What the hell happened to customer service?

[stuartmoulton]

Another favourite, "We are experiencing a high volume of calls"
Bollocks, what you're ACTUALLY experiencing is a woefully low volume of decent staff!
Love ya K

[robwalker]

It's got much worse since excuse has become the norm.

[anthonymoody]

Very true. I had to call Dyson recently about my malfunctioning vacuum. I was intrigued by the accent of the lady in Dyson's Customer Service and learned that she was in South Africa and the high level of chatter in the background was obviously the family.

[PA-sscq]

Absolutely amen to that. Sick to the back teeth of labyrinthine questionnaires which lead to dead ends instead of an operator on a switchboard. Then getting a message saying I can get all the answers on their website, which patently I can't, or I wouldn't be phoning in the first place.

[Zoe-Surprises-Treats]

It's getting beyond ridiculous 🙄. I called my GP surgery the other day I was #18 and after going through all the keyboard nonsense I finally got through to a "human" after 56mins by this point I was rather frustrated but had to play nice as my call would have abruptly ended. Your call is important to us my arse exactly 👍

[anthonymcadams]

I can't help but love Katie's way of putting things, she's a No Bull Girl, we need more like her.

[garywhapples]

As a business owner I can honestly recommended trying to call HRMC for a truly shocking service

[paulchapman]

I absolutely love how sarcastic you are. You never fail to make me chuckle 😂😂😂❤️

[kelhudson]

I remember in the 80s and 90s when you rang the local surgery. It would simply go: ring, ring "hello surgery".
Happy times.

[michaelscales]

You are right the discuss service in this country.The NHS and in particular my GP really annoy me.If I want to book an appointment I can only 'phone between 8 and 8.30 am.Mon to Friday.
I am at an age when I occasionally need help from a doctor, and it is impossible to get through.If you do manage to get through, they 'phone you to discuss your problem.They rarely do face to face appointments. I don't know a lot about medicine, but I do know you can't check a pulse, temperature or blood pressure over the 'phone.What's more they will only make same day bookings so if it might be more convenient to see the GP tomorrow as you aren't in pain, tough luck ! They are building up a mountain of problems this way.
Oh for the days decades ago, when your doctor made home visits.Now that was customer service.

[annaapplebush]

you're just the greatest Katie - much love from Hamburg

[ym]

As someone that started out in customer service;

They spend more on management than on the people actually doing the job. That's why you're number 150+ . Customer service agents are paid far too little for the constant abuse they have to endure, most of which they had nothing to do with either. It was a default position to apologise while not even really knowing what the customer was talking about.

Hence most people burn out or just go for a different job. And since the company won't pay much for an agent, they're always shortstaffed. But they always have a fully staffed management; The people that ultimately do the least but get paid the most. Before you ask; No, you will never be promoted to a management position from being an agent. At best you can become a supervisor, but never a manager.

In my case, the company I was working for actually had to 'budget' the customer the CEO got a bonus of a few million. And thus quite a few were fired and the rest were completely overworked. Add to that that you're always treated as the lowest person in the company - maybe just above the janitor - and it's no surprise pretty much every customer service center is trash when it actually comes to customer service. (And guess who most people blame when they DO finally get someone on the phone!)

[petermitchell]

This will be even worse when all the high street retailers have shut down and all retailing is moved online. They could not give a damn for their customers.

[-gachapotato-]

Absolutely correct Katie how things have changed in this 2022 of so call improvement’s it’s become absolutely pathetic gone far the days when one would call customers service and get human voices. You were put through in seconds or given help you needed but now the pen pushers have made a pigs ear of it all.

[ripvanwinkle]

'We are experiencing unusually high call demand' always makes my blood boil. 'We deliberately do not employ enough staff because a) we put profits above everything else and b) we want you to do this online and stop with the hassling us shit' is what the recording should say.
Jeeeez I hate everybody and everything now!!

[hometruths]

Thanks for making me smile Katie, so glad to know there others who won't put up and believe the crap they're throwing at us!

[richardlove]

Customer service went out the window with commonsense and critical thinking….

[bachempenius]

You are so right. Having to wait 15 minutes to get a real living person on the phone is a no for me. Rather pay a little more for better service.

[stevewhite]

Damn right. I like your style and the truth you speak!!

[martinhogg]

Exactly! Time for this crap service to end! They know that we know that they are taking the p* ss!