BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : OCTOBER 23, 2000 ISSUE
COVER STORY 'We're Sorry, All of Our Agents Are Busy with More Valuable Customers' Companies have become sophisticated about figuring out if you're worth pampering--or whether to just let the phone keep ringing. Here are some of their techniques: CODING Some companies grade customers based on how profitable their business is. They give each account a code with instructions to service staff on how to handle each category. ROUTING Based on the customer's code, call centers route customers to different queues. Big spenders are whisked to high-level problem solvers. Others may never speak to a live person at all. TARGETING Choice customers have fees waived and get other hidden discounts based on the value of their business. Less valuable customers may never even know the promotions exist. SHARING Companies sell data about your transaction history to outsiders. You can be slotted before you even walk in the door, since your buying potential has already been measured. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _					RELATED ITEMS Why Service Stinks COVER IMAGE: Why Service Stinks TABLE: How You Can Get Stiffed TABLE: ``We're Sorry, All of Our Agents Are Busy with More Valuable Customers'' CHART: Satisfaction Takes a Nosedive... CHART: ...As Customers Beef about a Wide Range of Offenses How to Improve Your Profile TABLE: Making the Grade INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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