Last week I came across an article, Microsoft Backs GetHuman Customer Service Plan, discussing Microsoft's support of an initiative to standardize automated service on telephone-based customer support systems.
Supposedly this would provide a better experience for customers and you would be able to recognize GetHuman "compliant" businesses via a set of audio tones that a customer service system can play to indicate this standard to callers.
I must admit that I doubt the future success of this effort... Until it - and companies - go so far as to pledge that customers can, at any time during a call to customer service, hit "0" and have a live person within 60 seconds (max!), it will do little, other than maybe offering better hold music to our ears.
Will this GetHuman-Microsoft effort really help? What are your thoughts?
You may try www.nophonetrees.com. They the idea to the next level and call users when operator from selected company waits for them on the line. It's cool!
Posted by: Marcin | August 30, 2006 at 09:53 PM
I think it would be helpful that when you GetHuman, you actually GotHelp!
The inability of many call center operators to truly know the products they are servicing or to have the power to effectively help the customer is still sorely lacking. Call center customer service has such a long way to go.
Posted by: Anne McLain | August 15, 2006 at 10:10 AM