I loved watching this video from CBC Marketplace today. It essentially revolved around people trying to get their cell phone bills lowered by asking their carriers to essentially give them a better deal. To help them were people who understood the business such as a former employee of one of the larger telecoms. You can watch the full video here:
It makes me think how you should always understand the customer service department from a business point of view if you are trying to get the best deals and service. As an example, for myself I have worked at a retail store before. Therefore, I understand how the front line team doesn’t really have any power or authority to approve substantial issues. That’s why for me I wouldn’t be one of those people who would argue with the customer service rep as an example but instead would politely ask to talk to the higher up.
In this case understanding the business aspect of everything is enlightening. Example, knowing that the customer service representative gets an incentives or ranking based on whether or not they can handle the customer complaint from escalating further can help you better understand why they are being so persistent in giving you a standard offer. Or at the same time, why they keep insisting that they can’t transfer you to another person.
Reminds me of the saying on how many times you should seek to understand before being understood. Just another example on how even as a consumer it’s good to understand the business logistics of the companies you deal with everyday.