Sir, – When I call my local takeaways, they know who is calling, and they know my address.
They nearly know what I’m likely to order and they know that I pay by debit card.
So their phone system identifies me.
When I call other service providers, such as electricity, TV, or phone, I have to give my name, address, account number, password, key identifier, etc, and sometimes even my mother’s maiden name (if I have forgotten my password).
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If my local takeaway can stretch to a sophisticated system that can save me all that palaver, why can’t other service providers use this system to make life more straightforward?
Perish the thought, but I sometimes suspect that they don’t really want to engage with me on the phone at all, and make the process as difficult as possible so they don’t have to solve my problem.
I’m sure my friendly takeaways would be happy to share how this facility works with those who wish to improve their customer service. – Yours, etc,
SHEILA DEEGAN,
Dublin 3.