Like many other consumers I went to AT&T to check the status of a phone line, only to end up upset by one person’s disregard of helping me. The ordeal began with the suspension of a prepaid telephone line with a balance in favor. The company ended the “plan” on a prepaid phone. The store team followed the operation manuals and was unable to help me. But 2 hours later, when I visited another AT&T store, a person who knew better how to fix the problem managed to keep me with the brand and even spend more in the process.
In the case of AT&T, with the aim of protecting against improper changes being made (as it has surely happened), they do not move without an official identification, that is, to protect you, they have to bother you. Incredible as it may seem, the problem originates from the lack of rule of law, brands have had to implement exaggerated measures in the absence of alternatives. Buying a car in the United States is extremely simple, in Mexico you have to fill out a money laundering questionnaire.
Among the customer service operators there are also problems, not everything is the fault of the system. The temptation of care services to disqualify consumers as annoying or rude in order not to attend to complaints is enormous. Of course the consumer gets angry, raises his voice and gets angry. How easy it is to blame the consumer without taking responsibility.
I had another interesting experience in the American Express lounge. A drunk customer was yelling at his wife, threatening the waiters and slapping the table. The team was undaunted; He could do nothing. We customers end up leaving. The response from American Express was: “the Navy does not want to come up to help us”. In this case, the State failed, according to the personnel of American Express, the Navy replied: “we do not want conflicts”, it did not matter if a husband yelled and violated his wife in public. What could American Express have done, get the drunken consumer out? I can already imagine the complaint on social networks, they would have accused him of discriminating or denying the service.
Everywhere consumers angry and abandoned by brands that do not have the necessary legal framework, government support, empowerment or tools. In things as simple as a delivery guarantee; Domino’s Pizza details in its policies that the consumer cannot claim the guarantee if the branch does not have enough staff. Something that the consumer has no way of checking (nor should he). Again, the positive or negative experience is in the hands of one person.
That same day Aeroméxico delayed my flight to Hermosillo for more than six hours. In this case, they kindly offered to pay for breakfast. One more story of Mexican airspace. Lost bags, canceled or delayed flights as the government fights over the use of its new airport. The lady at the counter did her best to accommodate passengers on the next flight, but with a six-hour delay there was little to do.
Brands spend a lot of money on customer service without much benefit. The rude customer argument is the best way out, but the consumer has no choice.
I join a long list of consumers walking out the door with no time, heart or energy to fight. Most Mexicans work tirelessly and don’t have the time to defend themselves. According to the OECD, an average Mexican works 2,246 hours a year. Of course, it annoys him that he has to go to a store on a Sunday to solve a service issue or that his flight leaves six hours late. Of course he gets upset and of course he raises his voice. What do we really expect from brands? hide behind “the airport is saturated” or “it is our processes”. It is not the solution.
For this column I chose great brands, I say it with total respect and admiration. I have had very good experiences with these. American Express, Aeroméxico and AT&T have been good for me on more than one occasion. But, if the brands in this category struggle, what can we expect as consumers. Perhaps we should work on managing expectations or simply rethink care strategies. It is a complex problem, with almost impossible solutions. What can be learned from all these cases is that the difference between an annoyance and a smile is a person, it is rarely the system, we are not Japan. The importance of having the correct personnel, with support in decision-making and convinced that the consumer is at the center is the only guarantee.