Really? I find that somewhat hard to believe, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt here.

Let’s say that it is in fact being monitored. Based on several experiences with your customer service it would lead me to infer a few possibilities.

1. You certainly do monitor the calls but now one audits them in order to make actual improvements, which is the point of monitoring correct? To that I say stop wasting your resources and money, cut the monitoring, it is what it is. You are not fooling anyone by claiming to monitor the calls. Oh and anyone that may be fooled has their hopes and dreams stomped out when they come into contact with the person on the end of that 15 min wait time anyway. Drop the charade.
2. While you monitor them, you really could care less. It makes us feel better to see that there is in fact 24 hour “Customer Service” that alone is enough to make us happy. Come on we are not stupid, eventually the frustration of our dealings with the so called customer service will force us to make a choice and more than likely that choice will not involve your company.
3. Final one. There is no monitoring at all, can’t be. I have to be honest if I owned or operated a company and actually audited the phone calls to find out what was really going on you can be damn sure there would be some changes.

The major problem, your customer service is too disconnected from the company, to spread out and beyond a quick two week training class and a brief manual on the standard operating procedures there is no real control over what happens on when the phones start ringing.

But I get it, it’s a lot more economical to outsource to a customer service firm than it is to train your own people and integrate customer service into the very being of your company. Plus, sad as it may be seeing that 24 hour support number really does make some of us feel good up front. But… it’s damaging.

In the end we become unhappy, frustrated and straight up angry. While someone is sure to answer the phone on your end we know from experience that it is more a waste of time than it is helpful. We tend to shy away from the things that make us feel this way and start searching for a new solution. Oh and by the way we also tell a few others about our experience.

You are right, where one left there are five others waiting to take our place only to be put through the same anguish but at least they are willing to give you some of their money, right?

Really though, wouldn’t it make sense to use the tools you have put in place and are more than likely paying handsomely for in order to improve what you have. Wouldn’t it make sense and be possibly cheaper to keep your existing customers happy and glad to pay? Doesn’t it seem a better business strategy to attach a sense of customer satisfaction with your brand?

It does for my business, but of course I’m just a little fish in a big pond. You big corps don’t have to worry about that right?

That may be the case, but I suspect that one day the water level will start receding and you will forced to question the things that are not working correctly, the things that have been broken for quite some time. I am sure this is not what the entrepreneur(s) who set out to crete this business had hoped for and I certainly hope it’s not too late.

Use the data you are supposedly collecting, use it to improve. Implement a strong connection to the company and the product. Enforce and inject the company policy into everything including your weak attempt at customer service. Get better management or at the very least help the management in place to improve. Do something.

Until then I will continue to pay for the services elsewhere. Oh and by the way I will definitely recommend that others do so as well.