Monday, February 09, 2009

Speak to me like I am a human... not a marketing target

So I was looking at getting sky installed at my house. Then at the last minute my house mate and I decided to move out. So when I went to phone the company that were supposed to install it they handed me onto the 'Sky Retention department'.

The girl that I spoke originally at the small install company to book it, was lovely and really helpful. Then the girl I spoke to this morning was the same. Then the 'sky retention department' were rude as all hell. First of all surely retention is a word we use in marketing departments not what we tell the customer. I got my back up straight away when he said he was from that department. Then the way he spoke to me was like I was a naughty child... asking me questions like I had done something wrong and I was in trouble.

I read Richard Branson's book a few years back and I have taken a disliking to BA ever since. I avoid them where possible and the two flights I have taken with them were pretty terrible. (its also amusing the airline from my homeland.. Qantas is looking to buy them... haha). I didnt want to get sky for the same general reason. But unfortunately I had no choice in my current building. But I am glad it worked out like this as I get to keep some of my views alive.
I think just small general customer service things like this are so easy to fix. The other smaller company did it so well. Companies like sky spend so much money on customer service departments and yet they are terrible. Most people at some point will talk to one of these people so its a major part of their presence to a lot of people.

Maybe mother should look to include it in their new brand campaign.

2 comments:

Daniel Oyston said...

"Speak to me like I am a human... not a marketing target" got my attention and even more so when you started talking about Sky because I had an experience the other night.

I got home and tried to turn on my Fox (Australian Sky … I know your Aussie but for the benefit of your non-Aussie readers). It wouldn’t turn on. It is a new IQ box but their website doesn’t have any re-set instructions.

So I called the customer service number to get help. I got the usual automated, phone menu stuff. I got to the point where it said “press 2 if you have IQ” and instead of pressing 2 I accidentally pressed the hang up button.

No word of a lie, I didn’t even finish yelling out “f$%*ing hell” and the phone was ringing in my hand. I answered it and it took me straight back to the menu options right where I had been cut off!

So I pressed 2 and got a “we have sent a signal to re-set your box. You will see light blah blah blah”. I was thinking “yeah right, how long will this take” but sure enough I walked back into the lounge room and it was fixed!

Now they didn’t talk to me at all like I was a human but I recon that was simply awesome!

mikej said...

thats ridiculous....unfortunately there is a CFO looking at costs who has a seat on the management board. Where the marketing guy sits in the corner and is just seen as someone who spends money.... nobody sees that he/she is looking after the future of the company