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CONSUMER WATCH
Many customer care helplines inefficient ..........Rucha Biju Chitrodia
The ubiquitous helpline has evolved, and normally one gets connected to either the interactive voice response (IVR) system or a customer care executive almost imm e d i at e ly. However, this i n i t i at ive needs some more finetuning. Consumer organisations point to problems ranging from an impersonal IVR system, standard replies from executives, long periods on hold, to more serious concerns like lack of access to, and thus escalation of complaints to, senior officials.
A bigger grouse is that often a change in helpline number is not adequately advertised, or worse, even updated on corporate websites and literature. Pritee Shah of Ahmedabad’s Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) adds: “In my own experience, other than numbers, even names of senior officials of some electronic companies were not updated on their sites. How does the consumer reach them?’’ (An official in the ministry of consumer affairs says that since December 31, 2007, manufacturers of packaged products have to compulsorily mention the name, address, phone number and email ID of their consumer grievance cells. This was effected with an amendment in the Packaged Commodities Rules.
A n o t h e r time, an airline’s helpline itself was not apprised of changes in a flight schedule. “A flight was delayed by 15 hours and then again, eight. But both the helpline and the website would say that it was on time,’’ says Shah. Consumer groups blame such faux pas on lack of communication. Besides, as Nirmala Desikan of Chennai’s Concert consumer group says, firms are trying to reduce faceto-face interaction with IVR.
“For companies, the advantage of this system is that tempers will cool... If you sit across the table to sort out a complaint, you will vehemently protest.’’ Another irritant is, if you call again and your docket number has not registered on the system, you have to “repeat the whole story again’’. S K Virmani of Delhi-based National Consumer Helpline talks about a case where a security refund request with a telco has been pending for over nine months.
HELLO! HELLO!! A complicated IVR system which plays a number of options Untrained/unprofessional staff manning the helpline A standard script-like response to queries Refusal to log a complaint on the ground that is frivolous Refusal to give a complaint docket number Refusal to allow consumers to speak to superiors or not parting with their contact details Many companies don’t have a toll-free customer care number Source: National Consumer Helpline |
