Customer Service: Bad Training or Bad Employees?

{keep it courteous}

In a large organization, especially one with a retail operation, customer service concerns are best addressed as close to a problem as possible.  A store manager is much better able to counsel employees and apply a remedy than a remote call center agent.

Store greeters are poor spokespeople regarding the inventory history for multiple stores in a metro area.

Finally, in-store orders are delivered from warehouse stock, not individual retail inventory.

Ok, so I am curious about your statement about "bad training or bad employee" statement.  When the employee was "chatting" with his colleague were they talking about your order?  If so, he was getting help.  The 3-4 weeks was to have the order sent to you, regardless if they never had it at that store.  I dont know why he would've told you that, since the 6 plus had a longer delivery time than that at that time. If you got the email saying the date range for getting your phone, why did it take you 36 days to say that you didn't like the long wait?  I would be calling them up that day and telling about my frustration.

I think is both. There's really not one side fault only. Is going to be hard to find. Usually is a combination of both. Some people might just not be a good person, so when they are hired to do the job, they might say yes they will do the job right, but once they are on the position, they do whatever they want pretty much. Training, some of those training might be a joke if you see it. So, bottom line, bad training and bad employees. Matter of fact, useless employees you can say.

Good Evening deenalove08,

If the employee was chatting to his colleague about my order, I wouldn't be putting that up as a complaint, it would be a smart thing for a salesman to do.  I easily accepted a 3-4 week wait, becuase I know Apple how long a wait is after a launch.  I too don't know why he told me 3-4 weeks, I'm not the employee, I go by what I've been told.  

Why did I wait so long to get in touch with an AT&T rep?  That's a good question, I believe that it's called life, work, family community obligations.  

I'm not sure how you got the title "Scholar" under your name, but it's certainly not becuase of your courteous words nor your customer service, LOL.   

I'm a corporate trainer and I can't believe that you're an employee of AT&T, but a fan who appearantly has received good service from the company.  I hope you cherish that.

I do want to thank you for taking the time to respond to segments of my statement.

With Regards,

Gerry

I would think bad employees, they can go through "all the motions" getting training, but only talking story when helping customers, no good. Management better be on the ball also, watching out for this kind of behavior. Maybe treat them like children, if they act like them!

My mother (mind you, I am 43 years of age) always complains about how I come off very agresssive to those in customer service. On the contrary. I was in CS for a long time. I know how to give make a consumer happy. It is baffling to me that a place as large as AT&T cannot pull it together.

What she calls aggressive is this:

Good morning, this is AT&T (after verifying who I am, transferring me, being on hold for 15 minutes then to have to explain my problem all over again) :

Thank you for telling me your problem, I certainly would like to help. How is the weather there?

Me: Forgive me, I have been this call almost 25 minutes and my problem has not been resolved. I would like to get to the heart of the matter. 

That's what she considers mean.

Another CS pet peave: When they transfer you to another dept or to a manager, you have to explain your problem AGAIN. Why not relay the information to the dept or manager and then connect the call? Good customer involves helping your client with the best resolution in the least amount of time. Does it not?

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@songbird71 wrote:

My mother (mind you, I am 43 years of age) always complains about how I come off very agresssive to those in customer service.

 

[...]

 

What she calls aggressive is this:

 

Good morning, this is AT&T (after verifying who I am, transferring me, being on hold for 15 minutes then to have to explain my problem all over again) :

Thank you for telling me your problem, I certainly would like to help. How is the weather there?

 

Me: Forgive me, I have been this call almost 25 minutes and my problem has not been resolved. I would like to get to the heart of the matter. 

 

That's what she considers mean.

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Beginning a customer service interaction with "forgive me" is bad form.  Listen to your mother.

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@songbird71 wrote:

Another CS pet peave: When they transfer you to another dept or to a manager, you have to explain your problem AGAIN. Why not relay the information to the dept or manager and then connect the call? Good customer involves helping your client with the best resolution in the least amount of time. Does it not?

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A warm transfer is almost always preferable but not possible or even realistic when there are long hold times.  Call notes are helpful for a transfer or escalation, but they are a supplement to, not a substitute, for the customer's personal explanation. 

Hello Everyone.  On December 7, I vented on how I ordered an iPhone 6+ on October 25, 2014 at an AT&T store in West Nyack NY.  I hit the boiling point when the sales rep told me that I shoudl have the phone in 3 to 4 weeks, which, at the time was reasonable since the iPhone 6 & 6+ was launced in September.  Well, on Monday, December 22nd, the iPhone 6+ arrived, almost two months since the date of order.  

The first thing is, it is now my Christmas/Hanukkah gift.  Second, it's the first day, but I am enjoying it. Third, I believe that AT&T knows that have a good competitive business model, but they are losing on the Customer Service front.  Then, again, Verizon isn't that much better.  Since T-Mobile and now a new smaller company, Cricket who uses the T-Mobile lines and are competitively priced could begin to provide some competition to the big two.  (No, I didn't forget about Sprint).  I cannot comment on T-Mobile and Cricket, but if they can rev up a good customer service media campaign, well, giants do fall hard.

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@instructor1 wrote:

Good Evening Everyone.  As a corporate trainer, I take time and effort to provide good service when teaching.  I'd like to share an incident that I experienced at my local AT&T store in West Nyack NY in the Palisades Center. 

On October 25th, I ordered an iPhone 6 plus with a young salesman.  During the ordre taking process, he chatted with anohter colleague (I use that term as a matter of respect), during this sales process.  Whenever, I politely interupted, I was the one who was made to feel that I was more of a bohter than a person dropping a few hundred dollars.

I asked when I should receiver the phone and he said 3 to 4 weeks.  OK, knowing that it's a new product, I could handle another month with my iPhone 5.  The next day, I receive and email from AT&T letting me know that my new iPhone 6 plus will not ship until 12/4/2014-12/15/2014.  

That's a bit longer than 3-4 weeks, but so be it.  On Dec. 2nd I chatted via AT&T's chat text with a good representative names Jennifer.  I explained my frustration having to wait so long, and expressed my displeasure witht the lack of professionalism at that particular AT&T store.  As a good customer service rep. she felt my pain and politely appeased me.  I explained that I need to vent and she understood.  She also told me that she would even follow up and file a complaint on my behalf to the store manager.  (I still have the printout of our conversation).  

Then an amazing thing happened, on Thursday, December 4th, I got an update from AT&T, yes, my dream came true, my iPhone 6 plus is now ready to be shipped between 12/12/2014-12/19/2014.  So, today, I went to my "favorite" AT&T store and inquired what the deal is.  The greeter there told me that no AT&T store in the Rockland/Westchester area has EVER received any iPhone 6 Plus' with 128 GB in any color.  

So, why would a store, or store employee take an order for a product they never had in stock, are unsure if they will get that product in stock.  

Is this poor training or bad employees?  Could I have experienced both?

However, not all AT&T stores are the same, I did have a magnificent experience a few months ago at the AT&T store in the Garden State Plaza in Paramus NJ.  I inquried about the AT&T new security program.  He checked my address to see if the area was hooked up.  It was not, but was in the close stages, this salesman, went to his manager for assistance, together they took all my details and  said they would talk to the area manager.  Although they were not successful in getting the sale, they did go that extra mile for the customer (me).   So, it appears that training is not the same across the board, but, let me tell you, if I were the AT&T training director, I'd be hitting those stores with secret shoppers and going into the field personally.

Has anyone else had promises made and promises broken by AT&T?  Let me know.

 

Regards,

Gerry 

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Just a head up instructor1 Cricket was bought out by AT&T not Tmobile.