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When Polite Becomes Annoying

Meaghan MacKenzie, Marketing Intern
February 28, 2008

How polite efforts can rub customers the wrong way

It’s nice to see companies adopting more polite, customer-centric attitudes when conducting business, but some are still missing the mark. From online to call centers, customers have high standards and expect a consistent and efficient customer experience across all customer touchpoints.

Consider your most recent call to a customer service representative. After pressing a number or two, you were likely greeted by an automated voice message saying something along the lines of “please hold for the next available representative…your call is very important to us.” Nice, thanks for letting me know. However, when a variation of this message is repeated every 30 seconds until the “next representative” finally becomes available, it’s just plain annoying. You’re smart. You get it. You only need to be told once.
 
Some companies listened to customer complaints and now inform callers of the expected hold time up front. Others give callers the option to leave a call back number rather than wait on hold. They typically let you know the approximate time in which a representative will call you back and some even allow you to choose a time most convenient to you. Both are examples of steps in the right direction; however call centers aren’t the only customer touchpoint pitfall. Online shopping sites are plagued too.

During this past holiday season, I went online to Macys.com to purchase a pair of shoes – quick and easy right? Not exactly. Upon entering the site, I was greeted by a notice on a white screen stating “We’ll be right with you. It’s a little bit crowded in here right now, and to make sure everyone enjoys shopping with us, we’re asking new visitors to wait here just a few moments while other shoppers finish up. We’ll refresh your browser and welcome you in momentarily. Thanks for your patience!” Are you kidding me, isn’t the point of shopping online to avoid long lines and waiting? Needless to say, I quickly re-directed my business to Nordstrom.com.

A company Macy’s size should anticipate large spikes in traffic, especially during the busy holiday season. Customers expect to quickly and easily complete online orders and Macy’s should be prepared to accommodate all customers. They should distribute more resources to the site for short term use or temporarily move to a dedicated server. At the very least, instead of asking customers to twiddle their thumbs and wait, Macy’s should request customers’ email addresses and shoot them an email message including a link to click on guaranteeing them access into the site once it opens up. Slamming the door in my face and telling me to wait outside is not acceptable.  

I understand call centers back up and online shopping sites get busy, but when I’m choosing where to do business, I want to feel like I matter and that my time is respected. Companies need to look for better and more customer friendly ways to accommodate customers, even when you’re telling them they have to wait. 

Meaghan MacKenzie is a marketing intern at Vox, Inc., a customer experience research and consulting firm. Contact her through the feedback form on our Contact Us page. Copyright 2008 Vox, Inc. All rights reserved.