’re the person that lies about doing something. I love those conversations because I often end up fixing their problem against their will and you can just hear the pride swallowing on the other end.

10.   Be reasonable.

It really grinds my gears when people have a false sense of entitlement. It’s understandable to want to be reimbursed for things you pay for that you aren’t able to use for their intended (keyword: intended) purposes. It’s also understandable to want to pay a fair price or lower for your goods and services. But when you get greedy you get rejected. An agent who is actually doing their job will not give you a refund just because you yell and scream. An agent that does makes it 10 times harder for everyone…including you! You worry about your rates getting raised when in actuality the company is sharing its business costs with you because no one wants to pay retail rates. And the ones that demand a month’s worth of credit on a 15 minute service outage are almost always the ones that demand a Dom Perrigon level of service on a Pabst Blue Ribbon payment plan.

Feel free to add anything you think I may have left out.

 

Update: October's book

Hey kiddos,

Just a quick post to let you know about the book I'm reading this month:

Soldier of Finance by Jeff Rose.

Click here to purchase the book from Amazon while showing me a little love in the process. Review will come at month's end.

Soldiers of Finance: The 5 things every income earner should have

Good Morn or evening Friends!

Allow me to begin with a quick update. Some days ago I told you about an idea that roused me out of my sleep. I am happy to report that all of those assets have been liquidated and I am moving the cash in position to invest hopefully in the beginning of October. As promised I fully intend to keep you all posted on the methods and tools I'm using.

Speaking of tools, what you are reading now is the first post in a series  called "Soldiers of Finance". In these posts I will be putting a spotlight on several products tools and ideas that I am currently implementing and will offer you opportunities to get involved in some of he same things I'm doing.

I want to talk about a few things every wage worker should have. Consider these the top 5 weapons in your financial arsenal.

1. A checking account- When you make money you need a safe place to keep it. Sure, you could cash your check every month but you run the risk of getting mugged out of your hard earned pay. Also if you cash your check anywhere other than the bank that you do business with. Having to pay someone to have access to your own money is just plain stupid. The ideal checking account should have no minimum amount to open, no fees to maintain and the option to turn off overdraft protection so that you can't overspend. Almost all checking accounts tie into a debit card, with all the same protections as a credit card...just without the whole going into debt thing. If you really do your legwork you could even find one that pays a small interest. I personally have 3 checking accounts. I'll go into detail about them at a later post.
2. A savings account- Right off the bat, before you spend a dime, a portion of your pay should go into a savings account for later purchases. You can earmark it for a specific expenditure like a car, a house, vacation or as a cushion to your checking account in the event that you happen to overspend. You can have this at the same bank as your checking account to make it easy to transfer funds back and forth. Nearly all savings accounts are interest-bearing and the ideal savings account should pay a decent rate.
3. An EMERGENCY savings account- Job loss. Car breaks down. Medical emergency. Crap happens. It better to be prepared and don't need it than to have the worst case scenario happen and you've got nothing to turn to. You should always keep $500-1000 on hand at any time. This should cover many different emergencies and this would be an easy amount to replenish once the crisis is averted. The ideal emergency account should cover 4-6 months of your most basic living expenses, but its not always practical to keep that much cash on ice if you find yourself dipping into your backup savings often. All the more better if you're able to earn a little interest on this.
4. A retirement account-If you working for an employer technically you're paying into retirement in the form of Social Security taxes. This ain't enough. If you have a job with benefits likely that includes some form of retirement savings, usually a 401(k), IRA or 401(3b). Many companies will even match what you put into it dollar for dollar up to  certain percentage. If for no other reason getting free money should compel you to sign up TODAY. The ideal choice for this depends on a lot of factors such as your income, tax bracket and family situation. We'll talk in depth about this later too.
5. A budget/spending plan- What's the point of making money and saving money if you're not going to spend it, or even worse, blow the wad on useless crap?? Keeping track of your expenses and managing your cash flow through a budget will allow you to maximize the best use of your money. I'll be honest with you though. I hate budgets. I feel restricted when I'm on a budget. I work more along the lines of a conscious spending plan. All of my bills and savings are deducted automatically from my account and I make the choice to allocate the rest of the money as I see fit. Again a more detailed explanation will come.

It's getting late so I'll end here for now. If you're lacking any one of the things listed quit slippin' on your pimpin' and get to gettin'!!!

Them there goals and such....

Happy Tuesday people!

I've been talking a great deal the last couple of days about goals. It is the 4th quarter of 2013 and I think it's high time I revealed my first set of goals. These should keep me on pace until the end of the year. You'll find that I'll be doing a lot of lists here. They keep me organized and they're easy to read....so there.

1. Start saving so that I can live on last month's income.

I'm tired of the stress of not having enough month at the end of the money(let it marinate). Many people think the answer to this problem is to make more money or find a second stream of income. I can't seem to stay out of trouble at my current job (we'll discuss that at a later date) so asking for a raise is out and while I would like for this blog to be making passive income, I don't see that happening anytime soon.  What I CAN do is to set aside a small portion of my income every month and then subsidize it with a portion of my tax refund (we'll talk). That way in a particular month (I figure April or May 2014) I can tap into those savings and not have to touch any part of my working wages for that week. Doing this should lead me into a surplus so that I can start working on the next goal:

     2. Start adding to my emergency fund.

By years end I should have the ubiquitous Dave Ramsey "baby step" amount fully funded. My overall goal is to have 3 months worth of income stockpiled. I can use it for emergencies like my car, a health issue, etc. however my biggest fear is a sudden job loss and I'll try to cover as many "rainy days" as I can in cash so I can keep it funded for this reason.

     3. Automate all regular financial transactions.

I'm about 90% complete on this one. Nearly all of my bills, saving and investments are on autopilot and that saves me time and in some cases even money.

    4. Start and finish 1 new book every month.

This month I'm going to be reading The Broke Diaries  by Angela Nissel. At months end I'll post my takeaways and like to places where you can buy the book.

    5. Write a new blog post 2-3 times a week.

Ideally I'd like to post 4-5 times a week but let's face it...I'm too busy to write that much and you're too busy to read that much...unless you subscribe *wink, wink*

And now for the most important goal of all:

   6. Play hooky from work one day a month until the end of the year.

Hard to try new things if I'm stuck in a cubicle all the time. Ferris Bueller, you're my hero.

What it is, what it ain't, what it gon' be...

Welcome to post #2 ya'll,

First off I want to say gracias, danke schoen and a great big ol' THANK YOU to all who have read and/or shown support after my first post. This is a very personal endeavor that I'm putting out for the world to see and it's always nice to get a "You go girl!" I'll try my best to keep my topics both entertaining and informative.

Now on to the topic at hand. As the title says, the intent of this post is to outline some goals and ground rules. You can decide from my bullet points here whether or not you want to follow in my humble corner of web real estate.

WHAT IT IS

• This is me getting real with myself; my "come-to-Jesus moment" as some would say. I'm not where I want to be and I have to take responsibility to put myself it a better standing. Keyword: accountability.
•  This will put stakes on my learning process. If I'm not learning anything, trying something new or working through problems then I won't have anything to share with you beautiful people.
• This is me being an open book. Without getting too dangerous, I'm going to be as candid as possible about my finances, certain aspects of my life, my hobbies etc.

WHAT IT AIN'T

• This will not be an advice column. I am not within a million foot radius of being qualified to dispense advice of any sort.. This blog is for informational purposes only. If you like any ideas I post about finance or investing, do the research for yourself or seek professional financial consultation. If you like my ideas about social matters, see a shrink. The food thing? Talk to a chef. I'll be happy to answer any and all questions. Just take my answers for what they are: opinions.
• This will not be any kind of socio-political manifesto. I have beliefs. I may even briefly talk about my beliefs on occasion. But I will NEVER EVER force my beliefs on you. Simple as that.
• This will not always be grammatically perfect. I tend to use a lot of run-ons and comma splices. Spell check doesn't catch everything. I do the best I can at editing but don't be a troll if you see a "your" when it should be a "you're".

WHAT IT GON' BE

• I want to become an expert in personal finance. I think the reason we get into so much economic trouble is the don't really understand the fundamentals of how finance works. We're touched by Adam Smith's Invisible Hand briefly in the 8th grade, but for a lot of us that is where our financial education ends. There's been a recent push to bring financial literacy to the forefront and I want to be a part of that movement.
• I hope to use this blog as a weapon in my arsenal for a comprehensive passive income portfolio. I'll outline more details in an upcoming post about my specific goals.
• I want to be an example to people who are in similar situations. I'm a single mom. I'm burdened by debt. I'm a cancer survivor. I'm caught in a career loop. I'm still trying to leave the nest and set out on my own. I'm tackling all my problems and will be completely transparent with how I do it. I hate when people say they made it through an ordeal, or they got rich or got the career of their dreams and when you ask how they get all secretive. When I come up I bring people with me.
• I want this to be fun. Plain and simple.