Thursday, June 18, 2009

Can you tell me where the FAQ for me is?

Recently I was disappointed with a customer’s service department of a website for there inadequate options on the frequently asked questions so I wrote them a letter. I have included it below for your reference.

Dear [Name removed to protect the innocent]

I would like to say that I have no problems whatsoever but I’m a little unsure, Can you tell me if there is a frequently asked questions section for those who may have forgotten the questions they wanted to ask when logging into your site. I feel that this is a common occurrence but something that has been neglected by your administration there.

This should cover all the available options that could be on someone’s mind when logging into the computer, should it be simple like ‘Does [said website] know the meaning of Life” (Yes but we’re not saying) to the complex “Can you tell me if my computer is on” (Yes but we’re not saying).

I think that until this has been implemented that the frequently asked questions is severely incomplete.

Mister Fine

So this brings me to my point. Does customer service really serve a customer or is it now too much of a buffering tool to make hardworking absentminded people such as myself forget the thoughts they have before they actually want to ask the specific question. Understand?

But even with current frequently asked question sections I personally wonder why I have to answer questions correctly for the help section to know what I want help with. Can’t it intuitively interpret my answers that I’m thinking about fruit and colours to know that I want to look into Volkswagen Beetles with fluffy polyester interiors? Why does it require such specific information without a random assumption that I don’t actually know what I’m talking about. Considering the impression most IT professionals have of technical questions it might not be the best thing to assume.

So my solution to such an issue is to have a government funded body just for getting people working with Frequently Asked Questions and other such Customer Service tools. Maybe call them the Department of Infrastructure for Persons Seething with Technical Issues on Computer Keyboards (DIPSTICK). If we can’t throw some money at some public servants to help us out, what hope is there really to go on in this world.

Still, I should get back to my point on this blog. It had it before, I remembered it halfway through but now it’s gone again.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

its hard these days to get the right answer from any customer service people.
It's like they have had so much practice in not helping people that they steer you in a direction that they know they already have an easy answer for, that way they don't have to do any actual problem solving.
By the time you put the phone down you think your problem has been solved but then a while after that you realise it hasn't.
And then there's the times you forget what you rang from. You'd think if they can send someone to the moon they'd have a computer that could estimate what your thinking.

I think its appalling quite frankly and it just makes me angry.

Hand-E-Food said...

Reminds me of the recent issues with the 000 emergency service.

"Help, we're lost at sea!"
"I understand sir, but I need an address to send the ambulance to."

android said...

i'm sure i had something of value to add here, but i can't remember what it was now. if you figure it out, can you tell me please. i don't like to be left hanging in my own absent-mindedness...
FAQ
(Feeling All Querulous)