To Thy Customers, Be True
Just last month, I transitioned to a new role, leading Digital Transformation at Weave. For my first act, I am heading up an ambitious initiative to significantly improve our customer experience by digitally transforming our support operations. Weave cherishes its customers and yet, we recognize that we need to continuously make disruptive shifts in how we serve them to affirm how much we cherish them. It is the same reason why I say “I love you” to my wife and each of my children at least once a day — they need to hear and feel that affection repeatedly through my words and deeds.
This last weekend, I experienced a marvelous opportunity to step into the shoes of someone calling into support. Prior to selling an iPhone, I called my mobile carrier, to unlock the phone. Note — I have really enjoyed using them over the last 2 years; great offerings and support. Within 10–15 minutes, one support agent executed the whole process, engaged the device unlock team and made sure it was done. That was it — phone unlocked — or so I was told.
After my customer received the phone, he took it to his carrier and was told it was not unlocked. I was anxious. My first response was to ensure him that I would act immediately and resolve the issue. My integrity was on the line. I sold him an unlocked phone and it was not unlocked. I dropped what I was doing to resolve the issue.
Thursday
Chat is down, so I call the Support number.
Agent 1 answers and transfers me to the Device Unlock team since the phone was deactivated. The hold message recommends to me that since hold times are more than 100 minutes, I should call back another time. I still hold and I get disconnected after about 100 minutes.
Agent 2 answers; I explain my situation and I get back into the queue. Hold times are more than 100 minutes. I disconnect after a few minutes of waiting.
Agent 3 answers; I explain my situation again. Agent tells me that it appears the Device Unlock team has gone home for the night. He promises to call me the next morning at 9 AM.
This is when I realize my golden opportunity — to wait as long as necessary to experience the pain that a customer might feel when resolution takes a long time. Half of this decision is a moral one. I owe it to my customer. The other half is recognizing that this a wonderful way to get into character for my new role. My wife thinks I am legitimately crazy when I explain my resolve to see this through the end.
Friday
Chat is still down. Agent 3 calls me back at 9:30 AM. He ensures me that no one is in the queue for the Device Unlock team. Hold times are more than 100 minutes. I hold for 3.5 hours, while I do my work. By this time, my mind is going numb with the repetitive music, which I am now whistling. What is happening to me? I disconnect. At this point, I have never waited this long on the phone for support. I am entering into uncharted territory.
Agent 4 answers. I explain everything again. I stop them from connecting me to the Device Unlock team, pleading with them to escalate so that I can speak with a supervisor. Finally, they escalate to Tier 2. Tier 2 answers and tries their best to resolve the issue. They even try calling Apple, thinking that maybe they are the bottleneck. She calls: Apple’s wait times are more than 100 minutes. While we hold, I connect separately with Apple’s support. They have nothing to do with this. After sharing this info with the agent, she finally escalates. Her response, after consulting Tier 3, is that we probably just need to go to the Device Unlock team. After pleading to escalate in some other way, she still transfers me. Hold time is greater than 100 minutes. I get back to work and hold for almost 4 hours before leaving my home office, heading upstairs to work on dinner. I am not in a good mood. My family can sense it. I don’t like being angry. After keeping my customer updated throughout the day, I offer him a full refund; he can keep the locked phone at no cost. He asks that I try to resolve it for a bit more. Out of respect for his wishes, I continue. Ugh. When will this nightmare end?
That evening, I gamble again. I call, then get placed in the queue. Disconnect. Again, I call, then get placed in the queue. No escalation paths. No alternative means to facilitate interaction with the Device Team. Message: Hold for more than 100 minutes. I am now starting to lose my mind. I send Linkedin requests to three senior executives at the company, asking for help. One even attended my alma mater. Maybe he will have mercy to help me fulfill my commitment to my customer. Wishful thinking.
Saturday
Chat is still down. Call twice, same story.
Monday
Chat is still down. Hold for two hours. Same story. Hold times are more than 100 minutes. An agent promises he will hold for me and then call me back when he connects to the Device Unlock team. I never hear back from him. I refund the customer, asking for his forgiveness many times over. I let him know that if somehow this device gets unlocked, I will let him know.
Tuesday
Chat is still down. Same story. I am now educating Tier 1 staff on everything I have learned. No — calling Tier 2 will not help. No — my phone is not activated and the only way to solve apparently is through the Device Unlock team. No — this is not an Apple issue. They agree to hold and then call me back when they connect with the Device Unlock team. Surprisingly, they call me back but the news is not good. They weren’t able to connect since hold times were greater than 100 minutes and the resolution was to have me join the queue. Before I ask them to not do transfer me, I hear the mind numbing music and the hold time message: hold time is more than 100 minutes. Later in the day, the VP of Customer Service Operations accepts my Linkedin invite. But no response to my message for help. I do not love this carrier anymore. In fact, I am on the market for a new mobile provider. I am done calling. The experiment is over as abruptly as it started.
While arduous, this experiment has been effective. On one hand, I feel deep pain for ANY support call that happens. On the other hand, this experience has weakened my will. It has brought out feelings that I don’t like to feel. I feel horrible for the pain I have caused my customer. I feel bad for having a bad mood around my family. I question the motives of the carrier’s leadership team, which seem to have created a lose-lose situation for not only their customers, but also for their employees who have no apparent escalation paths available to them.
There is no question that COVID has created a whirlwind of uncertainty, and businesses are required to respond with some hard business decisions. Some of those decisions will even negatively affect customers. But those business decisions should never cause customers to question motives. For that is precisely the moment that even the most fervent Promoter will turn into the most fervent Detractor.
As a B2B company, we have a moral obligation to serve our customers in a way that they can deliver on their own moral obligations to their customers. When issues arise that affect businesses, this ends up causing exponential pain not just singular pain. While theoretically and practically impossible to achieve, we must always remember that even one support call is short of what we should be striving for.
Modifying Benjamin Franklin’s famous words on time, “Do not squander your customers, for they are the stuff that companies are made of.” Or in other words, To Thy Customers, Be True.
*And just in case you are wondering - Yes, chat is still down and hold time is still greater than 100 minutes at the carrier.
