3 ms·

Of course if you don't have the juice to actually fix the problem then this can backfire. The most angry I've ever gotten is with Comcast's offshore chat/call

Of course if you don't have the juice to actually fix the problem then this can backfire. The most angry I've ever gotten is with Comcast's offshore chat/call center. The reason is because they are trained to tell you that they will solve your problem, and that afterwards that it has been solved in such an emphatic fashion that only a sociopath would dare to question. Yet they do this without any actual indication that what they are doing is having any effect at all. And the worse thing is, even when you call back they act like they are listening to what you did previously, but in fact they are just waiting to interject the script where they make you jump through the same 20 hoops over and over again. In my case it turned out to be a faulty modem, so none of what they were doing had any effect at all, but in no way did they ever let on any actual information or engage in any reasoning. I suspect the only reason hasn't replaced that call center with a voicemail tree is presumably because they need a Turing-test capable human to get the customer to calm down long enough for them to re-read step 25 from the level 1 tech support handbook. I apologize for hijacking your thread, but I had to get this off my chest.

TeMPOraL 11y ago
It's easier to dumb human down to the level of machine than to make machine as smart as human. I literally performed an impromptu Turing test on a telemarketer once, because he sounded totally like a TTS system. It took me two minutes to interrupt his monologues and yes-or-no questions and to force him to answer my, open-ended, question. Sadly, it turned out he was a human after all. I do not wish that level of zombification on anyone.
Mendenhall 11y ago
I think you bring up a great point and I couldn't agree with you more! If you are not in that situation or can't honestly say that, I strongly suggest not doing it. It would make you look like a liar and leave a bad overall taste in customers mouth. The company I work for thankfully takes customer service very serious. I don't mind helping them because they want their customers to be happy not be blown off or jump through hoops and that personally makes me want to help the company because its something I respect. I usually cant stand support from a company because of many of the concepts you touched on, specially the "hoops" and support not knowing what they are talking about so I empathize with the customers. Appreciate the post! I do love HN because the high level of discussion.

TeMPOraL 11y ago

It's easier to dumb human down to the level of machine than to make machine as smart as human. I literally performed an impromptu Turing test on a telemarketer once, because he sounded totally like a TTS system. It took me two minutes to interrupt his monologues and yes-or-no questions and to force him to answer my, open-ended, question. Sadly, it turned out he was a human after all. I do not wish that level of zombification on anyone.

Mendenhall 11y ago

I think you bring up a great point and I couldn't agree with you more! If you are not in that situation or can't honestly say that, I strongly suggest not doing it. It would make you look like a liar and leave a bad overall taste in customers mouth. The company I work for thankfully takes customer service very serious. I don't mind helping them because they want their customers to be happy not be blown off or jump through hoops and that personally makes me want to help the company because its something I respect. I usually cant stand support from a company because of many of the concepts you touched on, specially the "hoops" and support not knowing what they are talking about so I empathize with the customers. Appreciate the post! I do love HN because the high level of discussion.