Read practically any article on this blog and you’ll see something like:
Need help? Call us at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours.
Ever wonder why that is? A lot of companies pride themselves on 24/7 customer service… we don’t. The reason is simple: we provide real customer service. Service to the customer. And that’s when it’s possible to do it.
mmmwhat?
Let’s all agree on something. Just because someone, somewhere in the world picks up the phone that doesn’t mean they are providing you with real service. A lot of companies have overseas call centers. Just as many subcontract their call center work to other companies. When you call at three o’clock in the morning, you can be certain you’re not talking to someone in the USA. I mean no disrespect to the people who staff call centers. They’re hard workers and they put up with a lot of nonsense. But the simple truth is, they’re working from scripts. And those scripts are no substitute for real knowlege.
When you call Solid Signal, Signal Connect, or any Signal Group subsidiary, that call goes through to Novi, Michigan. That’s where our corporate offices are. We have assembled a real team of professionals who know what they’re talking about. If the person on the phone needs help, they just need to ask the person next to them, or hop on an interoffice chat. We’re all here to help each other.
Isn’t Michigan in Central Time?
People ask us that all the time. I admit I thought that before I started working at Signal Group. But take a look, you’ll find Michigan in the Eastern Time Zone, all except a little bit of the upper peninsula.
I will tell you, being on the far west end of Eastern time does take a bit of getting used to. The sun comes up pretty late and in the summer, it’s light out until, oh, about 9:30. But there’s no fighting the government, at least on this. Our offices are solidly in the Eastern time zone.
Can I call before or after hours?
Generally if you call before or after hours, you’ll get an away message. You can leave a voicemail if you like. Sometimes we have staffers who come in earlier or stay later, but if you really want reliable service, calling during office hours is the way to go.
If you’re working with someone at Signal Connect about a corporate, mobile, or marine account, you’ll often get their personal e-mail or phone number. You can talk to them when you need to. Some of our reps answer the phone 24 hours a day to provide service to the people they work with. It’s what we call “white glove service.”
Call us old-fashioned…
…but we believe that our customers are our greatest asset. They’re the reason we’re in business. We think it’s ridiculous that some of the world’s largest online shops don’t even publish their phone numbers. That’s not how you give great service. We know that. That’s one of the reasons I mention our phone number so often. Want to know about real customer service? Call 888-233-7563. There. I mentioned it again.
