I have (well, had) two XM radios. I hadn’t used my original radio in quite some time, so I wanted to take it off my account.
I pulled up XM Radio’s website and logged into my account. I looked, looked, and looked some more for some way to cancel the radio. That option doesn’t seem to be available on their website.
Failure #1 – If you’re not using your website to prevent phone calls, you’re doing it wrong. Why can’t I cancel a radio through their website?
Solution: Make this option available.
I called their 800 number and went through the voice prompts. The automated voice attendant was no help at all. I chose the “Manage my account” option. The first option inside that is to pay my bill, which shows where XM’s priorities are. There was an option for canceling my account, and an option to add a radio, but no option to cancel a radio.
Failure #2 – If you’re going to offer a service, offer it fully. Don’t resort to partial measures. Not only can I not cancel a radio through their website, there’s no automated option to do it over the phone, either.
Solution: Add this option to the IVR system.
I pressed 0 (zero), fully expecting it not to work, but sure enough it put me into a queue to get to a live human being. The wait time was only about five minutes, which is nothing to complain about.
Failure #3 – Why isn’t this “Press Zero to Speak to an Operator” option mentioned during the voice prompts? Easter eggs aren’t cool in an IVR.
I told the woman who picked up my call that I had two radios on my account and that I wanted to cancel one of them. She asked for my account number, my name, billing zip code, billing address, and phone number. Then she told me that her department didn’t handle cancellations and that she’d have to transfer me.
Failure #3 – Why bother taking all my information if you can’t help me? She knew at the very beginning of the call what I wanted, and thus she knew she wouldn’t be able to help me. Why waste my time and hers gathering information she wasn’t going to use? (No, she didn’t pass it on when she transferred my call.)
Solution: Don’t ask for information you don’t need or won’t use.
Failure #4 – Why couldn’t she handle my request? There are only so many things that can be done to an XM account – taking a payment, opening an account, canceling an account, changing a subscription, adding a radio, removing a radio. So why is it handled in such a granular fashion?
Solution: Every employee answering the phones should be able to handle every aspect of an account, period. I’ve done my share of call center work. I know this isn’t that complicated.
She transferred me to the correct department. The man that answered asked me for my information all over again.
Failure #5 – Why did I have to give all my information a second time? Why wasn’t it passed on when I gave it the first time?
Solution: Make use of the information you request, and don’t make your customers repeat themselves unnecessarily.
He asked me why I wanted to cancel the radio. I told him I didn’t use it anymore. He asked me a couple of follow-up questions, at which point my patience reached an end. I bluntly told him I wanted to cancel the radio, and to take care of it right now.
Failure #6 – I resent being given the third degree just because I wanted to modify my account. The irony here is that he was no doubt asking me those questions so they could improve their customer service.
Solution: Leave the customer satisfaction surveys out of the account modification or cancellation process.
XM’s entire website and automated phone system is centered around getting more FROM their customers – Paying bills, adding radios, adding subscriptions, etc. While these are helpful to people who need those services, it leaves out one huge part of customer service – canceling services.
I was one annoyance away from canceling my account outright. A little more irony – there IS an automated voice option for that. Next time I’ll know what to do.
