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johnr
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  #614659 24-Apr-2012 23:36
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If the same issue follows you from ISP to ISP then I suggest you get the issue sorted as I would say it's not a ISP issue



Regs
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  #614664 24-Apr-2012 23:48
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Email support ticket system. Far better than a call centre, as you and the company you are dealing with can track exactly what is happening, and it can be escalated when it needs to be. Phone call centres are so cumbersome and frustrating to deal with. I can appreceiate that if you don't have an internet connection then it isn't easy to email the ISP, but that is changing no with many people having a smartphone with email access.
Social media is ok, but you can't manage and track support tickets through it. It is really only good for occasional people contacting you.


lets qualify this.... "email support ticket system with a reasonable SLA and a dedicated team"....

I've had a few emails go to companies with email ticket systems and have had no replies for days. (even worse with some of those 'contact us' web pages).  did they get my email, or was there a delivery or spam failure? are they just ignoring my email?  do they have 500 emails in a queue which they sort out when they're not answering telephones? 10 to 30 minutes wait on an IVR seems preferable to an email that goes unanswered. 

If a company provides a good team to manage inbound email that should actually reduce the pressure on the telephones and customers will *want* to use it.

the problem with twitter, and web chat, is that people typically want an answer *right now*.  how is that different to a voice call?  still takes more or less the same resource to manage and respond - sometimes its slower as the user at each end could suddenly walk away without the other party knowing.  twitter also has the short message limit and the messages are public unless you and the company follow each other.






Genfres

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  #614666 24-Apr-2012 23:51
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johnr: If the same issue follows you from ISP to ISP then I suggest you get the issue sorted as I would say it's not a ISP issue


this thread isn't about the issue itself thanks john.

This is about talking to team leaders about resolving issues instead of being put on hold for ten mins while the tech support explains it incorrectly.



Ragnor
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  #614693 25-Apr-2012 01:03
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riahon: If you are changing providers then there is no need for you to ring anyone but your new provider - full stop.


That's bad advice!

For example if you have to give 30 days notice to your provider before ending the contact as per their terms of service eg: Orcon, Xnet and others.

Also it's always a good idea to call the old ISP after successfully changing to the new to fully close and cancel the account.

jtbthatsme
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  #614709 25-Apr-2012 01:48
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I have to agree with a earlier comment not all call centres want their team leaders or shift managers talking on the phones and lets be honest they're hired for their skills in managing staff not necessarily resolving day to day issues for people whom contact their call centre.

Take my office for example (where I work not literally my office) over 100 staff and 5 or 6 managers (dependant on who's actually there on any given day) not one of those managers would be able to come on to a call and take over and resolve a issue (for what you would call us generally about) as they don't really use the systems and have not come from a background of doing so. They would all need input from the staff member you were first talking to (or another staff member).

Another thing to think about is not all call centres will like you say actually be talking to a team leader or in the case of one I know of in Wellington when I had been going through for work experience openly admitted that they will not put a supervisor on the phone for most calls but are likely to just put the person sitting next to them on the call giving the caller the belief that they're talking to a senior person and sadly for most people since 9 out of 10 people who ask for a supervisor just want to complain or feel like they're being heard (or not heard from the person they were just talking to for whatever reason this is often related to communication barriers).

The last one I worked at had a policy about what was asked for was what the person got (again large company over 100 staff) if they asked for a supervisor they would usually get floor support (which is normally someone who has worked there for a long time and known to be a expert) if they asked for a manager specifically then if one was available they would get one if not one would call back by end of day.

Now with regard to my ISP with exception to moving house I've not talked to their support people for a long time. I accept that at times their will be connection problems (I do in no way suggest they're regular issues) and I will try all things from my end reset the modem, power off modem, power off pc etc then leave it for a short period and try again and normally things are back to usual.

If I was changing ISP's had been given a date for connection and tied in my current ISP's disconnection for around that date and it didn't happen then I would be pestering my new ISP to sort if not done within a reasonable timeframe (1 - 2 days after expected connection date) then I would kick up a stink so supervisors, forum posts, social media etc not all at once each would go in order dependant on the response I was getting and if they took more than a week after when I was told I would be hooked up then I would just go somewhere else.

In fact I'm close to this now with a item bought from a online IT store (I asked rough delivery time as item was out of stock advised 2 - 3 weeks and it's now been 5 - 6 if it wasn't for their regular emails giving me updates on what's happening then I would be jumping up and down already) but this is not related to your question so i'll leave it at that.

Call centres are frustrating to deal with at the best of times and I hope you manage to get your problem sorted out asap.

Genfres

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  #614715 25-Apr-2012 02:04
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jtbthatsme: I have to agree with a earlier comment not all call centres want their team leaders or shift managers talking on the phones and lets be honest they're hired for their skills in managing staff not necessarily resolving day to day issues for people whom contact their call centre.

Take my office for example (where I work not literally my office) over 100 staff and 5 or 6 managers (dependant on who's actually there on any given day) not one of those managers would be able to come on to a call and take over and resolve a issue (for what you would call us generally about) as they don't really use the systems and have not come from a background of doing so. They would all need input from the staff member you were first talking to (or another staff member).

Another thing to think about is not all call centres will like you say actually be talking to a team leader or in the case of one I know of in Wellington when I had been going through for work experience openly admitted that they will not put a supervisor on the phone for most calls but are likely to just put the person sitting next to them on the call giving the caller the belief that they're talking to a senior person and sadly for most people since 9 out of 10 people who ask for a supervisor just want to complain or feel like they're being heard (or not heard from the person they were just talking to for whatever reason this is often related to communication barriers).

The last one I worked at had a policy about what was asked for was what the person got (again large company over 100 staff) if they asked for a supervisor they would usually get floor support (which is normally someone who has worked there for a long time and known to be a expert) if they asked for a manager specifically then if one was available they would get one if not one would call back by end of day.

Now with regard to my ISP with exception to moving house I've not talked to their support people for a long time. I accept that at times their will be connection problems (I do in no way suggest they're regular issues) and I will try all things from my end reset the modem, power off modem, power off pc etc then leave it for a short period and try again and normally things are back to usual.

If I was changing ISP's had been given a date for connection and tied in my current ISP's disconnection for around that date and it didn't happen then I would be pestering my new ISP to sort if not done within a reasonable timeframe (1 - 2 days after expected connection date) then I would kick up a stink so supervisors, forum posts, social media etc not all at once each would go in order dependant on the response I was getting and if they took more than a week after when I was told I would be hooked up then I would just go somewhere else.

In fact I'm close to this now with a item bought from a online IT store (I asked rough delivery time as item was out of stock advised 2 - 3 weeks and it's now been 5 - 6 if it wasn't for their regular emails giving me updates on what's happening then I would be jumping up and down already) but this is not related to your question so i'll leave it at that.

Call centres are frustrating to deal with at the best of times and I hope you manage to get your problem sorted out asap.


Thanks for the insight guys. If only we had some of you running these call centres.

I agree that each ISP has slightly different staff structures, not all managers can spend their day answering phone calls. But if an issue is not resolved there needs to be appropriate escalation, and I feel that it is the team leaders responsibility to ensure this. An issue will not be resolved by technical support who cannot understand your answers. Unfortunately in many calls I have gotten the feeling that my limited knowledge of broadband outweighs theirs.

I will find out when I receive my phone bill whether the problem is resolved. At the moment I have been told it will be solved, therefore I will leave it at that.
If there is any issues then, geekzone will be knowing about thats for sure.

I suggest to those changing ISPs to confirm with both ur old and new ISP several times that the dates are correct. Confirming once with the new ISP in my recent experience is not enough. 

Edit: has anyone actually spoken to these "team leaders" ??

jtbthatsme
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  #614719 25-Apr-2012 02:33
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Gadly have had no need to with my ISP.

As for some of the examples I gave I would like to think it's no longer practiced to pass to the person next to you.

For my current workplace the managers (whom are the next level up) don't know a lot about how to use the systems so would require help and for my former workplace I was Floor Support (like a TL but without the pay or recognition) for the last couple of years and hence why I said for that place most requests for someone higher up is simply to have a waa waa as they've not felt like they've been heard and could have had the initial person they've talked to in tears only to not be abusive, talk loudly or be disrespectful in any way shape or form when talking to that person one level up the food chain hehe. For those who needed a real resolution though once most people have been listened to properly the issues are usually not hard to resolve (whether thats at the business or callers end).

I do agree though all call centres should have proper guidelines in place for call escalation but of course what's good in that regard for one person is not even close for another.

 
 
 

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gzt

gzt
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  #614863 25-Apr-2012 12:32
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I'm surprised you mentioned one of those ISP's in there. I've had very good service. If I start talking technical the people on the other end get it and respond appropriately.

Maybe I was just lucky, or maybe you frequently have some specific problem related to telco provisioning which really is very difficult to sort out?

Whatever it is, honestly I'd suggest creating another thread to discuss it in detail, it might help your ISP understand the situation and modify escalation to resolve it faster in future.

Ragnor
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  #614907 25-Apr-2012 13:48
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Genfres: 

Thanks for the insight guys. If only we had some of you running these call centres.



Generally customer service is an entry level job that pays peanuts, anyone with a clue moves on, up or out to better things pretty quickly.

Kyanar
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  #616898 29-Apr-2012 11:53
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DonGould: Smart forum software would be my preference.  Vodafone seem to have had some success with theirs.


That's a bog standard install, actually (I used to work for the company that provided it - they'll be pleased to hear that praise Smile).

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