Dealing with technical support/customer service

It's been two months since I accepted my new role at work.

Our client is a huge American company with a name that's very familiar to everyone kahit sa barrio.

What's my role?

Say there's one disgruntled American customer, dialed a 1-800 number for the first time, and get the shock of his life upon hearing someone speaking with an unfamiliar accent in the other end. Because he's kind of a racist, he demands for a supervisor or someone who speaks English exactly the same way as he does!

Chances are, kami lang din ang sasagot. Pero dahil naiiyak na siya kasi gusto niyang mapalitan ang USB cable na nginatngat ng aso niya, hahanap siya ngayon ng ibang number, address, email address, etc. para iparating ang hinaing niya. He decided to send an email.

Makakarinig siya sa aken.

Dahil hindi siya masaya sa sinabi kong hindi ko kasalanan na kumakain ng kable and aso niya, gumawa siya ngayon ng sulat at pinadala sa corporate office somewhere in America.

Asa! Scan lang nila yun dun sa pinagpadalhan niya, attach sa email at send sa amin. Makakarinig ulit siya sa aken.

That's me. A virtual supervisor. Bisor-bisoran. If you're nice, I may give you what you want. But if your complaints include your whining about what you call a third-world support, I'll give you third-world support - tossing your letter in the trash. Sorry, I've got a lot of other customers to please.

So why did your neighbor get a USB cable and you didn't?
Simple. Your neighbor must be really nice.

When calling a 1-800 number for support, expect to hear a foreign accent. That's very normal. If you are in need of help because it's been a month since you had DSL and you haven't figured out how to locate Internet explorer in your desktop, you need a technical support representative with an unbelievable patience. How to get one?

Simple. Just be nice.

Nayninayn percent of these agents are naturally patient. All you need is to cooperate. Don't get insulted if their first question is "do you have a computer?". Don't question them if they're asking for information such as your name, phone number, email, etc. Don't even think that they're interested with you. Never! They're just following their ABC's, and failing to do so may cost them their job.

When to get irate?

As a customer, you have all the rights to complain. But be sure that your complaint is valid, that you're in the right position to create that hysteria. Check the warranty agreements, contracts, etc., of the service or product that you purchased. If you bought your television 10 years ago, don't expect that it's still in-warranty that the company may replace the battery of your remote control.

If you just bought it 10 days ago, sealed, and you just realized that the remote control is missing, go ahead and curse, scream, and demand that president Obama will send you the remote control!

It's all about being reasonable. Customer representatives or tech supports will understand the reason why you are hyperventilating so you need not to cuss on them. Do not blame them for your troubles! Never! How to get what you want?

Simple. Just be nice.