The reasons why email, web 'forms', and even voicemail do not work well in urgent customer service situations is because, like all of us do, it's just too easy to make someone on a phone call the priority - emails, web forms, and voicemail all get shoved to the end of the day, if the person still has any time left to respond.
Calls get priority - and while I don't personally agree with that stance, it's commonplace in any industry, and realizing that, while aggravating, a phone call gets a much quicker response - though a long hold time is par for the course. While we all expect someone to answer the phone since it is ringing, that person is then taken off what other customer they may have been trying to respond to via email. And, then they lose their train of thought and have to come back to your email later - email is just not a way to 'urgently' communicate like a direct phone call is.
Someone hearing your voice, your aggravation, is much more likely to want to help you, even if it is to just get you off the line.
As much as even I hate phone calls to any customer service line, it seems that it will still take priority for most well into the future.... so much for 'technology'... : )
I'll also add that all my phone conversations and emails with customer service have been very positive, almost more than even I expected. Thanks Thor.
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