EMBARQ customers who now call 1-800-EMBARQ2 during business hours to
speak with a customer service representative will be greeted by a live
person instead of the company's interactive voice response (IVR)
system.
The nationwide trial was put into place to see if
customers prefer this new approach to customer service. The EMBARQ
representatives answering the phone are located in the company's North
Carolina office and, like most EMBARQ customer service representatives,
are not outsourced, overseas.
Representatives will greet customers to
find out their questions or concerns and then direct them to the
appropriate person. If there will be a delay in speaking with that
person, the representative will tell the customer how long the wait
will be.
"We're committed to providing the best possible
service for our customers," said Bob Crawford, director of customer
satisfaction for EMBARQ. "Customer surveys show that consumers are
dissatisfied with automated customer care, so we are conducting this
trial to see if our customers agree."
Yankee Group's Anywhere Consumer: 2007 US Communications/Customer Satisfaction Survey
(July 2007) shows that the biggest frustration in dealing with
companies is long hold times, confusing automated menus and being
transferred too many times.
"Our research shows that
consumers prefer a live agent for telephone support because many of
today's automated systems are missing the mark in terms of customer
expectations," said Sheryl Kingstone, director of enterprise research
for Yankee Group. "We applaud EMBARQ for seeing the opportunity to make
positive changes that could enhance the customer service experience."
EMBARQ
wants its customers to be completely satisfied at the end of each call
with an EMBARQ representative. Customers who are not can call the
EMBARQ Consumer Affairs Hotline at 800-877-3345 (option 3) and talk to
a representative Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern
time to discuss their unresolved issues. During non-business hours and
weekends, the company pledges it will return calls within 24 hours and
begin work on a resolution.
"If you hang up the phone and are upset for any reason, we want another chance to make you happy," said Crawford.
As
an alternative to calling a customer service representative, EMBARQ
customers with questions may now be able to "see" their answers on the
company's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/embarq.
From this site, customers can watch videos with step-by-step
instructions on a variety of topics such as how to install EMBARQ
High-Speed Internet, set up an EMBARQ account and use EMBARQ e-mail as
well as see product demonstration videos. EMBARQ representatives also
can actively listen and respond to customer questions and concerns.
To
show their dedication to satisfying customers, EMBARQ also launched a
new website where customers can provide feedback for company
executives. By going to www.embarq.com/feedback,
customers can provide comments on the company's products, services or
customer service and support. EMBARQ executives want to know what
customers think and will be closely monitoring the feedback as they
work on making improvements within the company.
Comment from Wireless and Mobile News:
Embarq was recently acquired by Centurytel for $5.8 billion, and it's new owner may not want to spend the money for live, YouTube or web help.