Miracles happen at Truphone

"Truphone has its own killer app that neither Skype nor Google has – you can get through to a real human being when things go wrong. Miracles can happen."

This comment on Truphone's Customer Service's department featured in a recent article on The Guardian's Technology pages. It got me thinking about different support methods and the result vs frustration they entail.

Today, it is difficult to imagine calling a customer service/support department and not being met by an automated voice system. As a customer service Representative I understand their purpose, but when you have a technical issue or query you just want sorted it can be infuriating.

There are many different ways of communicating with a customer service/support department all aimed at providing the customer with an improved service (at least they should) whilst cutting costs for the business. Gone are the days of 'first come first served' within the support world, it's now a case of priority, with many automated voice systems sorting the callers queue position depending on the issue.

Most recently I went to call O2's customer service department but before I did I noticed ‘Lucy’ on their customer support web page. Lucy was luring me in with the line "Asking Lucy is the easiest way to get help online" and so, I clicked Lucy's smiling face. What looked like a 'live chat' screen popped up, Lucy was asking how she could help, and so I typed a question. Unfortunately this wasn't a live chat service (that I've used successfully before on dabs.com) but an FAQ search function with a face. Not impressed. The answer returned was suitably non-helpful and I felt deflated that I would, after all, need to make a phone call.

However new support technologies aren't all bad and I do believe they get a bad name – how often do people complain about a customer service experience, and how rarely do you take the time to say something positive?

Truphone's customer service department do utilise an automated voice system which filters the calls depending on the device. As much as this may not be to every customer’s approval it aids the customer service representative to provide the best support. It also provides the business with invaluable information so we can develop our products and services.

Over the coming months some changes are happening within Truphone's customer service department that should improve the customer experience. If you have any ideas or comments then please let us know.

Comments

[Kieran scotney]

02 has the worst customer support ever in the history of telecoms. It took over two minutes to navigate through their support options and then I was on hold waiting for an agent for a further 22 minutes. The lady did solve my problem, only it took so long to get through. I personally cannot wait untily contract ends and can drop them for a cheaper, more helpful carrier.

[Robert]

Just started using Truphone, had a quick question about the billing.

As I'm in a country where the calls are very expensive, I went to the website support page. NO email or online chat support? Surely some support questions will be because somebody can't make a phone call (but internet is everywhere). Please do add online support.

Or at least state how much calling your support number will cost, in each country.

[zevkli in]

However new support technologies aren't all bad and I do believe they get a bad name – how often do people complain about a customer service experience, and how rarely do you take the time to say something positive?