By Jono Hunt 

 

16:30

 

How much is customer service worth?

 

Right now I’m on the phone to Argos. I say “on the phone” of course, I’m actually on hold.

 

I’ve been bounced between Argos, Santander and a financial authority for about 2 hours.

 

I could have the items delivered tomorrow morning.

 

But I paid for them to be sent between 7 pm and 11 pm.

 

In this confusion of ‘bounce backs’, I’ve talked to Daren from Belfast three times and Susan from Argos’s account & recovery team, twice.

 

Not to forget Dave, also from Belfast, Shawn, and Sarah.

 

I’ve received three authorisation codes and 5 emails.

 

And then about twenty asking me to review the customer service, and the problem hasn’t even been solved yet.

 

16:44

 

Susan (from Argos’s account & recovery team) has sorted it out. I will now be reviewing the items on time, despite what she claims is Santander’s incorrect financial data.

 

And I mean that raises the question: who should I trust more with finance: Argos, or my bank?

 

Santander has only five times let me down.

 

Once was when I bought a €0.21c croissant. They charged me the €0.21c, a base €5 charge, €0.20c percentage buy fee, and an ‘a none warning overseas charge’ of €2.00.

 

By this time, I could have just bought the bakery. And probably a holiday home too.

 

Back to customer support though.

 

Once I almost went gay for a man from EE.

 

I had, by mistake, chosen the £15 3G pack, not the £10 4G pack.

 

So I called customer support and was answered by an incredible man.

 

He not only sorted out the problem and even saved me some money, but also provided great entertainment in a conversation about Linux, music storage, and how Sony phones provide the best value for money when it comes to sound quality.

 

I got so excited, that I even ‘Snapchatted’ some of the conversation.

 

And I didn’t stop there.

 

I signed up for the EE feedback forum and because there was no ‘positive feedback’ category, I chose “What can we do to improve” and I put: “Nothing.”

I then proceeded to write about the joys of my phone call.

The next day, I got a personal email from EE.

 

I had won a home-pack of goodies.

 

It hasn’t arrived yet. And it’s been ages, but still, that phone call has lived on with me.

 

And so I switched to EE broadband, and, every time I see the logo, I sing the two note EE jingle. (🎵C# “E” to Ab “E”).

 

I know most people wouldn’t be so ‘effected’ by great customer service, but it could be the difference between a customer returning or not.

 

Even though I’m a student and cannot afford much, I will pay that little bit more for someone to ask how my day was and whether I would like some free radishes, because I bought 5 bunches last time (Brixton Market).

 

So in a society, where the service industry is the future of human work, purchases and more, it’s important to be finding ways to make customer service the best it can be.

 

Even a good bot can do it. For instance TK Maxx’s purchase assistant on Messenger.

 

It’s been emotional.