I don't know how to make this any clearer for you: cancel my account!
Saw Vincent on the Today Show this AM. He's the guy that taped his call to AOL to cancel his account. It's one of those things you have to listen to, to believe.
Here's his appearance on the Today Show (I was having some trouble with the link, suspect due to traffic)
I haven't ever had a call this bad, but it did remind me of the call I have from the Seattle Times this past weekend. I get the Sunday paper. I didn't tape the call but this is roughly how it went:
Her: May I please speak with Mrs. Hamilton
Me: This is she.
Her: This is so and so from the Seattle Times. We want to thank you from being a loyal subscriber, blah blah. We'd like to offer you the paper on Saturdays and Mondays for free for x weeks.
Me: I'm not interested, thanks. I won't read it.
Her: But it's free.
Me: I don't want it.
Her: All you would have to do is call us after x weeks and cancel if you don't want it.
Me: I don't want it now. I won't read it. I don't want to have to call anyone to cancel anything.
Her: But it's free.
Me: I'm...Not...Interested
Arggggh, "free" is not the answer to everything! My question is this: are they teaching them not to listen, just hiring people that have poor listening skills or is there some kind of contest to keep the customer on the line for a certain period of time? I heard that if you say "no" to a sales call 3 times, they have to hang up. Not sure if that is true.
Comments
- Anonymous
June 21, 2006
Sadly to say, it's not the case that a rep must disengage after 3 no's. If fact, sales reps are taught that on average, they will hear 5 no's before they hear a yes (different sales gurus differ on the number of no's, but they all agree that it is many). So persistence, and ability to face rejection are considered key selling skills.
Unfortunately, that's the only lesson a lot of lesser skilled sales folks take from their boot camp exercises in how to approach a prospect. They forget that:
a) the no's don't necessarily all come from the same person
b) badgering someone who has emphatically said no, and doesn't have a need or desire is counterproductive and annoys everyone
c) the most important thing is that the prospect is qualified
d) probing for true objections to a pitch is not the same thing as repeating the same pitch over and over
See this short article from entrepreneur magazine for a discussion of "getting past no". It is probably the most common thing written about sales, and probably the most poorly done.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,229292,00.html
I find that if they don't listen to the first polite 'no thanks', that telling them I'm on the 'do not call' list and simply hanging up works. - Anonymous
June 21, 2006
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June 21, 2006
I just say, "no I am not interested." And then I hang up before they can say anything else! - Anonymous
June 21, 2006
I hate those calls! I seem to be getting more and more of them. I fundamentally try and make a point to never be rude to people in the service industry or that contact me in a sales role. It's a job...and hey most people are doing it to help get through school (like I did) or make an honest living.
However it makes me angry when people take advantage of you for being polite and continue to harass you by ignoring your direct statements of "No I am not interested in your product or service".
There should be a mandatory rule that if a person says no twice the person must disengage. Otherwise less assertive people get taken advantage of and that is something that can make even me angry and potentially rude. - Anonymous
June 21, 2006
based on what Zapper says, it makes me feel bad for them. So I have to say that when I was in college, I did phone work for a non-profit. I was renewing memberships so the calls were warm, but at the same time, I understand the dynamics. Though we had old-fashioned phones...no auto-dialer.
I'm with Amanda...I try not to be rude if possible. I try not to hang up if possible. "No thanks" turns into "I'm not interested". By the time I get to "I'm...not...interested", I've already said it several times and it's getting ridiculous. It has to get at least a little ridiculous for me to hang up on someone. - Anonymous
June 21, 2006
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June 21, 2006
First off, I'm sorry but I do believe that the caller was predisposed to have a bad situation. He really didn't make an effort to make this a courteous call either.
Yes, it may be annoying that the rep insisted on not closing the account.
However, the previous posts point to no training being offered to the Call Center personnel. While on the contrary, they probably have several classes on sales and why not even marketing. Sure they didn't recieve their education from a top ten grad school. However, I'm certain that the rep was trying to sell him a better plan or service. If only the caller had been "nice" enough.
The customer adquisition cost is one of the main factors driving the cost of these companies. It's a lot cheaper to retain than to obtain customers.
About the script he had to read. Most companies will do this when you buy, cancel, or close a service. It's mandated by different governing bodies and is done to avoid litigation. Try buying a protection plan from American Express and you'll also get a script read to you as well as have your confirmation recorded.
Why is our attitude different going into a service than on the way out? - Anonymous
June 21, 2006
Ben- I thought the customer was perfectly fine. I understand the company wanting to know why he is canceling, but the customer shouldn't have to prove it. Once he gives his answer, that should be it. yuo can't keep a customer against their will and that was basically what the rep was doing.
The reason why it's different canceling than starting is that the customer wants to discontinue the business relationship when they are canceling. You can't charge the customer for services they don't want just because you don't like their reason fior canceling. Going in, both parties are interested in having a relationship so there's mutual interest. - Anonymous
June 21, 2006
You know though sometimes I wonder. I read an article today about a woman that was trying to get her mothers AOL service disconnected since she had died. They refused because they said she would have to have her mother call in and make the request. She had the coroners number and death certificate and everything yet AOL still wouldn't cancel her service. The cancelled the credit cards everything 2 months later they tried to sign on and the account was still there. - Anonymous
June 21, 2006
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June 21, 2006
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June 21, 2006
Reminds me of my experience with XBox Live. Nowhere near as bad, but sheesh if I can input my name, address, credit card and other data with my controller, why do I have to call to cancel my subscription? That would be a simple yes/no on the controller! Perhaps this has changed ... this was a few years ago. - Anonymous
June 21, 2006
Christina-kind of conflicting, huh? I feel the same.
James-sounds like a feature request. I'm not a gamer so unfortunatley I don't know if it has been added. - Anonymous
June 22, 2006
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June 23, 2006
Hmm, OK, "take me off your marketing list". I'm going to do that. - Anonymous
June 23, 2006
that aol call remineds me of peoplepc. - Anonymous
June 23, 2006
Looks like it's a great time to get rid of your AOL account, especially if you'd been afraid to because of the horror stories. I had the same experience with the LA Times you did with the Seattle Times. It's really a shame companies put their employees in those positions. As much as they'd like to think of themselves as "people companies" their behavior really proves the opposite, don't you think? - Anonymous
June 23, 2006
I'm not sure I know anyone that still has an AOL account, now that you mention it. I had an account in '97. - Anonymous
June 28, 2006
I believe you have to state "take me off your call list" to have the phone calls stop. Each time, take down the name of the person you are talking to and document time and date of conversation. Then, after three calls after you say "take me off your list" you can take them to small claims court or something along those lines. Not sure if that holds true today, but definitely something to keep in mind - Anonymous
August 22, 2006
I worked for AOL for about 4 months when I was in college.
They are paid by retention or so calls saves.
It is estimated that for each person saved is like $140 in revenue for them immediately and for that same person if the stayed on for another 30 days without calling back then it is about $2000.
Money is made on marketing end. People look at active subsriber #s and base cost for advertising on AOL.
They pay pretty decent bonus if you do well. I would say if I continue that part time that I could have made 80K a year. Not too many do that but I can certainly tell you that I was not at all in any way like the described conversation. There are many ways to cancel your account . I think people do pick out the worst scenarios to write about otherwise it would not sound so interesting.
I Refused to do those pitch though. I think it depends on the individuals. There are people who use these mindless methods but it definitely is not at all taught that you must ask a person that many times. Everyone is pretty much free to operate in their own style.
They are pushed to perform but that is their style. These are usually individuals who are thick headed.
Off the subject but my worst experience is once walikng through a store called Ultimate Electronics. We were looking for HDTV and teh store was probably 3000 sqft at that location. 9 people approached us sell. It was really ridiculous. They can all see that we have been approached and still did it. We walked out of the store and never been back in one of those. We did not even look at anything because of all the interruption. That was just pure harassment. - Anonymous
March 09, 2008
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