Customer Service: The Right Mix of Man and Machine

Brad Calls for Backup

I’ve been dealing with some billing issues for services at my former home that burned down in last year’s California wildfires. For months I’ve been trying to let my cable and Internet provider know that I no longer have a need for services at the location–one would think they would at least know where their clientele lives and whether the area has been devastated by a natural disaster–but lo and behold, the bill just kept showing up.

I finally got tired of being kicked from department to department getting non-answers, so I turned to the A-Team for help.

Well, it wasn’t quite that serious, but the local NBC I-Team was able to assist. 

After hearing my story they decided to pursue the issue and give me a consumer complaint feature. No company likes that kind of attention so the problem has since been resolved, but the feature is airing soon and I can possibly share some footage if you’re interested.

The whole ordeal has really highlighted the importance of having people on your side when dealing with companies. This time those people were a major network affiliate’s investigative team, but ideally it’s the human beings in the customer service department…can you imagine resolving an issue like that over an automated phone system?

That’s why in all but the most dire situations, I use gethuman.com to find living, breathing representatives at a company. Machines can’t do everything….yet.

Positively Linked

I always joke that we have no normal customers since we only work with independent insurance agencies, and LinkedIn is a great resource for finding agencies that can benefit from our IT support. It’s a highly effective tool for connecting with organizations, especially in conjunction with a product called Sales Navigator. There’s a monthly charge involved, but you know if Frugal Brad is shelling out for it, the service is well worth it.

Streamlined Screensharing

Speaking of IT, screen sharing for technical support can be a pain in the extreme lower lumbar region, between requiring a download (which spooks a lot of clients off the bat) and waiting while the person figures out how to use the program. Fortunately there’s Screenleap, an easy to use online screen sharing utility that doesn’t need a download and comes at a very reasonable price: free. We use it so much I almost want to figure out how to pay for it.

Almost.

It’s About Time

TImeTrade is another valuable resource for ensuring everything runs smoothly for Team Archway. TimeTrade makes scheduling appointments and sharing agendas with participants simple, and although it’s not free the services it provides are well worth it. Put simply, TimeTrade helps turn intentions into commitments, and I’m sure we all know that actually getting a prospect to nail down a time to sit down and chat is half the battle.

The Last Word

Well then, that will just about do it for this illuminating installment of “Brad’s Blog!” Thanks as always for making time to engage with me today, and if you want to schedule a time to speak geek before next week, just reserve a time here and I’ll return the favor. Here’s to a productive and fulfilling week!

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