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Being a call center/centre agent is hard. Having 75 customers ask the same question would push me over the hill. Restaurant servers have the same struggles; smiling and reciting daily specials grows old pretty fast. But most waiters seem happy to serve. And I think the reason is what gets left behind
after the meal: the tip. Tipping is a great tool-
a) it provides quick feedback to the server
b) gently rewards good service
If my AT&T customer service rep knew resolving my issue would get him a tip I bet I'd get better service. With the technology available today I see no reason why call centers couldn't quickly incorporate a tip system.
While customer is on hold the automated phone prompt says, "Your call will be answered in 3 minutes. If the agent resolves the issue to your satisfaction and if you feel need to tip press numbers 1 through 9 in your keypad after the call. Tipping is completely voluntary." If I press 3 a $3 dollar tip is given to the agent.
This kind of technology already works with text messaging. I recently gave my favorite radio station a $10 donation which was automatically added to my cell phone bill. The radio station isn't connected with the phone company. A 3rd party service provider manages the payment; but from the customer perspective the transaction was seamless.
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[+] However, I find a bit Pollyannaish your description of
how the feedback/reward effect of tips operates on
servers. Their wages are based on the expectation that
they'll earn a lot of their income in tips, so they're not so
much smiling in the hope of bigger tips as in the fear of
being stiffed. You can get a slave to smile at you, too, if
he knows he'll be beaten for acting surly. |
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Also, I suspect this is baked. Increasingly, I find I'm asked
to take a customer satisfaction survey after interacting
with a customer service rep. I'd bet money that the rep's
performance review includes a review of the survey
results; I've seen that exact system used even with much
higher-paid employees at firms seeking to improve
customer satisfaction. |
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so after purchasing a fraudulent product I then have to bribe the company to get it to work to spec ? or more likely (and this is the "customer survey" part), leave them a tip depending on how much bullshit they can shovel ? |
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[-] ... and the horse you rode in on. |
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we could level the economic playing field if you
could also trade sex for good support services. |
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"not sure if we can help you with that, sounds like a
software problem, but if you will begin by telling me
what you are wearing....." |
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Needs to operate in both positive and negative domains. |
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"solved your problem ?" Press *, 1-9 to tip. |
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"Asked you 'Do you have an ADSL filter in every phone socket ?' yet again ?" Press #, 1-9 for 1kV to 9kV shock to their private parts .... |
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[+] I like how direct the feedback is... it is supposed to be customer service after-all so perceptions of the customers should be everything. |
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Also what mouseposture said about restaurant service... I think it is important that the restaurant make it very clear on the menu or signs or something what their wages/tip policy is and possibly some guidelines for those who are travelling and may not know the culture/ expectation. |
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This is sort of OK. Philosophically, I hate it, because
somewhere along the line I am already paying for customer
service, and I don't feel that I should have to pay extra
just to receive it. I don't tip builders, or people on
supermarket checkouts, or my internet provider. On the
other hand, maybe that's why I get crap building work,
slow checkouts and hopeless broadband. |
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I'd prefer a scheme where, at the end of each call, you just
selected a score from 0-9, and people whose score
averaged below, say, 4 over a week were penalized or
fired. |
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If you insist on implementing this, then I'd like my regular
bill (or cost of product, or whatever) reduced so that, if I
get reasonable service and reflect this in reasonable tips,
my
total outlay is the same. |
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Whatever happened to that strange concept that you paid
someone a decent wage and they did the best they could? |
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//Whatever happened to...// That system requires good
quality people as employees. The other system is more
popular because it works with lower quality people.
Unfortunately, not "also" but "instead." |
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