By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
A while back, the Connections Magazine sales line was slammed with a phone call— for another company. The calls were from irate individuals trying to call a removal line of the fax service bureau that had sent them faxes. It seems that they had received an unwanted fax solicitation on behalf of a travel company.
They angrily called the fax removal number listed in the fine print to stop the unwelcome intrusions. Unfortunately, between too small print and the low quality of faxes, the number looked a lot like ours.
With voicemail now screening the calls, I set towards averting a future reoccurrence of this fiasco. I called the number in the ad.
My call was abruptly answered by someone who cared little about professionalism or customer service. There was a cacophony of talking in the background. I had reached a call center boiler room!
Once the agent realized I was not interested in her spiel about vacation cruises, she became even less interested. When I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was disconnected. I called again.
After more futility, I demanded to speak with a manager. I was placed on hold for several minutes—and eventually heard the dial tone. Calling the actual fax removal number, left me trapped in an automated loop with no escape.
At the risk of stating the obvious, permit me to make some recommendations.
For the fax service bureau:
- Make sure the removal number is easily readable.
- Provide a way out (press zero for operator or at least let them leave a message).
- Offer an alternative means of contact, such as email or snail mail.
- Don’t illegally fax ads.
- Don’t provide services to unscrupulous clients.
For the call center:
- Train your staff to be polite and professional. Retrain or terminate those who don’t capitulate.
- Don’t hang up on callers.
- Allow calls to be escalated when requested.
- Have a website; make it easy for people to contact you.
- Don’t use “bait and switch” tactics.
- Remember that if you don’t police your agents and compensate only for sales, expect nothing else from them.
Most of the people reading this are not the ones who need to hear it, but perhaps this post will find itself in the hands of a call center manager who needs to reform their company’s wayward practices.
Read more in Peter’s Sticky Series books: Sticky Leadership and Management, Sticky Sales and Marketing, and Sticky Customer Service featuring his compelling story-driven insights and tips.
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Connections Magazine, covering the call center teleservices industry. Read his latest book, Healthcare Call Center Essentials.
