I don’t know Fran’s last name.
I don’t know where she lives, though I detected a slight Southern drawl.
All I know is that both times we’ve chatted, she’s been incredibly helpful.
Which is not what I usually say about a call center employee.
Fran works for People’s United Bank (or whoever they outsource their help center to). What are the odds that out of the hundreds (okay, tens) of folks answering calls (eventually), that I’d reach the same woman twice?
And what are the odds she’d remember me?
But Fran did. I started the second call — it was about People’s inability to play nice with QuickBooks — with, “I’m incredibly frustrated.”
“Didn’t I talk to you last week?” she asked. She remembered (I sure didn’t) that I’d said the same thing the first time (for a different issue). Which was actually more than 2 weeks earlier.
Calmly, rationally, and (this is huge) efficiently, Fran walked me through everything I needed to know. She solved the problem. And she did it in perfectly understandable English.
I’ve never met Fran. She probably has no idea where Westport is.
But because she (sort of) works for a local bank, she qualifies as this week’s Unsung Hero.
I hope I never have to call People’s help line again. But if I do, I sure hope Fran answers.
What a lovely tribute, Dan. Hopefully the next time you call People’s support you’ll get Fran again and you can send her this write up. When people do good things they deserve to be appreciated.
Dan, I’m sure we (you) can track her down, and send her supervisor this post!
Yes, anyone who delivers excellent service at Peoples United Bank is an unsung hero. The place has lost its personal touch over the years, is a decade behind in technology/online security, and I doubt being merged into a bank based 400 miles away in Buffalo will make things bette.r
Dan, My granddaughter has a similar job which she hates! Her day is dealing with an endless string of people who are by definition, unhappy and frustrated and who take their problems out on her. This is definitely the time for you to contact her boss to pass on your satisfaction with her performance in the hope that your complements will make it back to Fran herself!
During and for years after I graduated from Staples (Riverside Ave) people knew me as “Jack,” and that was okay. Gradually, though, as I started as a freelance writer I adopted the initial, J., as my “pen name,” and what I was called. That morphed into me being called “J-period,” and that was okay. I married, moved away and (dot-dot-dot). I was on the phone with a company, once, trying to unravel some problem. At the end of the call the rep said, “Well, Jack, I’m glad we solved that problem.” I was astonished. “Who is this?” The woman turned out to be one of my classmates.
Perhaps a copy of your post can be sent to:
Mr. Joe Bonitatebus, First Vice President (in charge of the customer service control center), 850 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604
I have been a loyal People’s customer since 1975. That said, they allowed Robin Hood Investment to just go into my checking account and withdraw 28K$ without any confirmation and I do not have any account with the investment firm. Then when a $10,700 check was stolen from our mail box (directed to my credit card company) and clearly forged, night deposited in a local TD bank, it took People’s 4 months to rectify that issue. Glad you found someone to help you (Ida in customer service is super) but People’s Bank, the ole community institution, has become NOT only to big to fail, but TOO BIG to serve its depositors.
I totally “get” the appreciation that can be felt when you finally get a customer service person who can solve the problem. I was on the phone for over an hour the other day trying to fix an issue for my mom. First I reached Jack who did a partial solve but had to pass me to another dept. His transfer disconnected me. Once again, I went through a long queue of numbers and holds, then spoke to a 2nd individual whose communication skills were poor. When he couldn’t help, he transferred me to another dept – I was disconnected. I tried again. The next person couldn’t help either but gave me a new number to call. Finally Kia answered. Kia solved the problem. At the end of our call, I was so thankful to her that I told her I was in love with her. She was so undone by the compliment that she told me to have a good weekend. It was Tuesday. When she realized what she’d said, we both laughed and wished one another a great day.
Frantastic!