We have all seen a very large change in the way that businesses are dealing with customer service in today’s world. From outsourcing telephone customer service to operators in other countries, to long drawn out menu systems on phone lines to get a customer to the right department; and even worse, long wait times on hold waiting for a real person to take your phone call. I am not sure about you, but I get easily frustrated when I am on hold with my wireless phone carrier for an hour at a time just to have a billing or technical question answered. Have you ever waited an hour or more on the phone, having to endure that horrible music and annoying reminders that your phone call will be answered in the order it was received only to lose the signal or get disconnected as soon as a real person answers the phone? It’s unacceptable in my opinion for a business to call themselves customer service conscience and require their customers to use their online service to search for their answers. I do not care how effective a search field there is on a website, nothing compares to a real human in your ear answering the questions you may have.

So why do big businesses resort to automated systems anyway…

• Could it be greed? In recent years we have seen an explosion of stories in the media speaking of companies CEO’s that become greedy. Cut the expenses for a company they have been hired to run, and they will be rewarded with very large salaries and bonuses for doing so. So the 30-40K they pay operators (and some of the larger businesses could have 100’s) multiplied by the number of operators that could be eliminated with an automated system or online FAQ section could be a substantial reduction in overhead costs to run a large business like say Verizon. So as a resort to high American salaries, some companies outsource their customer service at some level. But its equally as frustrating to me to be speaking with someone with whom I cannot understand because of their thick accent.
• Technology makes a company seem like a better choice? I called goDaddy.com the other day and noticed that their automated system had a bit of a twist to traditional automated systems. No doubt its because they understand how frustrating an un-personal an automated system is. But nonetheless its still an automated system that you have to navigate through. Theirs had a little bit of a sense of humor associated with it. Why not right? Definitely better than the boring computer that is programmed by Bank of America. Don’t get me wrong, I am not completely against an automated system, I am just against the ones that are designed to take the place of people all together. But sometimes technology seems to have a way of replacing our business values with the values of a businesses bank account. To me that seems like bad business.

Here at Across America we never force a customer to go through long menu system with friendly computer generated voices promising customers that they “do” take pride in customer service. Those promises are lies covered up with technology. Everyone who calls our call center gets to speak with a down to earth real person who will cater to their questions and offer real solutions based on your instructions. And if the answers to their questions are not immediately available without your approval, we offer to return their call as soon as we have had a chance to speak with you on how to solve the problem.

We strive for a 100% return call policy

What good is a customer service plan without the promise of returning all phone calls? No matter how effective and friendly your operators are, none of it matters when return phone calls do not exist. I cannot tell you how many times I have been told by an operator that someone will return my call soon, only to be disappointed and regretful that I have to call back to ask my question all over again. We understand the importance of an outstanding customer support system. We live and breathe customer support every day.

Business Management Services

Business moves very fast in today’s world. Is your business able to keep up with your competitors? Large corporations did not get as large as they are over night. They adapted to the changing world around them and implemented the right procedures that helped propel themselves forward in a big dog world. Need an example, what about Apple Computers and Steve Jobs? Steve jobs took a failing business and turned it into the business it is today by making the right choices and moving Apple into a different direction. So it goes without saying, sometimes every business runs into mountains that have to be climbed. But will your business be able to find the tools that will be needed to climb those mountains, or will your business crash to its death because of poor planning or lack of knowledge when it comes to direction and management?

That is where our skills are crucial.

We can handle the little things you have no knowledge about or we can work by your side as a management staff and advisement team that will push your business forward into the future. Consider us as a whole team of  dedicated CEO’s working toward the same goal that you set forth for your business. A team that will celebrate your success and work diligently to make that success a reality. And the best part of the whole big picture is that you get all of us working for you at a fraction of the cost of hiring your own staff to achieve the same goals.

We have worked with some very big names in the business. Tony Robbins, Chet Holmes, Jay Abraham, and BBI are just a few. If we can handle the payroll and product management for  successful organizations and businesses like theirs, you can rest assured that we can handle yours as well.