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NEWS ABOUT: customer service

Netflix Was Ready for Your Hate

Call centers added employees to prepare for price hike backlash

(Newser) - Well, now we know what a portion of those new, higher Netflix fees could be used for: to pay call center reps to deal with angry customers . Customer service reps have been telling callers that the company not only told them to be ready for a backlash, it hired extra... More »

How One Company Bullied Its Way to the Top of Google

DecorMyEyes.com actually wants bad publicity

(Newser) - Clarabelle Rodriguez has been overcharged, cussed out, called names, harassed with late-night phone calls, and threatened with sexual violence—yet the eyewear company that allegedly subjected her to all this, over a disputed order, continues to thrive—thanks to the customers that find it sitting at the top of their... More »

Facebook Flunks Customer Satisfaction Survey

Only MySpace has a lower rating

(Newser) - Facebook may have a ton of users, but they apparently don’t like Facebook very much. The social media giant scored a dismal 64 out of 100 on the latest American Customer Service Index, which included social networking sites for the first time this year. That makes it the second... More »

Corporate Twitter Accounts' Days Are Numbered

Smart people won't be doing this forever

(Newser) - Ever sent a tweet to tech support? It beats the heck out of calling, Simon Dumenco discovered recently, when a whining appeal to @sprintcare yielded a prompt, personal, pitch-perfect response. Sounds great, right? Well, don’t expect it to last long, Dumenco writes for Advertising Age , because the current corporate... More »

Call Centers Return to US, With a Twist

More companies hire trained operators to work from home

(Newser) - It’s still not as cheap as outsourcing to India or the Philippines, but US companies are increasingly choosing homegrown telephone operators to handle their customer service needs. The trend is fueled by the advent of “phonesourcing” or “homesourcing,” which uses linkups to allow trained operators to... More »

Lawsuit Hits BoA for '1,784 Billion, Trillion Dollars'

Man requests cosmic sum to compensate for bad customer service

(Newser) - An angry customer is suing Bank of America for "1,784 billion, trillion dollars" over service he found less than satisfying, Reuters reports. Dalton Chiscolm filed the suit for "inconsistent information from a 'Spanish woman,'” a judge says. "He apparently alleges that checks have been rejected... More »

10 Webapps Worth Tweeting About

Create chatrooms and manage voicemail with these lesser-known programs

(Newser) - Not all webapps are blessed with Twitter’s marketing push and word-of-mouth, so Lifehacker profiles a few worth tweeting about:
  • TinyChat: Connect with up to 12 people using live video in a chatroom. The rooms aren’t password-protected for non-paying chatters, but did we mention it’s all for free?
... More »

Oldsters Behind Counter Boost McDonald's Sales

(Newser) - Having workers in their golden years is key to the Golden Arches' success, according to a British study. Researchers found that customer satisfaction levels were 20% higher in outlets where people over 60 were employed. The boost comes from the older workers' better people skills, strong work ethic, and influence... More »

Consumers Blindsided By Card Cancellations

(Newser) - Many credit card users are getting to the register only to discover that their cards have been canceled—without a word of warning, the Wall Street Journal reports. With credit tightening, many issuers give only a cursory rationale for the drops, and then only by mail weeks later. And though... More »

Doomed United Is Textbook of Biz Don'ts

(Newser) - United Airlines’ dismal service and financial stature may soon send it to Chapter 11, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a “teachable moment,” Shaun Rein writes in Forbes. Herewith, three lessons:
  • Loyal customers return: "Consumers are more price sensitive in this economy, and they are
... More »

Struggling Airlines Pitch Clean(er) Planes

As customers become more valued, so does customer service

(Newser) - United Airlines used to give its planes’ interiors a thorough cleaning only every 6 months to save cash. But with carriers now fighting for every passenger, cleanliness has become a crucial weapon, the Chicago Tribune reports. Some United planes now get “heavy” cleans every two weeks. “People don’... More »

Picking Up on Frustration, Call Centers Move Back Home

Dell support defeats language barrier

(Newser) - A new service from computer-maker Dell spotlights a customer-service trend: US-based call centers catering to American consumers. Dell users frustrated by language-barrier-induced difficulties they’ve encountered while on the line to India or the Philippines can pay $12.95 per month, the Washington Post reports, for access to a domestic... More »

Here's a Tip: Despite Recession, Gratuities Grow

(Newser) - A diner who leaves a 10% tip these days is likely a tightwad, a tourist, or a victim of terrible service, but that same 10% tip would have been perfectly acceptable in the '50s. The going rate for gratuities has steadily crept up over the decades, studies find, hitting 15%... More »

Outsourcing Still Alive and Well

Rising costs of business are more powerful than 'backshoring' trned

(Newser) - Reports of the death of outsourcing have been greatly exaggerated, three specialists in the field write in strategy+business. While a few big companies such as Dell and Apple have scaled back on customer service operations overseas, these decisions remain the exception to the rule, no matter what you read in... More »

Big Brother Is Watching... and Talking Back

Comcast redefines customer service by reaching out to bloggers

(Newser) - Some bloggers who have vented online about their Comcast cable service have gotten a surprising—and, for some, a creepy—response: a reply from a customer service agent. Like a growing number of companies, Comcast monitors social network sites, public blogs, and message boards for complaints, but now it's taking... More »

Troubled Sprint Woos Angry Subscribers

New CEO tries personal approach with customers, staff

(Newser) - Facing upset customers, merger fallout, and peeved execs, Sprint’s new CEO started the job with his work cut out for him. The company has the sector's highest rate of customer dissatisfaction. But by getting personal with patrons and employees, new boss Daniel Hesse is fighting to save the company,... More »

Sprint Tries to Open Up to Customers

Struggling telco's CEO seeks suggestions for improvement

(Newser) - You won’t get Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse if you email “Dan@Sprint.com,” but you will get the company’s attention, reports the New York Times. In an ad campaign designed to get Sprint in touch with its customers, Hesse asks “If you could change the... More »

Pushy Waiters Should Put a Cork in It

Overzealous waiters can kill an evening of good wine

(Newser) - Barbaric waiters are storming the dinner table, "butting in and pouring wine without being asked" and expecting diners to hurry up and pony up to replace the drained bottle, laments Christopher Hitchens in Slate. Leaving punchlines and evenings in tatters, their unsolicited interruptions aren't just a sign of bad... More »

Friendly Service Cuts Bank Robberies

FBI finds personal attention unnerves would-be felons

(Newser) - Bank employees are thwarting robbers in Washington state, not with steel bars or alarms—but with broad smiles and enthusiastic handshakes, reports the Seattle Times. The number of bank robberies in the state reached a 20-year low thanks to FBI training program "Safecatch," which teaches bank personnel to... More »

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