customerservice
Latest
Twitter adds business auto-replies for faster customer service
Twitter has been coming to terms with its role as a customer service platform recently, and the social network's latest update for business users should help speed up response times even further. According to today's announcement, Twitter is rolling out quick replies and welcome messages for businesses who communicate with their customers via DMs.
Vodafone fined £4.6m after PAYG top-up fails
Vodafone has been slapped with a hefty £4.6 million fine after failing to process customer top-ups. UK regulator Ofcom found that 10,452 pay-as-you-go (PAYG) customers weren't given a combined £150,000 in credit between December 2013 and April 2015. The affected users were relying on "E Top-Up" methods, including cash machines, direct debit, and E Top-Up swipe cards. According to Ofcom, the embarrassing snafu occurred after Vodafone changed its internal billing systems in 2010. The company "failed to act quickly enough" to address the problems and only stopped "customers from paying money for nothing" after Ofcom intervened.
Leaked Google support app shares your Nexus phone's screen
Buying a Nexus device straight from Google can be a little intimidating to newcomers. It's not as if you can visit a Google store or your carrier for help, after all. If an Android Police leak is accurate, however, you might not have to. The Android creator is reportedly working on a Google Support app that would offer live help somewhat akin to Amazon's Mayday. If needed, you'd have the option sharing your screen with a service agent -- they could walk you through changing a setting without having to guess what you're looking at. It's not certain what else is in store, but it's safe to say that chat would be part of the experience.
Samsung reps can remote control your S7 for troubleshooting
You know those calls you get from a friend or family member who just can't seem to figure out how to operate a smartphone? Samsung+ app's new feature could save you the trouble of having to spend hours helping them figure out how to switch on their mobile data connection or to connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones. The app's latest update adds a feature called "Assist," which allows representatives to take over and troubleshoot their phone for them.
It's getting easier to use Twitter for customer service
A lot of people turn to Twitter to ask for help from or to air their grievances against a particular company, knowing they can get a response faster that way. Due to the burgeoning customer service activity on its website, the microblogging service has launched two new features that can make the experience smoother for everyone. One of those tools allows a brand to add a link to its tweets that whisks customers away from public convos and takes them straight to direct messaging in one click.
AT&T sues former employees over phone unlocking hack scheme
AT&T has brought a lawsuit against three of its former employees and an Anaheim-based IT company, alleging that the group conspired to install malware on company computers that would illicitly generate unlock codes for customer phones. According to the suit, Anaheim's Swift Locks company worked with customer service reps in AT&T's Bothell, Washington center to nab unlock codes for phones that were still under contract (and therefore not eligible to be moved to another carrier's network) and then sell them for a profit.
Ofcom tells mobile networks to sort out their customer service
Mobile networks have a lousy reputation when it comes to customer service. The moment you walk into a store it's all smiles and pleasantries, but once you're an established subscriber the experience can quickly sour. If anything goes wrong with your account or network access, or you want to switch provider, calling a company representative can be a gruelling, stressful experience. Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, experienced an uptick in customer complaints between May and July this year. The numbers aren't unprecedented, but clearly Ofcom wants the situation to improve, not deteriorate. To that end, it's been meeting with carriers to "discuss their customer services practices and to drive improvements in behaviour." That's not an entirely new step for the regulator -- it's held similar talks in the past -- but the timing here could be particularly important.
My BT app lets you restart your router remotely
If you're a BT broadband, mobile or TV customer, it's now a tad easier to manage your account from a phone. BT has released a new app called "My BT" for iOS and Android, which lets you check recent bills, track hardware orders and review the packages that you're currently signed up to. More useful, perhaps, is the ability to check the status of BT services in your area -- for instance, when your home broadband suddenly crumbles -- and even alter an engineer appointment. The app will also offer assistance for improving your home network, and, if you're really lazy, give you the option to restart your BT Home Hub remotely. So when your connection is next on the fritz, you no longer have to get out of bed and break your Netflix marathon to do the whole "off and on" router routine.
TWC robo-calls customer 153 times, now owes her $229,500
Reuters reports that Time Warner Cable has been slapped with a hefty ($229,500) fine after hammering one of its own customers, Araceli King of Irving, Texas, with robo-calls. The cable company reportedly autodialed her 153 times in less than a year. The kicker: they weren't even looking for her -- TWC was actually looking for the guy that originally owned the phone number. But even after repeatedly pleading with the company and a seven minute discussion with a TWC rep in which she made it clear that she wasn't Luiz Perez (the number's original owner), she kept receiving calls. The harassment was so consistent and extensive that the company continued calling her -- an astounding 74 times -- after she instigated her lawsuit in March 2014.
Comcast 'Co-Pilot' is tech support screen sharing for your DVR
Comcast's X1 DVR platform is pretty powerful, but with more moving parts comes the chance for more things to go wrong. As PC tech support users might know, sometimes the easiest way to describe a problem isn't to speak at all, but to give someone remote access to your computer so they can see what's what. Comcast is trying that with "Co-Pilot" which allows customer service reps to take control and walk you through any fixes. You shouldn't have to worry about anything nefarious going down, though: the techs can only access your DVR after being given a special code. Currently Co-Pilot is in a limited trial phase but Comcast plans to go wide with it later this year. Not too shabby for one of the most-hated companies in America, eh? [Image credit: Getty Images]
Dude, you're getting a call from Dell
Right or wrong, Dell once had a reputation for some terrible customer service. But to its credit, the company seems to be showing some self-awareness. After making some recent improvements to its support for business customers, Dell is extending some of the same privileges to consumers as well. With a new support plan, appropriately named Premium Support, people can install a "SupportAssist" app that detects any problems with their PC. Then, Dell will call or email you, if you don't get to them first. All told, Dell says it should take the support team no more than two hours to get in touch. If you're feeling impatient, though, you can still call yourself, in which case you have access to a dedicated technical support line (you know, separate from what the plebes use). Either way, the service includes support not just hardware problems, but third-party software too, which not all PC warranties cover.
Google is testing Hangouts-based customer service
Google isn't exactly known for interacting directly with its customers, but according to TechCrunch, the company wants to change that -- if you're looking to a buy a new gadget. Apparently, Mountain View has started testing a service on the Play Devices page that connects you to a Google Device Expert through Hangouts. Remember Helpouts, that portal the company introduced in 2013 where you can get lessons or ask for advice from professionals for a price? It's somewhat similar as they both go through Hangouts, but consultation for this service is thankfully free. You'll simply have to navigate to Devices' Help section and choose Video call to ask actual human reps about the smartphones, tablets and Chromebooks the company's selling. Curiously, it doesn't include Nest and its products Dropcam and Protect, so you're on your own if you're in the process of automating your home. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
Comcast's new customer service fix: use the app to schedule a call
Years of being dinged for ineffective and unresponsive customer service may be catching up to Comcast, which is finally responding with some much-needed tweaks. Charlie Herrin became its SVP of Customer Experience in September, bringing new features to the My Account app (iOS, Android) that track the progress of field technicians and now, arrange customer service call backs. The way it works, customers can initiate troubleshooting within the app, and if that doesn't work or doesn't apply, choose a convenient time for a rep to call them instead of wasting time sitting on hold. There's also an option to tweet for support as well, so whatever way you prefer works. Options like this have existed before, with phone prompts during periods of high call volume, but putting it in the app should make it easier for customers to monitor when their issue will be addressed without having to go through the phone tree in the first place.
Comcast wants customers to track and rate its technicians
When it comes to offering great customer service, Comcast's reputation on the matter is far from being healthy. Every now and then, the company gets put on the map for making its subscribers go through rather tedious experiences -- to get an idea, just listen to the recording of this call. But Comcast knows it can do better, so it's taking some necessary steps to get to where it wants to be. As such, it is now testing a feature that lets its customers track and rate technicians whenever they have a scheduled appointment.
Carrier IQ gives its remote smartphone diagnosing tool a global release
Carrier IQ has let customer service reps diagnose smartphones from afar with its IQ Care software for a while, but now the solution has been given a worldwide release. By wielding IQ Care (and asking a phone owner's permission, we're assured), technicians can see device-specific stats such as a battery's drain rate, percentage of app failures, frequency of dropped calls and more. The outfit hopes that its software will make support calls shorter and ensure that fewer fully-functioning devices aren't misdiagnosed and returned needlessly. As of now, however, there isn't any word on which networks or hardware manufacturers will join the metric-hungry flock.
An interview with PayPal president David Marcus: as offline / retail prominence grows, a renewed focus on customer service
One doesn't have to look far to find my true feelings on just about any company. PayPal, in particular, has been on the wrong end of many examples of customer service gone horribly wrong. After lambasting the payments outfit once more following a gaffe I discovered while interviewing Infinitec co-founder Ahmad Zahran, I did something I rarely do: I reached out to the company's president on Twitter. A few hours later, the 39-year old David Marcus responded. At the time, I was floored to get anything more than a passing sigh, but after visiting his new home - a nondescript office at PayPal's headquarters in San Jose, Calif. - I learned that my experience wasn't a unique one. Marcus, a tall, handsome chap who was absorbed into eBay after a $240 million acquisition of mobile-payments provider Zong, was bestowed with the herculean task of running PayPal not long after Scott Thompson departed for Yahoo. Upon walking up to his office, it becomes immediately clear that he's aware of it -- his room is labeled "GSD," which the clever among us would recognize as "Get Sh*t Done." Outside of a few tall windows, there's little more here than a desk, a striking Nixie clock and a personal coffee machine -- seemingly, the bare essentials needed to achieve the three-lettered goal he sees each time he enters. Under Thompson's guidance, PayPal had grown at a rate seen by only a handful of other companies in the world, notching double-digit profit increases like clockwork. As it turns out, Thompson had little choice but to focus almost entirely on risk management and investor relations during his tenure - with millions in transactions pouring in by the hour, and new nations and currencies being added by the month - it simply had to be all about the numbers. Now, PayPal finds itself thrust into a new era. It's an era led by a startup junkie, tasked with getting a 13,000-plus-member team to buy into an entirely new culture. It's a culture that realizes how sensitive consumers are to financial taboos, how vital it is to iterate before rivals can even plan and how irreparably damaged PayPal's brand could become if customer service isn't a top priority as it soldiers into the world of offline payments. %Gallery-172861%
AT&T offers personalized 'video bills' to explain and soothe in equal measure
We don't know if this has customers' interests at heart, or if AT&T's call center staff were just sick to the eyeballs of having to explain people's bills to them, but the end result is the same either way. Folks who join AT&T or switch to a new plan are now increasingly being offered "video bills" that provide a "line-by-line visual and audio tour" of individual items on their statement. Judging from the sample video after the break, it seems that only the numbers inside the video are personally tailored, while the voice track is predetermined and makes the difficult assumption that all AT&T subscribers are called Brian.
The extremes of technology customer service: how common sense and empathy create unmatched loyalty
Allow me to explain how two discussions started off in very similar ways, and ended... shall we say, differently. This is me, attempting to muster any sort of pleasantness in my voice at some ungodly hour of the morning on a Google Voice connection from Dubai back to the US: "Hey! I'm having to cut a trip short due to an emergency back home. I actually purchased a trip protection plan when I checked out online -- would it be possible to provide a refund for this flight now that I need to cancel it?" From here, I was told that this was too vague. That I would need medical proof of an injury or illness, and that if it were a pre-existing condition -- something like reoccurring cancer -- that simply wouldn't do. Oh, and if it's a home emergency, you'll need proof from your home insurance company that your abode is "uninhabitable." "So... I'm basically hosed here? This trip protection plan doesn't really protect very much, does it?" "... Do you want to file the claim?" "No. That's okay. Thanks for your time." It doesn't have to be this way.
Sprint to increase in-store service for iPhone customers
A Sprint training doc leaked by iSource and confirmed to be authentic by Engadget suggests Sprint is increasing its support options for iPhone owners. According to the document, dealers and preferred retailers will offer improved in-store service for iPhone customers starting on October 15. The training starts on September 6 and covers iTunes, iCloud, hardware troubleshooting and software options for iPhone owners. It's required for a range of employees, including managers, sales reps and technicians. The document claims that by the end of the training, Sprint sales reps and techs should be proficient in handling almost any issue Sprint iPhone customers may have. Though many are using this document to claim Sprint will delay the launch of the next iPhone, I don't see any evidence that this document applies to the new iPhone. It's likely a separate program meant to improve customer service, which is an area that Sprint has been focusing on for the past few years.
Customer service avatars coming to JFK, La Guardia, Newark airports (video)
When you're running late, you're weighed-down with DIY in-flight entertainment and your gate number gets switched at the last minute, the last thing you need is a real-life human trying to be helpful. The Port Authority knows that, which is why it's promising to install "computerized, hologram-like avatars" in La Guardia, Newark and JFK terminal buildings by early July. The virtual assistants aren't actually holographic -- judging from the video after the break (courtesy of Transportation Nation), they appear to consist of either projected or LCD video displayed on a vaguely human-shaped static board, although given their reported $250,000 price tag we might (hopefully) be missing something. Oh, and they aren't even interactive, unless you try to push them over. [Photo Credit: Jim O'Grady/WNYC]
