10 Memorable Tech Support Stories That Won Customers Over

Contact center agents work on the frontlines of customer service. In their world, every ring of the phone or ping of the screen is a test of their ability to deliver exceptional customer service. For agents, converting complaints into compliments is the benchmark of success, and it requires a great degree of skill, insight and training. In a world where customer experience is king, how agents handle customer queries can effectively make or break a brand. So how can customer service representatives create experiences that delight their customers?

Here are some of the most memorable tech support stories from our agents.

 

Customer story #1: Legends of the IT crowd

Juliet, Help Desk

With CGS for 7 months

Fun Fact: Juliet is an anime super-fan.

For Juliet it was just another day at work. She had to address critical customer request and she had to do it fast. Juliet’s customer was working from home and their computer wasn’t connecting to the internet. What would have otherwise been a fairly regular technical issue was elevated to critical levels because the customer’s job was at stake. Juliet had to do something quickly. The usual troubleshooting just wasn’t working but Juliet maintained her calm and more importantly, kept the customer calm as they worked through the solution. Soon enough, Juliet realized that it was perhaps time to try the age-old IT trick – “Let’s turn the router off and on again.” Presto! It worked!

 

Customer story #2 Transforming customer expectations

Mariah, Customer Service Representative

With CGS for 1 year

Fun fact:  Mariah rocks a Frenchie hair-do and can be frequently spotted at live concerts.

Mariah wasn’t having a great morning. She was on a call with a particularly irate customer. The customer was expecting to port the family’s phone plan to a new carrier, but something had gone wrong. Mariah saw right through the problem. The customer was only qualified for two lines, but was accidentally led to believe that they would receive five. As a result, the family was off of their old connection and now struggling with no new lines to connect them. She realized that it was a case of miscommunication which the customer saw as a deliberate deception. They were fuming at the perceived duplicity and only getting angrier when no immediate solution was at hand.  Mariah decided to focus on hearing the customer out and giving them space to vent.  She listened to the customer patiently and empathized with the situation. This approach immediately began to quell the storm. Mariah was able to position herself as her customer’s advocate and made them feel like they were in this together. Behind the scenes, she quickly began resolving the situation with other teams and highlighted the unfortunate turn of events. With her persuasion and persistence, Mariah was not only able to get her customer qualified for three additional connections but also rectify the misconception of being deceived. With the problem solved, the customer was so elated that they started to cry with happiness on the call.

 

Customer story #3 Call the supervisor now!

Tatayana, Back Office Support

With CGS for under 1 year

Fun fact: She’s known to be very outspoken.

Tatayana’s customer was having a problem with a bill and insisted on speaking to a supervisor. Tatayana understood that emotions were running high. As she gently spoke with the customer, she realized that this was not a regular call. The customer was grief-stricken after having suffered a tragic family loss due to a car accident. Tatayana empathized with the customer’s problems and allowed them to express their frustrations. Soon enough, the customer had calmed down and thanked Tatyana profusely for being understanding. But curiously, even after Tatyana solved the query, the customer still wanted to speak with a supervisor. Understandably, Tatayana was rather nervous. Hadn’t she solved the problem? But to her relief, her supervisor let her know that the customer really appreciated how Tatayana handled the call and just wanted to give her kudos.

 

Customer stories #4 & 5: Doing it for the vets

Charisma, Back Office Support

Fun Fact: Enjoys reading, writing and good vibes.

Charisma’s customer was a military vet who was calling to cancel their service on their device since they were going to be deployed. The customer explained that having to cancel their account and then start over months or years later can be a real hassle. Charisma let the customer know that she understood their dilemma and offered them some good news. She told the customer that rather than canceling the account, there was another option specifically for their situation. She informed the customer that their mobile carrier offered a special plan for military personnel. With this ‘military suspend’ plan, the customer could temporarily suspend their account for up to 36 months while saving on lease service and insurance as well, and they could easily restore their line after deployment.  The customer was pleased with the news and opted for the ‘military suspend’ option. Charisma was able to step up to the challenge using the training she received on the job using the H.E.A.R.T. method: Hear, Empathize, Acknowledge, Repeat and Take Action.

 

Ashley, Agent

With CGS for 4 months

Fun fact:  An avid singer who was in a choir for 6 years.

Ashley’s customer was also a military vet who originally wanted to cancel three lines on their account. When Ashley asked for the reason for the cancellation, the customer said that they were going to be deployed for three years. The caller also mentioned the tedious work involved when it comes to setting it up when returning home. Ashley took this as an opportunity to let the customer know that you can always suspend your service for up to three years without paying a lease or insurance fee. The customer was very happy to hear about this and requested this option. Motivated by her admiration and appreciation for veterans, Ashley was pleased to have helped make the customer’s life a little easier by taking some weight off their shoulders.

 

Customer story #6:  Earning the customer’s trust

Liliana, Escalations Order Support

With CGS for 3 years

Fun fact: An adrenaline junkie who loves skydiving, travelling and roller coaster rides.

Liliana’s customer was a senior citizen who had been a loyal customer of the mobile carrier for nearly 15 years and needed assistance. Liliana discovered that the customer was due to receive a new replacement device with a new line, but things hadn’t gone as per plan. Due to a mix-up, the customer’s old line had been disconnected and they were yet to receive a new device. Liliana patiently spoke with the customer to understand this situation and quickly got to work fixing it. The customer appreciated Liliana’s empathetic approach and entrusted her to help navigate the problem. Soon enough, Liliana had not only resolved the issue but also helped the customer understand the upgrades to their new device. She even went so far as to ensure that the customer recovered their original promo credit for their purchase.  Liliana had to follow the customer’s account every step of the way to make sure that it was updated correctly. For Liliana, it was not just about helping this one customer but also making sure that loyal customers are not soured by bad experiences and feel appreciated.

 

 

Customer story # 7:  Preserving relationships

Sarah, Back Office Care Agent

With CGS for 1 year

Fun fact: A cat addict and proud of it.

 

Sarah encountered a customer who was having a terrible order delivery experience. Not only were some of the devices delivered defective but the corporate store was ill-equipped in resolving the problem. Unfortunately, the customer’s complaints were just outside the guarantee period. During the conversation, Sarah noticed that the customer was calm but very dissatisfied with the service to such a degree that they had made up their mind to close the account and cancel services. Sarah knew this was a redeemable situation. Sarah spoke with one of her supervisors and got an exception for the customer and was able to offer them the benefits of the guarantee period return. Sarah managed to turn around the situation by handholding the customer through every step of the resolution process, from making a new payment to returning the defective devices. Despite the many obstacles and challenges Sarah managed to resolve the problem in a timely manner and preserved the customer relationship. The customer went on to give Sarah a perfect score of 10 on the CX survey and expressed deep appreciation of how their problem was handled. They even went on to tell her that she had done “the best job ever”.

 

Customer story #8: Going the extra mile

Keysi, Escalations Agent

With CGS for 3 years

Fun fact:  A fitness motivator who loves to share her passion for home workouts.

Keysi encountered a customer who was new to the company and had their account, and all connected lines, suspended for non-usage. But the problems didn’t end there. Due to the circumstances of the cancellation, the customer’s billing had reached exorbitant levels and had been assigned to a collections agency. The customer was very frustrated as they were simply trying to get a replacement device since they hadn’t even received the original order and device. In fact, the original delivery was reported as lost/stolen. Due to this mix-up, the customer’s outstanding balance on the account prevented them from receiving a replacement device. Solving this quagmire of problems was not an easy task but Keysi got to work. Keysi had the presence of mind to ask the customer to wait for a call back since resolving the problem could take some time. After numerous discussions across departments, Keysi was finally able to have the erroneous charges purged, new lines activated, and a set of new devices dispatched. By the end of this adventure, the customer was ecstatic with the results and was very grateful to Keysi for helping resolve the problem. For Keysi, it was just a pleasure being able to do her job and help the customer rectify a long overdue mistake.

 

Customer story # 9: Covering the blind spots

Justin, Team Lead

With CGS for a year

Fun fact: Camping enthusiast who volunteers as a guide on haunted wilderness trails during Halloween.

Justin encountered a highly aggravated customer during a supervisor call. The customer was upset with the company and accused them of not being willing to keep their obligations with the pricing offers that they had made. After Justin reviewed the issue, he discovered that the customer had misunderstood the current resolution given by the team. The customer was not aware of the benefits on offer for them and had misread the situation. Justin patiently explained the benefits to the customer and he even offered a transparent comparison of all her options. The customer soon realized the misunderstanding and appreciated Justin’s willingness to work with her. The customer even felt comfortable enough to share another problem which Justin and his team were able to immediately diagnose and suggest an appropriate fix. The customer was not only delighted with Justin’s patience and effort with the first problem but also his efficiency and speed with the second issue.

 

Customer story # 10: The case of the missing order

Maria, OS Representative

Joined CGS recently

Fun fact: An empathetic and patient artist.

Maria encountered a customer who wanted to check the status of their order. After getting all the information that was required from the customer, Maria was surprised to learn that no order had been placed. Maria apologized to the customer and offered to generate the order for them on the call. Even though the customer was vocally upset, Maria managed to complete the order for the customer with the required device specifications. Towards the end of the order, the customer asked for assistance in helping update their email for the account as well. Maria helped them complete the e-sign contract and skillfully guided the customer with the email address change. However, before she could enlighten the customer about the steps to complete the e-sign contract, the call was disconnected. Unperturbed, Maria called the customer back and left a very detailed voicemail about completing the e-sign process. Finally, the customer was informed about when the device and return kit were likely to arrive, as well as the process of returning the devices and the date at which the account adjustments would be reflected in the account. Maria proactively addressed all the customers concerns and went above and beyond to waive off the customer’s shipping and activation fee, to ensure their experience ended on a good note. Maria left the customer grateful, satisfied, and a continuing patron of the brand.