UK’s largest mobile provider, EE, has announced a new initiative called Priority Answer where callers are greeted with an automated message asking if they’d like to pay a one-time fee to jump the queue. This might sound like good news to anyone who has ever tried to reach customer service and instead got stuck waiting for 30 minutes.
The question to ask is what does Priority Answer mean for customers who opt not to pay the fee? Will their time in the queue be extended as others seize the chance to jump ahead? What if a large number of customers choose this option resulting in a queue in the Priority queue?
As a business, EE could be commended for seizing on this money making opportunity, but while shareholders may be happy, it’s definitely not a good move if it leaves customers fuming. In fact, as the article indicated, the company may end up losing customers who feel they shouldn’t have to pay for efficient service.
How about you? Would you pay a fee to jump to the head of the contact center queue?