Friday, September 22, 2006

Is good customer service possible over the phone?

Hi all, just a quickie this week am a tad busy as you'll see.


Today I had to ring BUPA to make arrangements for a visit to a consultant surgeon I will be making shortly, I get BUPA coverage as part of my work benefits so don't get carried away with visions of my wealth.

Anyway I rang up with details of the Surgeon I need to see and the appointment date, I was electronically directed to "new customers" and got through to a charming young lady called Linda.

Well I explained the situation and she took me through the process immaculately, I didn't know the first name of the surgeon so she rang the hospital to find out for me making sure I could hold and offering to ring me back if it was more convenient, she completed whatever details she needed to on her system and gave me two reference numbers to take along to the appointment.

The surgeon will bill BUPA direct so all I have to do is turn up !

Before letting me go she explained about the rules of out patients’ costs and warned me to check that the surgeon would operate, if necessary, within BUPA rates.

At the end of the conversation she enquired if there was anything else she could help me with, a standard enquiry for this role but spoken with practiced conviction rather than bored disinterest.

I hung up feeling that I'd dealt with a true professional.

Ok nothing that happened was earth shattering, nothing that couldn't be scripted, but so much more satisfying than dealing with some call centre operative with no interest in her job.

So what did I learn here?

Good customer service is definitely possible on the phone
A decent script will cope with the unexpected
A well motivated employee will deliver it with care

I wonder how BUPA maintain these high standards?

John Anslow
http://www.ffriar.com

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