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In fairness, I've had experiences where the person I've talked to couldn't do something. But if it was escalated to someone with more authority it could get done. It doesn't appear that was the case in your example, but people are aware that reaching a supervisor can sometimes change the outcome.
Pro
You definitely make a fair point. I’ve seen agents give wrong or incomplete information to customers. For example, I called my bank the other day as a customer and asked for something to be done. The agent kept insisting it wasn’t possible. Since I work in the same field, I knew it was, so I asked her to check with a supervisor. Sure enough, she came back and said she could do it. So you’re right, sometimes speaking with a supervisor is the only way to get things done.
As someone who was a senior advisor at apple support, I can tell you that we definitely can sometimes provide a better outcome for the customer. Sometimes they don’t want entry level customer service to know everything that can be done.
Pro
I completely agree with you. There’s so much that frontline agents could be taught, but only upper management seems to know it and there’s no proper training for it. So often, I go to my supervisor and hear something totally new that’s not mentioned anywhere in the guidelines. Why not just train us properly from the start?
I think it's just them grasping for control. It's an intimidation tactic for the employee, and these kinds of customer think that the supervisor will be more inclined to make them happy. Most the time it's just to make a stink though
Pro
You’re right. Sometimes it’s not that the frontline agent gave the wrong answer, it’s just that the customer didn’t like it and wants to hear what they want to hear.
This happened to me so many times that I don't even bother anymore. It really doesn't deserve your attention or even your energy. If Its helps, try to remember that it's not on you, it's on the person who needs to have reassurance from people all the time. WHEN this happens to me now, I feel sorry for the person and move on.
Pro
I think that’s the best approach. Whenever it happens to me, I just tell myself it’s one less argument to deal with, the issue is now the supervisor’s problem.
Conversation Starter
When they want what they want they will ignore you until a supervisor/manager tells them the same thing
Conversation Starter
I don’t know the difference either… maybe they think the supervisor will be able to get around the rules for them
It doesn't make any difference. I don't know why they insist on it, but I have no problem passing them off to my manager when they demand to speak with him. If hearing him say the same thing gets them to leave me alone, I'm all for it.
Pro
You’re right, but the issue with transferring them to a supervisor in our company is that it takes forever due to the specific process we have to follow. It ends up messing with our call handling time.
Here’s the thing—sometimes it’s less about the answer and more about needing reassurance. Even if the info’s clear, hearing it from a “higher-up” feels more official to some people. It doesn’t always change the facts, but it can help them feel more confident about it.
Pro
You’re absolutely right, but what they don’t realize is that not every business has a simple process for escalations. On top of that, it often feels like they’re questioning the agent’s capability.
Pro
Because, sometimes (probably too often), it works.
Let me tell you about our helpdesk where I am currently working. The people who answer the phones are complete idiots, couldn't fix your computer if you were holding the dangling, unplugged cord in front of their face. The higher ups are amazing, can fix just about any issue.
Problem is, I can't contact the higher ups directly. I can't even ask for "a supervisor". I have to sit there, wasting valuable time, until the frontline worker bee sorts out that the problem is beyond their limited skillset, and they get permission to escalate the issue.
They then tell me that someone will call me back (for some urgent issue) "within 48 hours". But I learned not to let that bother me, because I will normally get a callback within five minutes.
And, try as I might, I have yet to find a workaround. I was using the chat feature on the website (so at least I wasn't stuck on the phone), until I was informed about my last issue, "web support isn't available, please call the helpdesk" Fortunately, the issue resolved itself by the time I got that message.
I would love to transfer them when it gets to that point, however, it’s like pulling teeth to even get our managers to respond in time to take the calls and then they’ll spend thirty minutes explaining to you what you should be telling the customer (even when you’ve already told the customer the exact same thing). I have never been allowed to transfer a call even though I have asked a few times and I’ve been in this position for ten months now.