According to The Register, HP put up a 15-minute waiting time for its customer service to encourage its customers to move to digital channels like the support.hp.com website or its virtual agent at virtualagent.hpcloud.hp.com. However, a subsequent report says that the company has canceled the policy due to customer and staff backlash.
HP recently instituted a mandatory 15-minute wait time for customers calling its hotline for service. The interactive voice response (IVR) says, “We are experiencing longer waiting times and we apologize for the inconvenience. The next available representative will be with you in about 15 minutes,” even if there’s no telephone queue.
The 15-minute hold policy first went live in HP’s UK, Ireland, France, Germany, and Italy contact centers earlier this week but was canceled just one day after The Register published its story. Thus, the company seems to have finally caved into external pressure.
Still, a source previously said to the publication, “Many within HP are pretty unhappy [about] the measures being taken and the fact those making decisions don’t have to deal with the customers who their decisions impact.”
Customer service staff likely gave this feedback as they would have to deal with irate customers who, on top of encountering an issue with their HP device, are made to unnecessarily wait a quarter of an hour to talk to a human being.
The company defended its previous action by saying, “We’re always looking for ways to improve our customer service experience. This support offering was intended to provide more digital options with the goal of reducing time to resolve inquiries.”
HP then added, “We have found that many of our customers were not aware of the digital support options we provide. Based on initial feedback, we know the importance of speaking to live customer service agents in a timely fashion is paramount. As we result, we will continue to prioritize timely access to live phone support to ensure we are delivering an exceptional customer experience.”
HP’s support website and virtual agent are often helpful for basic troubleshooting; however, not everyone is technologically inclined to find and follow these solutions. Furthermore, those who know their way around computers would likely already have visited these support pages and are calling telephone support as a last resort. So, adding a 15-minute wait time is like HP shooting itself in the foot to reduce its customer service personnel.
