Microsoft Support persists to get through and close the call
As readers of my Business Continuity UK blog will know, I place a premium on the quality of service I receive from those who supply me with products and services in my business life. My business depends on me having reliable access to high quality products backed up by outstanding service. I hope all companies do the same.
That’s why I use Apple products for my personal productivity tools: laptop, tablet and phone. It was also one of the factors that persuaded me to move from using Google Apps for Business to Microsoft Office 365. Google, in my opinion, is becoming too insular in its device support. Unless you are running an Android powered device, you are rapidly becoming a second class denizen of GoogleWorld.
Admittedly, Microsoft used to be the same as far as Mac support was concerned, but no longer.
Anyway, I’m very happy with the functionality I get from Office 365, and I’m also in the process of moving my personal email account to Outlook.com. A recent experience with Microsoft Support has confirmed the wisdom of my choice.
Whilst support for the Mac is pretty good on Office 365, I did have a reason to raise a Support Ticket via their online portal. It was a minor matter relating to billing, but I found that I couldn’t complete the Service Request. For some reason, each time I selected an option in the drop down menus, the screen refreshed and I had to start again. After trying a couple of times, I gave up and called them instead. Note: I called them: you can’t do that with Google as far as I know; at least not at my subscription level.
Now the first point is that I received outstanding service when I called in with my billing concern. However, whilst I was on the call, I mentioned that I had experienced a problem completing an online service request. The attendant offered to report it for me, so I said yes.
Very soon after, I was contacted by email with details of the new request, asking for more details.
The next day, I received a missed call on my phone and another email to apologise for not getting through but proposing another time to call me.
Mainly down to inefficiency on my part, I missed several attempts to call me. The point is that Microsoft Support didn’t give up. Each time I missed the call, I received another email with a proposed new time. Eventually, we did speak and progressed the issue.
It’s this dedication to getting the problem resolved and closing the call that impressed me. Other organisations would have given up after the first or second failed call, but not Microsoft. That matters to me and it reinforces my decision to move to Office 365.
Oh, and if you’re reading this, Mark, thank you for your perseverance.