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  • #16
    We're at-will here, too.

    The upside is that a non-contractual worker can leave at any time, without notice, without "reason".

    A downside is that a place can fire someone for a racist/sexist/predjudicial reason simply by calling it "dismissal without cause", never stating an actual reason aloud.
    "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
    "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
    "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
    "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
    "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
    "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
    Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
    "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

    Comment


    • #17
      If your calls are recorded, you could ask your manager to pull a particularly long SC call and ask for advice on how you might be able to handle such calls in the future. It really doesn't matter if the advice is good (though who knows, you could get a good pointer). If the manager listens to the call, you might be able to get a voice on your side. And even if your manager says they're too busy, just broaching the question to management shows that you are trying to work on getting your call times down, so can help with performance reviews.


      I have my own complaints with my job, but stories like this remind me of how lucky I am. (Or maybe used to be, since this was during Awesome Manager's time.) We had one worker on the teller line who's number of customers assisted was WAY under everyone else on the line. Instead of simply getting on her case about speeding up, management actually WATCHED what she was doing. And they realized that she was doing extreme customer service.

      She remembered everyone, so could greet them by name. She remembered who had kids, or who was planning a vacation, or who's mom just had surgery. Customers loved her. So her conversations took a bit longer, because they were bound to tell her about something new going on in their lives,but they left happy. And as a bonus, if something came up where the bank had something that might help, she was fantastic about getting in referrals for additional banking services.

      Comment


      • #18
        Look at the bright side

        Where I work they want our call average to be under 4.50. Ok for the most part I would do this even with SC's. Well where I work got a nice shinny new system. Well it locks up alot now, it is slower then dirt, and just does wird things from time to time. So they have had to kinda go more lax on the call times but still.

        What I don't get is our sup. keep telling us it is only half done and they are trying to make this system take order when it was never ment to. Um then why in the heck do are we using it??? Wouldn't it just be smarter and easier to have one made for us??

        Comment


        • #19
          Quoth Justsomegirl View Post
          Um then why in the heck do are we using it??? Wouldn't it just be smarter and easier to have one made for us??
          Hey now -- don't bring logic into this ^_^

          PS, Welcome to CS!
          "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
          "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
          "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
          "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
          "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
          "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
          Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
          "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

          Comment


          • #20
            Quoth CrazedClerkthe2nd View Post
            When I worked at a call center they talked and talked about keeping handle times down but unless your average was astronomically high, you didn't get bitched at much. My guess was they were happy enough to have people who would show up and work the phones for 8 hours a day, they didn't want to push it.

            My longest call was 1 hour 45 minutes

            I had three calls over 1 hour

            Most were less than 10 minutes.
            About the same for me.

            Almost all of my calls are under 10 minutes. I'd say well over half of them are less than a minute long as its a very simple question. Generally if the person has a clue even a complex issue can be resolved in 5 minutes. If the person doesn't know what he's doing it may take 10 minutes.

            If he doesn't know what he's doing and he's a moron, it can take upwards of 20 minutes. After the 15 minute mark I start making noises about ending the call. After 20 minutes you have to give me a reason to stay on the line, because at that point we're just wasting time.

            Sometimes there is actually a real issue where yes, some calls make take over 1 hour. These are usually important customers that have complex issues to solve.

            So long as average calltimes are 10 minutes or less we're fine, and its mostly to avoid wasting time because we do have other things to do. Staying on the phone all day long with 1 moron means you're not able to get your other work done.

            Comment


            • #21
              I do tech support for a living...I know computers, I am aware of what i DO and DO NOT know when it comes to them, phones, power issues, etc...When I call the phone company for the occasional line issue, I tell them up from that I'm a techie/yes, I've already rebooted/powercycled/etc. This invariably elicits a barely-stifled sigh of relief, and results in a nice fast call that gets my problem solved tut de suite. For some reason, the techs I call seem to like me. Can't imagine why
              "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
              "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
              "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
              "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
              "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
              "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
              Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
              "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

              Comment


              • #22
                Quoth EricKei View Post
                I do tech support for a living...I know computers, I am aware of what i DO and DO NOT know when it comes to them, phones, power issues, etc...When I call the phone company for the occasional line issue, I tell them up from that I'm a techie/yes, I've already rebooted/powercycled/etc. This invariably elicits a barely-stifled sigh of relief, and results in a nice fast call that gets my problem solved tut de suite. For some reason, the techs I call seem to like me. Can't imagine why
                I do tech support myself, and sadly, have not had that experience.

                Just recently I was having severe static on the phone line. I have DSL, which also comes in through the phone. You can imagine that static that is audible on an analogue line will play complete and utter havoc on a digital connection! Predictably, my connection was extremely slow, when it even worked.

                I was able to even narrow down the fault to a particular wire. Wiggling a certain wire outside, the one leading to the telephone pole, would cause varying levels of static.

                I of course explained this when I called up Verizon about this (get my phone and internet from them, unfortunately ) but the complete and utter moron kept asking me to reboot my computers and model again and again, then utterly freaked out when I mentioned I had also cycled my router several times, and informed me that the static heard on my PHONE LINE was due to the router...which wasn't even plugged in at the time. I was on the phone with that dunce for a good 30 minutes before I finally hung up on him after repeatedly demanding to be transferred to someone with a brain. Yes, I went SC on him, but only because he kept blaming my router for the static on the line, which I could reproduce on demand by wiggling the wire outside leading to the telephone pole. And at the time the modem was disconnected from the phone jack, meaning the entire network, including computer and routers, was physically isolated from the phone line. He refused to transfer me to someone with a brain because it was my router that was all at fault. I finally had it and hung up on him, then called back another department and got someone who figured out the problem within 1 minute of talking to her.




                Also they have yet to actually fix this issue. It only happens when its damp or rainy. The repair guy only shows up when its dry, and of course is never able to replicate the problem. Its currently summer so its not a problem right now, but when winter hits again, I will be on the phone with them yet again.
                Last edited by Hyndis; 06-13-2010, 07:39 PM.

                Comment


                • #23
                  In my experience most of the long calls were caused by one of two things:

                  1) A customer failing to understand a concept. The call I mentioned in prior post that was an hour and 45 minutes was because of a woman who just could not grasp how her billing worked even though I explained it to her six times and a supervisor explained it to her at least as many times, she just kept saying "I don't understand."

                  2) Entitlement whores/folks who are asking too much - One example is the guy who wanted a $100 credit (and it was for something stupid like we'd gotten his address wrong) and refused to get off the phone until we gave it to him (he didn't get it, but that was a long chess battle of a call).
                  "If we refund your money, give you a free replacement and shoot the manager, then will you be happy?" - sign seen in a restaurant

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Quoth lobo94 View Post
                    "shakes head" The bean counters who come up with stuff like this have no clue about what actually happens in the trenches.
                    Not call times, but still relevant. Someone, somewhere, decided that grave (and all other shifts, granted) has 5:00 [which really means 4:45) minutes to get someone OUT of the drive through.


                    Grave. Even on weekends. Grave. 10PM until 6AM

                    Which includes 1:30AM - 4AM also known as Holy Shit Does The Entire Town Have A 3.24 BAC?

                    You cannot stop a drunk from taking 3 minutes to order. Ever. And they're all drunk. I might be happy if the timer gets moved to when they hit my window. But, I'm sure theres something I'm not seeing there that will screw me completely (like the people who want to eat in drive..?)
                    Thou shalt not take the name of thy goddess Whiskey in vain.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Quoth Hyndis View Post
                      Just recently I was having severe static on the phone line. I have DSL, which also comes in through the phone. You can imagine that static that is audible on an analogue line will play complete and utter havoc on a digital connection! Predictably, my connection was extremely slow, when it even worked.
                      Unfortunately this is a common occurrence, if you have a problem with your phone line the best thing to do is to unplug the router, call up, say you only have the phone line (no internet). If you say you have broadband with them they'll put you through to broadband tech support. If you say you only have the phone, they put you through to phone support.

                      I'd also suggest taking notes of times/dates you've had the issue and the weather at the time. Give them to the tech all at once with the mention of how many previous visits you've had but that the tech's all came at dry times and they should be able to help you.
                      "You can only try so hard to look like you are working before actually doing your work seems easy in comparison" -My Boss

                      CW: So what exactly do you do in retentions?
                      Me: ummm, I ....retent stuff?

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        When I did reservations I was lucky that they didn't care really how long you took as long as you were making them money. There was nothing greater than having a manager go holier than thou on you about a long call, only to pull the recording and find out that you sold 9 rooms during it
                        As far as at will states, y'alls need to be greatful you aren't in Utah where the laws vary by city and township. For example, the relay center I work at, at any time a manager could (ok, they couldn't because of company policy, but for sake of argument) walk into my cubicle, "hey Smiley, I don't know if you know this, but God hates fags, get the fuck out and don't come back" and I would have no legal recourse because I work in Taylorsville which is not only at will, but has no anti-discrimination laws (beyond what is federally mandated)... at the hotel however, my manager can still fire me without cause because it is at will, if he were stupid enough to let it out that he fired me for being gay I would have the grounds for a wrongful termination suit and he would be facing large fines from the city, because Salt Lake City does have anti-discrimination ordinances. Just for fun, I'll add that being a resident of Millcreek my landlord cannot evict me, but if I lived two blocks north in South Salt Lake they could, likewise, moving a mile south to Murray they could.
                        So, just remember, when complaining about stupid policies, just be greatful you don't have to deal with Salt Lake's convaluted laws that change every couple of miles you travel.
                        If you wish to find meaning, listen to the music not the song

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          When I worked at S-tel I did pretty good at keeping my call times down- except for the sucky customers, the transfers, and The Southern.

                          Of course, trying to explain to my handler that you just don't tell a good ole Southern lady that you need to stop chitchatting never worked ^_^. I didn't mind going over time on those ones. It was nice to talk to someone who honestly wished me a good day at the end of it.

                          My hubband, however, worked across the cube from me and had -horrible- call times. They'd threaten and threaten but they never did anything. 'Course, the idle threatening of "You could lose your job" for the stupidest things is what led to me leaving them. Then they called and wanted me back...heh. Hmm...lemme think about it..come back to a job that gave me severe anxiety attacks because of nitpicking about call times or small wording mishaps (well...it's hard to stick to script when customers are being sporatic!) lemme think about that...Um, No.

                          Hang in there. If your call times don't get better and they keep hounding you about them even when there's nothing you can do to keep the customer on track, well, I hope you can find something less stressful. *hands out cookies*
                          I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. ~George Carlin.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            You know, it is already very stress releiving to be able to rant here, amongst fellow call centre workers who understand the pressures.

                            I could go back to the sales floor, but you know, that has its own targets and pressures. I could try to find another job, but I've been here twelve years and to be honest in this economy it would be difficult to find anything with the seniority pay i have built up.

                            But i know things are getting worse when coworkers who have always been happy enough doing this job are suddenly asking if anyone knows of any other work anywhere, going off sick with stress, asking to return to the sales floor even though the pay there is less.
                            Customer "why did you answer the phone if you can't help me?"

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              I worked at two different call centers. They both had AHT goals. The first one had times that were difficult to meet for most people (though I was always short!). You had to be within goal to get a bonus and it was a part of your annual review. Too long and you'd be written up. Usually if you were close enough, like a few seconds over, you'd be ok, but sometimes management decided to get anal and everyone who was 1 second or more off from the goal would be written up. Enough writeups and you got fired, but most people got close enough to be safe.

                              Second place had generous enough times it wasn't a problem. I'm thinking that the difference between the places was that the first place was outsourced and the second wasn't, since they were both pretty soul sucking.

                              Oh, and just because you hear "this call may be recorded" doesn't mean that all calls are recorded or that there is any way to pull the recordings. At the first place the only recorded calls were those recorded for quality scoring. I'm pretty sure the second place was the same way. They weren't filed by customer name or anything, but just kept for so long in case the employee wanted to challenge the score or the manager wanted to listen to it before coaching the employee.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Quoth Mr.Customer View Post
                                Well if they fired you for unjust cause then the company is generally liable for legal reprecusions. Since it is beyond your control how customers act, firing you their call time would be unjust cause. Depending on your state and country (here in Canada I would start with the labour board) on how you would start that legal action if it came down to it.
                                This is one reason I choose not to shop at a certain game store. Admittedly, I've only heard rumors, but my understanding is that if employees don't get enough presells, card sales, or magazine subscriptions, they get fired. Discipline them for not asking customers if they want the above services, but don't discipline them for what the customers decide.
                                To right the countless wrongs of our days... We shine this light of true redemption, that this place may become as paradise...Oh, what a wonderful world such would be...

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