Say Thanks to the big guys.

As we all know education is expensive and wisdom follows experience.

When interacting with large organisations we are constantly provided with lessons in how not to treat customers, all we have to do is pay attention and think. It is up to us to take all the positives we can learn from such experiences and re-examine our own organisations.

Alvin Toffler is often quoted as saying that the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.

Lets take Telstra as an example  -

I frequently receive calls from somebody called Fred or Peter, with a strong Indian accent, who informs me that he is from Telstra Technical department and that there is a problem with my "internet". These I dispatch by stating that I am 95 years old and have no internet, then the phone goes silent and I hope they update their records.

This is a scam that has been running for years, but I am sure many people who are not tech savvy gets caught.

Question
What has Telstra done to alert its customers about this scam? Nothing that I have been able to find and I have been with them for 18 years.

I do however receive calls from Telstra about once every three months, where I am informed that the call is being recorded and they are contacting me to offer me some special packages that are only available by phone.

However before they can reveal these new fantastic offers to me can I please give them my date of birth to ensure they are talking to me.

At this point the conversation gets interesting when I point out that they called me at my Telstra number to try and sell me something I have no interest in to start with.  They also never ask whether it is convenient for me to talk to them, as that is not in their script.

Its gets better, they then inform me that they have to confirm that they are talking to the correct person to conform to privacy legislation, really !!

Somehow they appear unaware that the key bit of information identity scammers require is my Date of Birth and when I point this out they reply that they are just following Telstra procedures.

Its gets funny at times, when I point out that I have no idea who I am talking to, yet they want me to prove my identity when they could be calling from South America for all I know and have nothing to do with Telstra.

Some offer to supply their Telstra ID number, as if that could make any difference and I then offer them my Telstra ID number, made up on the spot.

After all that fun I politely ask them to go away and advise their bosses that asking for a date of birth is not a good idea.

Some go quietly and others get desperate pleading that I will be missing the best offers Telstra has ever made.

These are important lessons in how not to communicate with customers and we should explore whether we have any "Telstra procedures" in our own businesses?

Thanks Telstra !