Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

It is all about money! These corporations do not seem to care about the UK workforce or the customer experience. I hope decisions like these comeback to haunt them.

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

I would point out that they are closing the site, not the UK Call Centre

The existing UK Call Centre at Wythenshawe will take over dealing with the calls that are currently dealt with at Trowbridge

They also have the Sheffield UK call centre that also takes Mobile customer service calls.

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

Fair enough, Ben. However, still doesn't answer the wider issue of overseas call centres v UK ones :)

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

Cost - if they hire all UK call centres, it will cost more, which will put our bills up.

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

You're probably right about VM. There are a few organisations, particularly in finance and insurance who are turning their back on overseas centres.

I suppose they have to balance call centre savings with lost business because of the poor quality of customer service experienced.

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

Hmmm I don't remember off shoring measures ever reducing our bills. ;)

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

I'd tell them where to stick their 5 rupees. ;)

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

There,s only one word to describe overseas call centres and that is awful.

---------- Post added at 16:00 ---------- Previous post was at 15:58 ----------

Maybe our bills might rise but l believe if all their call centres were in this country the customer service would be far better thus l suspect saving them money.

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

Well it would certainly save a load of modems being needlessly sent out.

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

But if you end up with more calls, less customer satisfaction, and more work for the support team is it really worth it??

I would pay a bit extra if VM committed to close the overseas call centre.

M

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

Well we should expect to see some of these savings they are making through using foreign call centres. Most likely not!

3 is probably has the highest use of foreign call centres, they seem to be ok, the acutal call centres are in fact owned by 3's parent company Hutchison Whampoa through an initiative by the company called Hutchison telesales, the call centre is used by other Hutchison Whampoa businesses including 3-Ireland,Vodafone-Hutchison austrailia ltd.

3 does pass the savings onto customers, well they have to, who would stay! They must be doing something right they leaped from 3 million customers to 6 million in just a few years, soon they will overtake Vodafone.

My experience with Virgin Media's foreign call centres lately hasn't been very good in comparison with 3's. I can't hear a word they are saying! and they miss a lot of things so you have to keep repeating yourself.

The thing that gets me is, Cable services in comparison to 1997 is extortionate and Virgin Media avoid many costs by using foreign labour and VAT, they use Virgin Media entertainment, a business registered in Luxembourg to cut VAT, but we still pay the full wack and both Sky and Virgin charging like up to £199 for Set top boxes such as Tivo, when in reality they are made in third world countries for like a tenner!

And both Sky and Virgin the amount the charge for pay tv is crazy! most of the stuff is constantly repeated and there is never anything on, if people soon abandon the pay-tv market, you'll soon see the cost drop and fresh content appear.

In germany, Sky does not fit in well because most channels you get free through cable services provided by Deutsche Telekom. Imagine if Virgin Media,Smallworld Media and Wight Cable started doing that here offering the top TV package including related HD channels for free when you take unlimited calls and 50MB/100MB broadband, it would certainly attract customers, something that Sky,BT,TalkTalk,Orange,Demon and Plusnet are miles from offering, and don't even mention BT Vision with BT's 100MB infinity rubbish, BT Vision is so lacking in content, Ofcom doesn't even class it as a pay-tv service!

But back to the main subject, if Virgin Media want to remain successful, they must get the idea of foreign call centres out of there heads, customer service is the main function of a business. Online customer services with a premium rate telephone number is also another one they should avoid, you can't run a business and not give a stuff about the customers, they will walk simple as that!

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

I don't think it's matter of our bills going down because they're saving by using overseas call centres more than our bill might have to rise if they brought them all back to the UK :)
Is this just what you think or can you actually prove it?

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

There have been other redundacies this year too, sadly my last official day is tomorrow after 10 years of service. Ho Hum :shrug:

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

I disagree, uk call centre staff are much better at correctly diagnosing issues, overseas can all too easily incorrectly diagnose a problem and send out new hubs, modems, router's and engineers.

Typical example, at home I must have 3 or 4 modems, 3 routers, and had a dozen engineer visits, most of which has been the result of overseas support being too hasty in their diagnosis.

Uk call centre may cost more in labour but I would not be surprised if in the long run, it would lead to much improved customer support/loyalty/perception, save money (in equipment) and time spent by engineers driving up and down the country screwing attenuators on the back of modems etc.

Re: Virgin Media Trowbridge call centre to close?
 

I have said in the past 1 UK agent is worth 25 of the Indian's. Now lets say 2000 indians are employed, thats 80 UK agents. I would prefer the 80 who understand good English skills and do not follow a check list, do not lie and just don't order you things even when you say no to them.