Unspoken Rules of Customer Service

Oftentimes we get fairly upset and impatient with the people on the other end of our phone call when we're trying to get through to a customer service representative. Granted, the process alone of being able to speak to a customer service representative is daunting and can leave you on hold for hours on end, making you realize that you could be doing something more productive with your time than waiting for a customer service agent. Furthermore, when we finally do get an actual human on the other end of the line in place of the elevator music we're so accustomed to listening to, we actually sometimes get mad because they're not telling us what we want to hear or because the customer service representative is not doing what they're supposed to do.

This article comes at a time when Sprint is actually known for having some of the worst customer service, as displayed on MSN's Customer Service Hall of Shame. However, my experience working for the large cell phone company, Sprint PCS, has given me the ability to see the other side of the story. I didn't realize this before, but there are actually certain unspoken rules that customers, those on the other line, expect of customer service representatives.

#1: Listen to me scream "Why is my bill so high?" 854,617,389 times in one conversation!

Even though you have already answered the question of "Why is my bill so high?" many times over to the same person, you may just have to answer it several more times. You see, customers actually like hearing that they've gone over their minutes or that they have used their wireless phone as an internet connection even though they claim that "there's no possible way" because they actually "don't know how." And it doesn't matter that all those text messages added up to an extra $20 or $25, they still assume that Sprint messed up and charged them double than what they regularly should be paying! So even though you have told them why their bill is higher than normal, you may have a customer on the other line raising her voice and screaming that her bill is "so high" that you may just credit her back the money just to shut her up!

#2: Give in to Credit Junkies!

You know all those people who insist that the company actually wronged them, so they should be entitled to a credit? Or how about those folks who think that since they have been with Sprint for awhile that they deserve a credit? As a customer service representative for Sprint, I could see how many credits a customer received along the way. I know exactly what Credit Junkies are asking for and they're actually expecting me to credit them a few dollars because maybe they went over on their bill a little bit or their daughter used too many text messages! Thankfully, as a Customer Service Representative, I only had the ability to credit $25 to customer's bills for miscellaneous purposes; anything higher would need the approval of a supervisor. Credit Junkies will never give up, so why bother fighting it?

#3: Turn back on my phone right now!

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't do anything without a payment." That's the line I would normally use on a person who has simply not paid their bill or to someone who had gone over their Sprint Spending Limit. Customers actually think that you have the power to turn their phone back on without taking a payment! Even though they're screaming at the top of their lungs and saying that they're going to leave Sprint and give Sprint a bad name, as a Customer Service Representative I would have no power to turn their cell phone service back on without taking a payment. That would be absurd, first of all. Can you imagine Sprint not caring about receiving money for their service, but instead just letting customers have their phone service? It obviously wouldn't work, but customers expect this nonetheless!

There are many more unspoken rules that I got to know, but these are only a few that I experienced as a Customer Service Representative for Sprint PCS. There are two sides to every story, though, and to be fair I must say that Customer Service Representatives do make their fair share of mistakes! I actually had the pleasure of crediting a customer about $400 dollars just because another Customer Service Representative had messed up!

But more often than not, customer after customer would be rude, demeaning, condescending, and raise their voice all because they didn't get a credit that they thought they deserved or they went over their text message plan and assumed that I would credit them back their money! Don't worry, though, because Sprint Customer Service Representatives are there to be the verbal and mental punching bag that you need. They quietly take in all the abuse, and nicely be sure to exemplify the Sprint Customer Service Mission Statement of, "Sprint has the best customer service. I love talking to Sprint!"