This happened to me about an hour ago and honestly, I'm still pretty shaken up from it. All those machines at the fitness center...BUT NO FREAKIN' PUNCHING BAGS! Anyway...let me throw this by you guys...perhaps you have policies like this, though honestly, I think it's BS. A tier 2 agent got ready to transfer me a call and aaaaaaaaalll hell broke loose.
Me: "Alright, so what's going on?"
Tier 2 Agent: "Well, basically the customer was just installed today and he can't connect wirelessly."
Me: *Look over his account. Verify that he only has a telephone modem and no wireless modem or router supplied through us.* "Uh, actually, what kind of router was it?"
T2: "Well, it's a Linksys."
Me: "Yeah, that's not ours. It's a third party router."
T2: "Well, the customer was insistent that the technician set it up."
Me: "We don't supply Linksys routers."
T2: "The customer said it was."
Me: (What am I, a parrot?!) "We don't supply Linksys routers."
T2: "Well, we're not allowed to argue with the customer."
Me: (WHAT) "Look, you need to try to directly connect to the modem. This is not our router."
T2: "Well, do you want to tell the customer that?"
Me: *I notice something strange...they don't have a data occurrence for the telephone modem! In other words, no Internet anyway! * "No, you need to directly connect. Further, I don't even see a data occurrence here anyway."
T2: "Well that's not what my system's showing."
--- Intermission ---
Let's go over what's just been done. First, I verify it's a Linksys router...not a wireless modem/router combo and not a Netgear (sometimes we will supply those). I have stated WHAT the agent needs to do and he really doesn't seem to care. I have ALSO stated that the customer wouldn't be able to get Internet access anyway, but he chooses to believe the customer over me, implying that it IS our router and he DOES have Internet, only not. Back to the show!
--- End Intermission ---
One of my coworkers leans over and informs me that a tier 2 agent has been transferring us customers like this lately and he's received LOTS of negative feedback. He further explains to me to get his supervisor if he doesn't quit. Guess what happens?
Me: "Sir, I'm going to say it again. He does not have a data occurrence. He does not have our router. Even if he had a data occurrence, he would need to directly connect."
T2: "Well, my supervisors have already approved this because the customer insisted it was his router."
Me: (THAT'S IT) "Then you won't mind getting your supervisor on the line!"
T2: "O-oh, not at all! H-hold please!"
*Annoying ass musack.*
Tier 2 Supervisor: "This is Richard Cranium, how can I help?"
Me: "Yeah, why is it your agent was trying to transfer over a customer with a Linksys router without trying to directly connect?"
T2S: "I do apologize about that. Under normal circumstances, yes, he should have directly connected."
Me: *Wow...suddenly, someone that makes sense!* "Right."
T2S: "However, we're not allowed to say the customer's lying."
Me: (WHAT) "When did I say that?"
T2S: "If he says he get his router from us, we have to believe him. We can't tell him he's wrong. We can't say no."
Me: (WHAAAAAAAAT) "Wait, so you're saying you know the router isn't ours..."
T2S: "That's correct, but we can't directly connect if the customer insists it's ours."
Me: "No, you just said it's not ours. Therefore, you have to try to direct connect."
T2S: "But why would we deliberately bypass our own equipment?"
Me: "You just said it wasn't ours!"
T2S: "We're not allowed to lie to the customer."
GOD LET ME HAVE THE POWER NECESSARY TO KILL THIS MAN AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY. The conversation went like this for another good 10 minutes. This asshole tried to argue that though he knew the equipment wasn't ours and the agent also knew it, they couldn't directly connect because that would be lying to the customer. Kinda wish I was wearing my boots...it's getting a little deep.
Now the good news. The customer eventually DID connect with the third party router. How? Because I added the data occurrence, with the customer on the line (who had eventually been cold transferred via the supervisor when he was "done" with me), which resulted in a SALE. Even better, the customer was just happy that he had someone competent and willing to help him.
Well, I guess it's just okay news. If anything, I'm still pissed. It really doesn't seem to be getting any better in our department. The tier 2 groups are getting progressively worse and snotty to boot. With supervisors like THAT backing them, it's pretty obvious why. So what do you guys think? What do you think would be the best policy in dealing with this? It's starting to get out of hand and we even have a supervisor (one of my favorites, in fact) leaving because of all of it.
Me: "Alright, so what's going on?"
Tier 2 Agent: "Well, basically the customer was just installed today and he can't connect wirelessly."
Me: *Look over his account. Verify that he only has a telephone modem and no wireless modem or router supplied through us.* "Uh, actually, what kind of router was it?"
T2: "Well, it's a Linksys."
Me: "Yeah, that's not ours. It's a third party router."
T2: "Well, the customer was insistent that the technician set it up."
Me: "We don't supply Linksys routers."
T2: "The customer said it was."
Me: (What am I, a parrot?!) "We don't supply Linksys routers."
T2: "Well, we're not allowed to argue with the customer."
Me: (WHAT) "Look, you need to try to directly connect to the modem. This is not our router."
T2: "Well, do you want to tell the customer that?"
Me: *I notice something strange...they don't have a data occurrence for the telephone modem! In other words, no Internet anyway! * "No, you need to directly connect. Further, I don't even see a data occurrence here anyway."
T2: "Well that's not what my system's showing."
--- Intermission ---
Let's go over what's just been done. First, I verify it's a Linksys router...not a wireless modem/router combo and not a Netgear (sometimes we will supply those). I have stated WHAT the agent needs to do and he really doesn't seem to care. I have ALSO stated that the customer wouldn't be able to get Internet access anyway, but he chooses to believe the customer over me, implying that it IS our router and he DOES have Internet, only not. Back to the show!
--- End Intermission ---
One of my coworkers leans over and informs me that a tier 2 agent has been transferring us customers like this lately and he's received LOTS of negative feedback. He further explains to me to get his supervisor if he doesn't quit. Guess what happens?
Me: "Sir, I'm going to say it again. He does not have a data occurrence. He does not have our router. Even if he had a data occurrence, he would need to directly connect."
T2: "Well, my supervisors have already approved this because the customer insisted it was his router."
Me: (THAT'S IT) "Then you won't mind getting your supervisor on the line!"
T2: "O-oh, not at all! H-hold please!"
*Annoying ass musack.*
Tier 2 Supervisor: "This is Richard Cranium, how can I help?"
Me: "Yeah, why is it your agent was trying to transfer over a customer with a Linksys router without trying to directly connect?"
T2S: "I do apologize about that. Under normal circumstances, yes, he should have directly connected."
Me: *Wow...suddenly, someone that makes sense!* "Right."
T2S: "However, we're not allowed to say the customer's lying."
Me: (WHAT) "When did I say that?"
T2S: "If he says he get his router from us, we have to believe him. We can't tell him he's wrong. We can't say no."
Me: (WHAAAAAAAAT) "Wait, so you're saying you know the router isn't ours..."
T2S: "That's correct, but we can't directly connect if the customer insists it's ours."
Me: "No, you just said it's not ours. Therefore, you have to try to direct connect."
T2S: "But why would we deliberately bypass our own equipment?"
Me: "You just said it wasn't ours!"
T2S: "We're not allowed to lie to the customer."
GOD LET ME HAVE THE POWER NECESSARY TO KILL THIS MAN AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY. The conversation went like this for another good 10 minutes. This asshole tried to argue that though he knew the equipment wasn't ours and the agent also knew it, they couldn't directly connect because that would be lying to the customer. Kinda wish I was wearing my boots...it's getting a little deep.
Now the good news. The customer eventually DID connect with the third party router. How? Because I added the data occurrence, with the customer on the line (who had eventually been cold transferred via the supervisor when he was "done" with me), which resulted in a SALE. Even better, the customer was just happy that he had someone competent and willing to help him.
Well, I guess it's just okay news. If anything, I'm still pissed. It really doesn't seem to be getting any better in our department. The tier 2 groups are getting progressively worse and snotty to boot. With supervisors like THAT backing them, it's pretty obvious why. So what do you guys think? What do you think would be the best policy in dealing with this? It's starting to get out of hand and we even have a supervisor (one of my favorites, in fact) leaving because of all of it.
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