(snip)
The problem is, if it is your job to deal with customers, you probably don't have any marketable skills beyond "dealing with customers". That's because no employer is going to ask you to do ANYTHING except for "dealing with customers". If "dealing with customers" is one of your responsibilities, it is your ONLY responsibility. That is, other than maybe attending clbuttes-meetings occasionally, where you are encouraged to improve your "numbers", such as what percentage of contacts result in new contracts or upgrades to existing contracts.
Employers figure that just about anybody can handle a job with no marketable skills required, so they bid out the customer service jobs at slave wages. Thus, when you actually get a company representative on the phone (for example), you are dealing with somebody with less job satisfaction than the waitress who brought you your baby-back ribs last night. The person on the other end of the line is working long hours for poo pay and (very likely) poor benefits, if he-she gets benefits at all. They are also under tremendous pressure to make a sale, and BECAUSE OF THAT, they view YOU as the enemy. (Are you going to improve their 'numbers', or are you more likely going to be just another scumbag who negatively affects their numbers while wasting their time?)
All companies will SAY that good customer service is their number one priority. In actuality, far less than 1% of companies actually put their money where their mouth is. If you reach someone by phone (for example) who is paid to talk to you as a customer service representative, it's a safe bet that they are not earning significantly more than minimum wage. THAT'S THE PROBLEM, in a nutshell.
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Yes, there are some companies who figure (correctly) that the company doesn't exist without the customers. These are the companies that hire more educated people to put on the front lines, and pay them fairly well. These companies are also less concerned with "numbers" than they are concerned with positive feedback from everybody who contacts them, whether they are a customer OR NOT. To these companies, it doesn't matter how many outside contacts result in a sale or not, just as long as the person is -more likely- to contact the company AGAIN. These are the companies that TRULY understand why they are in business. Unfortunately, they are few and far between. -Dave
