pro-tips for calling a customer service line (insurance, bank, social services): - get a blank piece of paper for making notes - write down the phone number, name of office you're calling, call time and date - write down the name of the person helping you, make sure you get the pronunciation right (write that down too if you need to) - make notes about how you navigated to the options ("press 2 for claims" etc) - write down information as they tell you, if you're struggling to keep up, it's ok to ask for a moment to finish writing something down - always get a confirmation number of some kind, write it down and read it back - make sure to end the call by thanking the person by name. if they've been especially helpful, thank them for something specific. if they were a jerk, all of your notes will help you do something about it next time you call - if you're concerned about losing the page(s) of notes, take a picture and save it somewhere doing all this might seem like a lot of work but it has saved my bacon so many times. big companies don't like it when customers keep detailed notes of them doing things they weren't supposed to. if you have to call or email another time, you'll find that reciting out things from your notes it will signal to the person on the other end of the line that you mean business and can't be pushed around as easily
I work in a callcenter and the biggest tip I can be is remain calm.
If you start the call impatient, screaming or asking for a supervisor right away any agent will be more focused on ending the call quickly than they would be in assisting you
It's ok to verbally express that the process has been frustrating or that a previous agent did not assist you, but always remain calm, have a clear idea of what you need (not what you want) and write everything down. Can't recommend that part enough
Also, don't volunteer information that is not asked of you, all calls are recorded and you may get a claim denied for saying more than you should. Answer questions truthfully but concisely. It's better to receive follow up questions than to compromise yourself, we are not allowed to tell you to shut up if you start digging your own grave
