call centers: trying to get a problem fixed

Customer Service is dead! at least within 8 out of 10 representatives.

sure: that's anecdotal at best and based upon my ongoing struggel to gain connectivity.

For the last 7 weeks I've had new internet and TV service. I also have gotten a "fancy", new wireless printer. I can't get either to work!

talk about frustrated. I have spent more time with the various call center people and technicians and managers; yelling at IVR systems (more likely swearing); and wondering why a problem can escalate without notice and satisfaction.

Simple programming- a couple of lines of code at max -, for example, would solve one problem - not putting an already irate customer back at the start of the "voice mail jail box" of going through a rigid IVR tree.

Instead of having to spend fully 5 to 10 just to get through the front end of the IVR and the automated testing and the often fallible voice recognition software that politely deflects my profanities: the system is smart enough to recognize my phone #. Since I now have called in 12 times on the same - yes, THE SAME ISSUE - that same smart computer program could - nay, should - recognize that I'm probably unhappy and put me to a special cue.

Maybe that is too much like common sense.

Oh, but I remember what I keep wanting to make as a point:

common sense isn't so common;

call centers need to be renamed "customer management centers"; and,

the most successful implementations of CRM and CEM go back and adhere to the basics of civility, common sense and giving value to their customers.