{"id":1960,"date":"2015-08-19T07:54:40","date_gmt":"2015-08-19T11:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=1960"},"modified":"2015-08-19T07:54:40","modified_gmt":"2015-08-19T11:54:40","slug":"the-7-most-important-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=1960","title":{"rendered":"The 7 Most Important Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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If your life is anything like mine, you\u00a0spend<\/del> waste at least an hour every week, sometimes more, on a customer service\u00a0issue involving some third party vendor who claims to be in business to enhance your personal or professional life. Comcast, Verizon, First Energy and all health insurance providers top this list. I’m not sure why these companies still bother using\u00a0the word “service.” CHR or Customer Hindrance Representative would be more accurate.<\/p>\n

These\u00a0calls usually begin by pressing\u00a0lots of buttons, entering many codes and personal information, and then being put on hold due to “heavy call volume” while being told the “call is important to us.” Often, before the offshore CHR\u00a0picks up, the call is disconnected, and the process must be repeated. The latest “innovation” is notification that the call is being recorded. For whose benefit is that? One can only guess.<\/p>\n

Who remembers when customer service meant something?\u00a0When customers came before profits, calls were answered\u00a0by an actual living being\u00a0who had at least an elementary command of the English language, and who hadn’t been handed a robotic script\u00a0to answer questions? It wasn’t really that long ago. But apparently now companies think they can save<\/del> redirect money by hiring minimum wage, offshore CHRs and then, in the name of “training” hand them a list of responses that were certainly written by the legal department, and from which they cannot deviate. Not only are these\u00a0companies sending a message that they do not\u00a0trust their employees, apparently they also have little regard for their customers. The term “I apologize” is #1 on this script and so companies\u00a0have taken two sacred words and devalued them into\u00a0meaningless drivel that is\u00a0supposed to\u00a0solve all customer issues, regardless of the problem.<\/p>\n

Is it any wonder why consumers have so little regard for the companies with which they do<\/del> are forced to do business? Is it any wonder why trust in business continues to decline? Is it any wonder that more than 70% of employees are disengaged at work?<\/p>\n

Who decided this was a “better way?” How did this happen? Is there a solution?<\/p>\n

I propose a simple experiment.<\/p>\n