I recently made one of the biggest investments of my life: a high-end laptop worth over $2000. It took a significant bite out of my savings, but to this day, I donât regret the decision one bit. It boots up in seconds, runs the latest software, has a stunning display, showcases beautiful design and is solidly built. It packs a premium price tag, but thatâs okay, because itâs a premium product.
The company behind this piece of kit is famous for displaying this trend across their entire product line â leading-edge quality and stunning design. But Iâm still a bit disappointed in them. Why? Because of their on hold production.
This companyâs products are extremely popular, so thereâs normally a build-up of callers on their phone lines, leading to pretty hefty wait times on hold. When I called their store in Perth, Western Australia, I was immediately greeted by a fuzzy, robotic voice with an American accent. âThatâs okay,â I thought, as some generic, tinny music began to play. âIâll get to the high-quality voice production promoting their innovative products nextâ.
The same voice killed my hope: âYou are⌠ninth⌠in the queueâ. It was a really unpleasant surprise that breaks the consistent branding that makes them unmistakeably who they are. Sure, outside of their on hold, theyâre industry leaders and pioneers, but in terms of phone service, theyâre stuck in the Dark Age. And thatâs bad customer service.
Itâs very disappointing when a company of this size, innovators that take pride being in pole position in the field of consumer electronics, neglect the quality of their phone service so dramatically. Itâs even more shocking since thereâs so much they could be promoting. Their latest phones and tablets, a groundbreaking new wireless storage device, or even the worldâs thinnest desktop computer. Apparently, instead of generating more enquiries, reinforcing branding and cultivating potential add-on sales, this organisation wants a robot to point out to callers how much longer theyâll have to wait.
In other words, by taking the cheap option on hold, the company is missing out on opportunities every time someone is placed in the queue.
– Magnus