when you log in to a website, open a support chat, and the first thing they ask you is for your account number ... like, why did I bother logging in?? How is this information not present when I start a support session, if I have to be logged in to even initiate it?
Enterprise software is dumb.
omg and when you call the support line, and the phone tree verifies your address, and then you actually get a human and the first thing they ask is for your address ... *facepalm*
@darkuncle Sometimes it's for authentication, either whether you know the address in the first place or voiceprint matching. Sometimes, I suspect, it's because of lame IT.
@stshank see, if it's for authentication the interaction should begin "for security purposes, can you please confirm your address?" - because that way you at least *think* this whole song and dance is for a reason other than "our IT systems are lame and do not talk to each other"
Having worked for call centers and call center providers - that's part of it. Think of it as a low-impact sort of MFA. They don't need your address - they have it. They want to make sure you know it, because call routing isn't 100% reliable - it's not unknown for that sort of thing to criss-cross. They say "for security purposes" because the implication is we're doing it to protect you. Which we are, kinda. (It also helped with piracy, assuming you registered)
But - theres a sneaky human psychology secondary reason. Sometimes, callers are *upset*. By interrupting their pent up complaints with a simple request for info, you can short circuit that response and often get them back on a productive path. I've also found that *immediately* thanking them for their patience - no matter how long they actually waited, or how impatient they seemed to be - cuts off complaints at the knees. *we know the queue was long*. Rather than talk about it and make it longer, we switch the focus to your actual reason to call. Gettin you an answer and off the phone helps you, helps the provider, and helps everyone waiting behind you.
Fwiw - my full greeting spiel, burned forever in my spine: "Hello, this is Tom on a recorded line - thank you for your patience! May I have your customer ID or serial number, please?" - in energetic, upbeat tone. We established:
1) my name, and now I'm a person, not a random voice.
2) recorded line, so people immediately tone it down or they're the hit of the next xmas party.
3) they're patient! And are being praised for that! It'd be a shame to prove that wrong.
4) I have a simple task for them to do so I can help - this is it! Its their turn, and now we're waiting on them.
That set above reduces conflict by an easy 85%.
@Biggles @stshank @darkuncle LOL. Falls flat on its face in Europe, where recording requires the callers consent.
@darkuncle @dozykraut @stshank
We pre-announce it on the recording they listen to while waiting - and just because we say we're recording doesn't mean we actually are. In reality, we recorded occasionally for quality control purposes, but we announced it every call. Never once had anyone complain - they were there for other reasons.
