I fell in love with BritBox when I found the show “Hercule Poirot,” the Belgian detective with the handlebar mustache and his unlimited grey cells. If you don’t know about BritBox, it’s basically a subscription-based streaming service that specializes in offering British television content to viewers around the world.
I had been watching it for a year, but when I renewed my subscription I could no longer access my favorite shows on my TV. I could watch them on my computer and my cell phone, but not my TV. I tried everything, but I couldn’t get in.
So, I go online and discover, they don’t have a phone number in the United Statesto call. Everything must be done via chat and through email. I’ve had terrible experiences with chat, so I put off contacting BritBox for a month. I figured if I kept trying on my own, I would get in. I finally gave in and made contact.
At first, the conversation seemed the same: “What’s the problem?” “When does it occur?” and “What have you tried?” I told the rep that I was going through withdrawal because I couldn’t watch my favorite detective, Hercule Poirot! The whole thing seemed like another nightmare, but when I started taking screenshotsof the TV and sending them along to the customer service representative, things started changing.
Here’s what I learned about the process:
Never make your customer feel stupid when they encounter simple problems. There was a live person answering my questions—many of which were pretty basic. I started getting messages daily, sometime twice a day, to provide assistancein solving the problem.
If you don’t know the answer, tell the customer you don’t. That makes the customer feel better. It takes time and patience to find the underlying cause of things. My conversation continued for five days. I never felt stupid; I didn’t know what I had done or not done, and I wanted my problem resolved.
Be respectful. In dealing with the BritBox customer service department, there was a certain amount of formality that I liked. There were lots of “please” and a “thankyou” when appropriate that you don’t seem to get on most customer service calls.
Be patient. Sometimes, when you’re working with different customer service representatives over the course of a few days, they sometimes ask the customer to explain the problem several times. When detectives interview witnesses or suspects in the cases they’re working on, they often ask the same questions over and over. This got me thinking, what hadn’t I explained?
Thank the customer with your value pledge and be excited when you finally close the case. I wrote back a heartfelt note thanking them profusely for their patience and help. The reply I received in return was: “You made our day” we want you to enjoy BritBox, and we promise to do as much as we can to make this happen. If you have any more difficulties, we know that detective Hercule Poirot is happy to have you back!”
