Time frames

[Customer Beating Robot]

We sell telephone service. The phone line to your home kind, not the cellular stuff. So we get all kinds of people coming in and signing up for phone service. Usually, they are people that either really really hate the local telco, or they owe the local telco lots of money.

Anyway, we ALWAYS state 5-7 business days for activation. ALWAYS. Now we get some people who want it sooner and make it known up front. We restated 5-7 business and they seem to understand. We are able to deal with the issue up front and we rarely have an issue with those customers.

However, the majority of our customers don't even hear 5-7 business days. A day or two after signing up, they come stomping in wondering why it is taking so long. Out comes the calendar; I point out that it is 5-7 business days, as stated many times. We start counting out the business days (Of course, they don't understand why the weekend doesn't count.). They stare at the calendar, recounting over and over again, hoping to get to 5. Of course, no one can ever understand why it takes so long. (I am thinking "We told you the time frame over and over again. You knew before you signed up.")

I just had a lady come in at 8:46am on the fifth day of her order. Okay, it is 8:46am in the morning. How about you give the technicians, I don't know, at least until the afternoon to get it on. And if they don't? That is why we say 5-7 business days. We don't say 5 business days. We say 5-7 business days. Customer wanted to know what we are going to do if the phone isn't on today. I wanted to say "I guess we will wait two more days." What I actually said is that we have to wait until after the 7th day to do anything. The technicians work all the way up to 7pm, so we have to wait till the following day to know for sure that it won't be cut on in the time frame allowed.

What is it with people and time frames? You give a customer a time frame and they will automatically half it and then swear up and down you told them it would take 20 minutes, not an hour. I stay away from time frames when I can for this exact reason.

[MadMike]

(Of course, they don't understand why the weekend doesn't count.)

My ex went thru the same thing when she set up her first bank account, right before our first vacation together. She had been told it would take "5 business days" f, but apparently didn't understand what "business days" are.

A few days into our vacation, she stopped at an ATM to get some money out, and it wouldn't let her. All of a sudden, she exploded into a huge, profanity-laced rant (which should have been a sign of things to come, but that's another story) about how the bank "fucked up her account", that it was more than 5 days, and that they shouldn't be keeping her from getting her "fucking money", etc.

I thought back to the day she opened the account, started counting the days, and figured out her misunderstanding. Yes, it had been more than 5 days, but as we had crossed a weekend since then, it wouldn't be 5 business days until tomorrow. I tried to explain this to her, thinking it would calm her down. Boy, was I wrong. According to her, I didn't know what I was talking about, and I was an "asshole" (I would later learn that this was her favorite word) for siding with them. After going back and forth a few times, I told her to just try it again tomorrow, and that it would most likely work then, and then I just gave up.

I think she was even more annoyed the next day when she did try it again, and I turned out to be right.

[friendofjimmyk]

UGH!!! Time frames. The job I have is horrible for this.

The first call-takers, whose fancy title is "Customer Advocate" are supposed to quote time frames as such...

"You should receive service between now and (the time listed in the call)" They are NOT to say, "you will receive service by...." or quote ANYTHING less than the time that the computer spits out at them...it is not a random number, it is set that way for a freakin' reason!

But, of course, we get all sorts of excuses ALL the time about the time frame...and we, as dispatchers, do not know who dropped the ball - us or the call takers. It's frustrating.

[Pinkie]

I deal with this on a daily basis. If a customer's electric or gas is turned off for non-payment, once the past due, reconnect fee, AND security deposit is paid, the serivce will be restored within 24 HOURS. We read from a script that the computer puts right in front of our faces. No ifs ands or buts.....you were told that it would be 24 hours.....not today, not by 6pm, not in an hour. It's 24 hours and we don't care what you have planned or if you're young, old, disabled, with child, or have young children...If any of those conditions apply, you should have called us and made arrangements or paid your damn bill!!!!! If it's the gas service that needs to be restored, you must be home(or at least an adult needs to be there)so we can light the pilot lights (if this isn't done, your house could go BOOM!!!!!! ) If you are not home, we will leave a tag on your door and you have to call to reschedule and we will not go back out until the next day. (They are told about this as well) ARGGGGGG!!!! Why do my customers have selective hearing?????

[Kika]

Mad Mike - my ex husband did the exact same thing, and I too, wish I would have read the signs properly. Kinda OT, I know, but it made me snicker, cause you were totally telling my story.

[Amalthea]

It takes 3-8 business days to order a book that we do not have in stock. That's what the computer tells me. I ALWAYS say "it will take about a week". Believe me, I call on these things when they come in, and it's usually 7 or 8 (normal) days from when it was ordered. And I know that when you say business days, customers completely miss the "business" part. Actually, when you say "3 to 8 business days", the customer hears: "3 <static> days".

I ordered a book on CD for one SC. Of course I gave him my standard "that'll take about a week to come in". He says okay. Apparently a few days later he calls to find out about it, and someone looked up his order and gave him the estimated arrival date on the order. I NEVER give this to customers, because in my experience it's some random date that the computer pulled out of its butt that has NOTHING to do with which warehouse its coming from, how many non-business days are between then and now, etc. I just tell people that it's not in yet, probably a few more days, we'll call when it comes in. So, anyhoo, someone gave him the "expected arrival date". He comes in the day of the "EAD" and asks for his book on CD. (I hate when people do this. Instead of "I'd like to see if my book came in" they just say they have a book on hold. Even though we haven't called to tell them they do. Cuz they don't, it's not in yet.) There's nothing there, so I look up his order. I tell him it's not in, but we'll give him a call...yada yada... He's very upset. Unfortunately for him, because of a national holiday (forget which one now, I think it was Memorial Day) it had only been 4 business days. I didn't realize that at the time, because I was a little flustered from his loud disagreeableness, but told him we'd look into it. He calls the next day (yeah, and I'm the one who answered. Lucky me.) and starts out with "I ordered a book on CD, what seems like about 3 weeks ago..." 5 business days. Okay, I'm sorry, it was 8 "real" days, but that's not 3 weeks... Anyhow, his stupid order had come in, and was waiting in the pile of orders to be called on. Yay for you. Come get your stupid book and then go away...

Had a teacher call last week to see if his order for 45 copies of a book had come in yet. TWO DAYS (from a Wednesday to a Friday, so not even the whole "non-business" day confusion here) after the order was placed. That's not even IN the 3-8 business day window, not to mention that the more books in an order (even if it's all the same title) the closer it'll be to 8 days than 3.

[Gurndigarn]

I always throw in a few extra days in all my estimates. 3-5 days becomes a week, 7-10 days becomes two weeks.

[Kiwi]

when we order supplies for people, they dont seem to understand that it takes a few days for their labels/boxes/ forms to get out to them

especially when the courier (who doesnt have time or room to dish out more than a few emergancy supplies) is coming to pick up a package the next day....

the good thing about supplies is 99% of people who we um...supply with ...supplies are businesses and so the caller usually behaves themselves

just frustrating when ive spent 5 minutes ordering them bulk and they turn around and cancel everything because they need them now now now now, buddy your more than screwing my AHT (average handling time) your crushing it into the dirt with your boot!

[AFpheonix]

That's a daily issue for me. I give people wait times, and somehow 15 customer minutes is equal to the 30 minute wait time I gave out. Yeesh people, give me enough time to make sure everything's going ok.

Most people watching us work remark on how fast all of us are moving. Yet, there's still morons that complain about how long things take. Did you not notice the huge line of people in front of you, or the stacks of labels on the counter within your view, or the ream of new prescriptions the pharmacist just handed me off of voicemail? Agh!