Having Problems With Customer Service in Malaysia? Try These Effective Techniques First

Disclaimer: This article should not be considered to be legal advice, and altHR is not liable for any actions taken based on this article.

We’ve all been there. You run into a problem with a device or service that you’re using, and you immediately contact customer service or a representative of the company that sold you the product — and then you’re told to wait for 3 working days. 

It’s frustrating, and at times, it can be disruptive to your business. When it comes to services that involve the day-to-day of running the business, this can even cause problems to customers of your own, leading to a knock-on impact to the detriment of your own business. 

So, what can you do? Errors and issues are inevitable — but thanks to the acceleration of digital transformation in recent years, here are a couple of easy techniques you should try before picking up the phone to ring a customer service representative. 

1. Look for an FAQ or tutorial section on the official website

The vast majority of businesses have an official website these days, and this is something that is particularly useful for customers when it comes to solving issues that may arise. Look out for an FAQ section on the site, while there may also be tutorials available on the company’s YouTube or social media platforms to help you get to the root of your problem. 

On altHR, there is the altHR Academy for video tutorials, while you can also find full product information on the site for all things altHR. And of course, you’re reading our Resources section that answers all things HR. 

2. Understand the Service-Level Agreement (SLA) 

Almost every customer service department will have a Service-Level Agreement (SLA) that will include certain commitments from the service provider — including response times. This means customers can use the SLA to manage their expectations when it comes to getting a first response. 

You should be able to find the SLA on the company’s website, or a customer service representative might have an auto-responder that details the expected time for the first response. The latter bit of information is particularly important, as automation has become the norm in today’s digital era in order to better combat slow response times and manage critical moments.

Either way, it’s certainly a good idea to manage your expectations based on the SLA, and remember: there’s always a human being behind the phone. 

3. Try to troubleshoot the issue yourself

Depending on the issue you’re encountering, it can be very useful to attempt a round of troubleshooting before contacting customer service. At the very least, this gives you the context to provide when discussing the issue, while you’ll already have tried the preliminary fixes that customer service reps will probably suggest over the phone. 

Of course, this very much depends on the nature of the issue. For simpler stuff, a good idea is to look through relevant forums (even Reddit), or to simply try to reset all systems. 

4. Use a service that has strong self-service capabilities

This may sound like a plug (it is, actually), but it’s crucial to consider self-service capabilities as one of the key factors when choosing service. This means that any service that you’re using — particularly for businesses — should have a strong repository of resources that can help you out in a jiffy. 

Remember that self-help resources are there for a reason. They help to streamline the troubleshooting process, while improving the overall consumer experience when using a service. An empowered experience = an empowered consumer. 

For example, the altHR Library comprises the altHR Academy for video tutorials, altHR Introduction for a product intro, the Knowledge Base for FAQ tutorials, and even an HR Consultancy segment to help empower HR managers at organisations in Malaysia. 

A strong self-service product is part of the overall digital DNA that every company looking to build digital resilience should look towards.