Opinion: Importance of good customer service cannot be ignored

Customer service matters. Photo/File

Internet issues with a service provider - we've all had them, and we all have a story to tell.

I've been waiting to have my internet connected since January. It's May now, and I still don't have service, but every month I have been charged for my non-existent service and the only way to have them clear the bill is to call them.

Ugh. This irritates me more than actually being without the service ... kind of.

Despite being charged for something I don't have, the thought of actually phoning my non-service company to sort it out is a massive chore. It's that time-poor thing.

Every time I call, I have to explain the situation. EVERY TIME. I'd love to call, but not have to actually call, and the person at the other end of the phone looks at my details after receiving my account number and is fully informed after reading notes left behind after each call.

My second irk is the passive aggressive response I get and the different information I receive when I'm transferred between departments.

Yesterday, I made one of the calls.

The first call got cut off after 35 minutes of hold time. When I called back I was passed around, and despite only having part of my situation being dealt with, I got off relatively happy with the outcome - and this all comes down to customer service.

Good customer service can make a massive impact.

The first call-taker was a little passive aggressive and before he passed me on I was ready to cancel the non-service completely.

Then, I was put through to a woman who made an effort to read through the notes, fixed part of the problem and assured me something would be done about the rest.

I may have been on hold for an hour during that second call but the effort from that second call-taker made a huge difference - that, and the fact they had good hold music made it all bearable.