Should I talk to a client about issues if my boss is not getting me the answers needed to get my job done?

Question

I work in a call center and we have a new emergency device that I am tech support for. I will also be taking the emergency calls. There are a lot of things customers are asking that are not in our scripts. Last week, a customer had a question so I went to the products Facebook page and asked after sending emails to bosses. Long story short, I ended up getting a very nice email from the SVP of company for going our of my way to help the customer. It was not appreciated at my job and I was told that the client did not want us going on Facebook even though my email said otherwise. She even suggested we have weekly meetings to talk about how things are going. After s slap on the wrist from my supervisor(short and polite email), I responded to the email and said thanks, that sounds good but my management will have to decide that. I've left it alone but I stumbled across this site during some down time and thought I'd ask what others thought.

Answer 1

You work for your company not the client!

This is something that I have trouble differentiating at times too. But in the end you work for your employer, not the company you represent on the phone. You should always keep you employers best interests in mind.

Going to their client with dirty laundry about your employer is likely to result in some disciplinary action. You should avoid doing anything that makes your employer look bad, even if it will benefit their client.

Answer 2

It depends on the support contract with the client. Maybe your employer offers different support levels and the client opted for a cheaper option. In that case, the service level you provided could be meant to be handled by another department or on a pay-by-hour basis.

Technical support is very often organized in three tiers. The first line of support answers mostly according to script (sounds like this might be you) and sometimes problems that can be solved in a few minutes while still on the phone. When the script is not enough you escalate it to another department called second line that is a bit more creative and does basically what you did. The third line would be skilled experts who can actually go in and solve problems with the core product, tweak settings and even be involved in complex projects.

Hopefully you will learn more about your role and the contract in the meeting. Of course your client was happy, and the bosses probably recognize you did a good job in that regard, but it is equally important to deliver according to the contract or else your employer might end up making a loss. When they say "the client does not want you to go on Facebook", what I think they really mean is "the client did not want to pay for a contract where you put in that time". And don't forget that the people from the client you are talking to might not be the same people who negotiated the support contract, so the people you are talking to might not even know what level to expect. They will try to get as much help as possible so it is up to you to say "can't do that" or "let me put you through to Xxx who might be able to help" or whatever your employer tells you to do in situations like these.

All this is pure speculation of course, since neither you nor me have the full picture. Make sure you ask in the meeting how to escalate problems, and who to talk to when you have questions. And don't make promises to clients, tell them that you will look into it and then ask your supervisor.

Relax, listen to what your manager tells you in the meeting and good luck!