by Len Maxwell
Member since:
December 17, 2005

Customer Service -- or Disservice? (Saturday Writing Essential)

June 16, 2012 12:20 AM UTC
views: 0 | 11 people recommend this | comments: 43

In response to my last call for reader challenges,  karen vaughan  had a great idea. The comments on her challenge,  Create a challenge satwe-YOUR TURN3  indicated that there might be a few writers who have something to say about this subject.

What might the following have in common?

Your computer goes on the fritz.
You order something and receive the wrong item.
You have a new water heater installed and find you have no hot water.

Yep, for each of those, you’re going to end up talking to a customer support or customer service representative.

 

This Week’s Challenge:

Write about a positive or negative customer service you have had.

[Prose or poetry; fiction, nonfiction, or essay.]

 

Ideas:

* You have been waiting in line at the returns counter for an hour. Finally you get up to the counter and they are about to close. How do you handle this?

*You call for customer/technical support.

*Dealing with a governmental agency.

 

Watch Out For:

You may have the urge to get up on a soap box or use insulting language-(government agencies tempt us to do so but try too avoid it)

 

Recap:

We had some great submissions this week and I have to compare them with an interview I heard with Stephen King yesterday. Although he didn’t talk about a character taking over his writing, he did admit that the story, itself, did occasionally go off on some direction he hadn’t considered. You might compare that idea with the following posts.

Saturday Writing Essential: whoopi Goldberg?! How'd YOU Get in?  by Sam Henderson

Tom (My Character Is in Control (Saturday Writing Essential)  by Pam Brittain

(Saturday Writing Essential) Remembering Adam  by Patrick M.

Who's Writing This? (Saturday Writing Essential)  by Len Maxwell

They wrote themselves satwe 6/9/12  by karen vaughan

Medium [Saturday Writing Essential 6-9-12]  by Paroles Palabras

 

Weekly reminder: Don't forget to recommend an article that you like (to learn why, read Ann Marcaida's article Attract More Writers and Artists to Gather!). Also, try to place a comment on at least one article and say more than you liked the piece. Tell the author what worked and what needs work.

The Rules:

  • Put this challenge statement at the beginning or end of your submission so readers will know what you’re supposed to do.

Challenge: Write about a positive or negative customer service you have had. [Prose or poetry; fiction, nonfiction, or essay.]

  • There is a limit of three submissions from each member per day. If you’re extremely prolific, spread out your work and post only three submissions per day.
  • Post to Gather Writing Essential.
  • Tag your submission with SatWE.
  • Include (Saturday Writing Essential) as part of your title.
  • I ask that you make your submission(s) by next Friday afternoon.

Good Writing!

Comments: 43

Patricia J. Jun 16, 2012, 1:46am UTC
This is an excellent challenge, I think everyone has dealt with customer service in their life and though it be good or bad there is something to be said about all customer service!!
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 2:07am UTC
Your post was exactly what we hoped to see. Thanks.
Jan S. Jun 16, 2012, 2:04am UTC
I like it, too. I called my phone service company recently and a human being answered. I was so shocked that I almost forgot why I'd called.
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 2:08am UTC
Whoa! Wait, a real human being answered? No way in heck. It must have been an android.
dreya y. Jun 16, 2012, 2:32pm UTC
Yeap, that was me.: )
Jan S. Jun 16, 2012, 3:59pm UTC
I know! I was expecting "press one for..." It was a pleasant surprise to speak with a person:)
Kathryn Flynn Jun 16, 2012, 2:55am UTC
ha, story of all our lives !!!



Featured in WHO MOVED MY CHEESE and WHERE'S THE CUSTOMER DISSERVICE TO DISMEMBER IT??? in the Triple Name Club.
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 1:26pm UTC
If there's a person who hasn't had any such contact, they probably don't have a computer, so we won't hear from them.

Thank you.
Kathryn Flynn Jun 16, 2012, 5:09pm UTC
:)
Bernard C. Jun 16, 2012, 4:49am UTC
Ooo complaints department..got any children? Have a hard life? Can you sail? Okay, its the third floor up second on the right..just ask for Roger he'll sort you out..Next!

Thanks for sharing and submitting to
The Surreal Circus.
Richard Lynn Livesay Jun 16, 2012, 10:13am UTC
interesting prompt, Len

Now Featured on Surreal Circus
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 1:27pm UTC
Oops, Bernard, Roger is on vacation until... mmm, about 2021.

Thanks, Richard.
August Lady Jun 16, 2012, 7:16am UTC
I have a story from the other end, i.e. a customer gave me a hard time, so if I can get into a writing mode...great prompt!
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 1:28pm UTC
Please get into writing mode. I would love to read something from "the other side."
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Jun 17, 2012, 2:11am UTC
Mine is from "the other side" as well. I've been working retail for over 10 years, and it ain't pretty.
JOHN BECK Jun 16, 2012, 7:24am UTC
I'm sure everybody has at least one customer service story.
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 1:30pm UTC
Yep, and most of them are going to be negative.
JOHN BECK Jun 16, 2012, 4:29pm UTC
Those are the ones we remember.
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Jun 17, 2012, 1:04am UTC
True, only the negative is ever remembered or mentioned.

I work in customer service. I can spend over 30 minutes helping a customer and not get so much as a thank you. But if I do something simple as not smiling I will have them call a manager over to tell them how horrible I was...even if the rest of my service was on-par.

I lost count of the number of complaints I had against me in the weeks between my fathers "4 weeks to live" diagnosis and his actual death, not because my service was bad but all because I couldn't' produce a fake smile for the customers.
M. Bradley McCauley Jun 16, 2012, 9:08am UTC
Customer service how can I ever forget?
Frustration, annoyance and often regret.
Age related hearing loss doesn't help at all
Sometimes I'm so frustrated, I just want to bawl.
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 1:41pm UTC
I think the hearing loss is most important in what you said. I'm pretty much deaf and I frequently have to ask people to repeat what they said. For some reason, a lot of people give me that "oh, geez, another old guy" look and then nearly shout their answers.
M. Bradley McCauley Jun 16, 2012, 1:49pm UTC
I play upon their sympathy. Before they can say another line, I say,
"I'm so sorry. I'm 75 and have hearing loss. I'll try to hear what you are saying so please speak a little louder and slower. I do thank you and again, I'm so sorry. Next thing I know, they are articulating and speaking louder without the 'geez, another old gal'.
Barbary C. Jun 16, 2012, 9:33am UTC

Quality control was better in the "old days."

Everyone has something to complain about - good prompt!
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 1:41pm UTC
I think that's a critical response, Barbary. Yes, quality control was better and that equated to fewer calls for help.
stephen berwaldt Jun 16, 2012, 10:08am UTC
My mom got so frustrated with them. A problem that has existed for many years. When she got really pissed at the person on the other end of the line, she'd say things like "Oh, does your boss pay your salary PERSONALLY?" You didn't mess with my mom.
Love this prompt, Len, I'm sure we all have horror stories to tell, and the occasional surprise where someone out there in cyberspace exceeds our low expectations by a nautical mile.

You rock, my friend. Good luck with this. A hot button that is sure to garner bunches of participants.

Thank you submitting to Gathers Luminous Writers and Artists. Now Featured.
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 1:49pm UTC
From just the comments, I think you're right in that there will be a lot of responses.

Thank you for the feature, something writers always like to see.
karen vaughan Jun 16, 2012, 10:45am UTC
Thanks for using my prompt Len.
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 1:46pm UTC
I don't know where my head was last night. Whenever I put up a challenge that was submitted by a reader, I always send that person a PM an hour or so before it's posted letting him/her know that his/her post is going live.

I forgot last night. No excuse, I just plain forgot to let you know. I'm sorry.
karen vaughan Jun 16, 2012, 1:50pm UTC
It was a nice surprise. I am honored that you used it.
Ms Lee P. Jun 16, 2012, 11:29am UTC
Nice prompt. I hope I have time to write something however I will definitely find time to read the other submissions.
Len Maxwell Jun 16, 2012, 1:48pm UTC
I already have a mental image of your little grandma standing in front of a return window and she's waving some broken product over her head.
jeanne clarke Jun 16, 2012, 1:53pm UTC
customer service - isn't that an oxymoron?
Greg Schiller Jun 16, 2012, 3:05pm UTC
In my business, law enforcement, we have a rather contentious relationship with many of our customers. It gets so bad that sometimes shot are exchanged. :)
J. Reid Jun 16, 2012, 5:25pm UTC
Smiles...

Thank you for submitting to: Not Gathering Dust!
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Jun 17, 2012, 12:53am UTC
I'll have to avoid reading these. Just reading some of the comments in here make me angry.

Or maybe I should write one come from the service givers point of view and how I got told to "Have a heart attack and die" by a customer this week.
jeanne clarke Jun 17, 2012, 11:55am UTC
I've been on both ends. When I worked customer service I tried to be as nice as possible. Unfortunately, I haven't received the same in kind these days. I much prefer dealing with computers.
Sheila Deeth Jun 20, 2012, 2:08pm UTC
But please not those computers that answer the phone and can't understand a word I say. "Yes," say I. "You said... no," says the computer. "If this is not correct...."
Pam Brittain Jun 17, 2012, 2:29pm UTC
These should be great fun.
Patricia Morgan Jun 17, 2012, 11:49pm UTC
Now this one sounds interesting to do
Patricia Morgan Jun 17, 2012, 11:51pm UTC
I have been on both sides but more on the customer service end where helping people is what I did. The most important thing I learned is to totally listen to what the customer has said and work on that first then offer some solutions to that problem
Alice G. Jun 18, 2012, 12:41am UTC
It is good to know that some CSR's really do listen-most of the ones I have dealt with are so busy formulating what they are going to say to me that they miss the gist of my problem.
Sheila Deeth Jun 20, 2012, 2:06pm UTC
I've actually just had two great experiences with customer support over the phone. Delta fixed my gluten-free meals and my husband's seat assignment and Frontier fixed an unexplained charge on our bill. Maybe I'll not be so nervous next time I have to phone someone.
Ed Da Head Toker Jun 20, 2012, 2:17pm UTC
I drew a blank again

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