ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Good news. :tu:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Well done NTL :tu: but it's about time.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

d'oh! and there was me hoping for it to be nice n quiet first day

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

That's it, everyone on the phones this weekend ;)
Well done NTL, first of many positive moves we hope :tu:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

:smokin:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Good news and not before time.

There should always have been a 7 day (if not 24 hour) faults service instead of cutting corners right, left and centre.

Even if the calls were directed into 1 centre with the most basic access to the different databases it would at least allow the important faults (like large areas being out of service) to be identified before the Monday morning.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Just one question......

Why does the CSR in the pic have Zzzzzzzz next to her?

Is it to indicate that if you phone on a Sunday that they will be asleep? :zzz: :angel:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I hope that's not the exact leaflet going out to customers... Anyone else noticed the grammar mistake?

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

It isn't - I've just been phoned - I am expecting a replacement ad. :)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Good, good. :)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

About time NTL provided support on a sunday! As said above it should of always been the case.

Now if only they could sort out the millions of other issues they have.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I wonder if they will send out a letter like this when the red button works ( GREAT NEWS PRESS RED IT WORKS ) with effect from the 1st june 2005 ntl would like all customers to use the red button and see it actualy work we have listened to what our customers want and now as a ntl customer you will be able to interact like sky and freeview customers have been doing for years.This is just one of many things we have lined up for you the ntl customer :dunce:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

My red button interactive has always worked, i had internet for years via OIA no problem.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Great news this, our relationship with NTL is starting to benefit the customer! :)
Keep your eyes open for more news in the coming weeks & months.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Good on NTL... They are listening and improving. Nice one :tu:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

If this was helped by the closer ties between this site and ntl then i for one welcome it .

As for opening on Sunday, About time to :)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

You might be able to report a fault on a Sunday,but we have not heard about any modifications to the shift patterns for technician cover on a Sunday.At the moment in a lot of the franchises,the manpower aint there!
Considering a lot of us work Saturdays,working Sunday wont,i'm sure,go down well.We'ell have to see if it pans oiut.
M
M

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

There is no 'might' about being able to report a fault on Sunday. It's happening from the 5th. Trust me. :)

I can understand your view about working times etc but at the end of the day, a customer should not be left high and dry with not being able to report a fault after closing time on a Saturday and having to wait until Monday morning to report it. It's a truely awful situation to be in which many customers have been in.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

My post was'nt about not being able to report a fault on Sunday.I was saying that as a FIELD technician,there has been no mention of providing us fault techs going out to a sub to fix a fault.Are provisioning & workforce management also going to be working so that a STB can be swapped out,A linecheck done or a change of assignment on the switch carried out.
I know that from June 13,Installs are going onto a different shift pattern,(100% cover Tues to Friday,75% cover Saturday & 25% cover Mondays.)Something a few of the contractors i've talked to are not happy about.
M

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

If this is down to NTL discussing issues aired here with the team then well done to those involved but if it's down to NTL finally listening to their customers.... even better :) As long as NTL are beginning to listen then to people we may stand a chance of things continuing to improve in the future :tu:
When do the team start working on the cap then..... :angel:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Probably not. Back in the dim/distant past when the faults lines were open 7 days any faults not for priority customers or affecting large numbers of subs were booked in for Monday.

Are BT not the same? Faults can be reported but unless you really need the phoneline you will be waiting till Monday to get a fix.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I see where your coming from now :tu:. But the main issue was not being able to 'report' a problem to ntl on a Sunday. Most of the time all that is probably required to resolve most DTV issues is a 'hit' being sent to the STB to re-activate lost channels etc. :cool:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

That is great well done to all those behind this move, now all we need is a 24 hour service for faults :D

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Flat Cap? Cloth Cap? Dutch Cap? :disturbd:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Good to hear NTL are listening.

Having faults open on a Sunday should reduce the aggrevation for customers who have developed a fault over the weekend and have had to wait until Monday morning to report it, in the queue with all similar affected customers. Should make life a little easier for the NTL staff answering those calls as there is nothing worse than starting your working week with upset customers yelling abuse down the line at you.

NTL provide a 24/7 service and should support it the same. What about Sunday opening in other departments?

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

:eek: :eek: :eek: :Sprint: No way I can work Sunday cos Star Trek Voyager is on all afternoon :D :D

PS I think it's an excellent idea to have some form of faults open on a Sunday, I can remember when it was open 24/7 :erm:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

This is great news. I remember it was not too long ago that I wanted the sports channels on, but could not get in touch with NTL to get em turned on.

Where I work, we have the same problems with engineers etc. There are very few areas where there is physical engineer cover, so although we can log faults in the field, nobody can go out to fix them until Monday.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Please note that its Faults that are opening not Customer Services so you won't be able to have package changes etc actioned, will be solely open for Faults

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Good news. However, it seemed odd that a company lile ntl wasn't providing a faults service on a Sunday. Loosing TV is one thing but loosing your telephone line is not. BT offers a 24/7 faults service so why can't ntl?

Well done to the guys of this site for getting things done and I hope this is the first of many times this site has the influence on ntl to improve things for us who pay ntl at elast a tenner a week in most cases.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

yeah we got a mail about it this week, though it's only the swansea and teesside staff who are working, manchester faults is closed, wonder how long it will be til i have to work sundays????

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

isnt it just swansea who are taking calls thou?

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

yeah that's what i said! swansea, and teesside (despatch) ;)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

haha.. i'm still asleep mate :sleep:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Good news. At least if there is a problem customers will feel one day nearer to a possible solution.:)

Lets just hope the folks who work from a script are not involved. I am sorry to say that if I get one of those I hang up and try again.:rolleyes:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

yeah this is good news :) even though they wont be able to do much till the next day, its always nice to know someone is there :D

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

:tu:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

i'm just having a cup of tea before i come in, would rather be in bed! i'd hate to be going in this sunday! though i admit it is necessary to be open on a sunday, even if not to have a place for cmrs to call but so the queues to get through are not sooooo long on mondays! ;)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

This has just been published on the intranet... :rolleyes: Isn't it great that ntl employees are the last to know everything going on at ntl....

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

well, some of us knew 3weeks ago as we are part of the trial.. but i see your point! :)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

yeah i got a mail on wednesday evening!

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I see your point OB, but technically your not the last to know - There is still millions of ntl customers who don't know this, its only those customers, techs, CSR's and visitors of this site that know of this first hand because after all, it was feedback from customers on this site and the fact that we are now working closely with ntl, that helped ntl decide to open a fault service on a Sunday. IMO I think its a massive achievement that a website dedicated to the cable industry and its customers, has helped influence an ntl decision, something which in the past has been said on this site, would never happen.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

So I can blame you and your ilk for the breakdown of family life due to the forcing of weekend work on parents who are not able/fortunate to work elsewhere. Thanks :shocked: ;)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Sadly thats always been the way. My team used to use this site and digitalspy to find out what was happening in Ntl before we got asked by customers.

I remember when Sky Sports Xtra launched we asked one of the managers if it was true it was launching. We were told in no uncertain terms that it was not and to tell customers this.
Once we turned one of the office boxes to 950 and asked "Well whats that then?" she turned a quite scary shade of red and hurried off into her office.

After a few hours we got a hastily photocopied sheet of paper telling us what had been getting denied but was floating about various sites for a few days beforehand.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Is it me,or are a lot of us long suffering (lol) NTL workers always the last to know anything!Having to rely on sites like this to find out just what the fudge is going on!!???Part of the problem i think is that us field engineers,be it faults or installs,dont have regular access to the work intranet except when we get into the office,which may be as little as 1 hour a week!Until Harmony is eventually rolled out,this 'lack of internal communication 'problem will go on....and on......and....
M

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I'm sorry thats how you feel, not sure how the shift patterns will work out but surely they will be shared out? But it has to be said that ntl is in a business position where it needs to provide a standard of support and service to its customers. ntl needs to be available to its customers 7 days a week. Too many customers including myself have found it quite ridiculous that after closing time on a Saturday, there was no way or reporting a fault until Monday morning.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Work those weekends. Forget your family commitments, you have to see to those customer who have lost their precious TV or broadband for a day or two. Never mind that you will not get any worthwhile extra payments for loosing quality time with your children, the customer is always right. The same customers who may complain that there is no discipline in school/society.

There should be no service on weekends, period.

Society should have evolved enough for this to become apparent by now, FFS. The only services that should be available 24/7 should be emergency services, the ones that matter. They should be paid accordingly too.

How many people who complain about not getting 24/7 service only work 9-5 weekdays? How many people who complain about 24/7 are forced to work 24/7 themselves and are seeing it as an outlet for their own fustration. How many people who complain about 24/7 actually are managers who give no ***** about society and only care about themselves?

Am I asking too much? Would we not be better served by having quality time with ones family and friends at regular intervals?

I could go on but will refrain. Good night :mad:
__________________

__________________


Oh diddums. get a grip on reality. Oh for a 3rd world war to put some of you people into perspective.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

:clap: to Mick and the team for getting Sunday opening restored.

You have to ask yourself though would this additional expense not be better spent on the Network ensuring it does not fall over.

Woopee do so a customer can report a fault but if it cannot be cured by sending the box a hit then they are still shafted.

It is a step in the right direction but not a cure to the problem.

As an example then try telling that to someone without their landline for the weekend who cannot ring for an ambulance.

:(

[QUOTE=sleepless] There should be no service on weekends, period.

Disagreed think there should be see above.


:dunce: and without a landline how would you report this to the emergency services assuming not everyone has a mobile.

Well I am a Manager for a Service Help Desk but our hours are agreed with the client and fortunately they are at the moment days, but thats drifting from the topic of this.

I think you will find that the people concerned have moved away from the Sunday opening and it is in their orginal contract somewhere so they have had a break from it for a while and now it has been put back.

In essence then if it is in the original job hours they have nothing to compalin about.

Me thinks it is not Mick or others that need to get a grip on reality but you as I fail to see what reference to a 3rd World War has anything to do with this.

:D

Overall though in an ideal world if the service was faultless there would be no need for Sunday faults but it is not and I still stand by my original idea they should spend the money on the Network and make sure it is stable but at the end of the day we do not live in an ideal world so to me this is somewhat of a step in the right direction.

:angel:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I said emegency service, is a phone an emegency sercice? if so then let society pay the price for support of such a service.

see above


So you are in favour of the break down of family life, the one that historically and conveniently has always revolved around the weekend?


A little strong I agree :) The point I am failing to make is that the loss in broadband, tv, etc is irrelevant. How many kids are left without thier parents on the weekend/evening due to the demands of us, the paying public. How much can we bleed from each other before it all breaks down.

How many people have to forgo their life to serve others? Should we be valuing the right to spend time with ones family and friends over the right to have non essential services like TV and broadband.

Why can't we, on the weekend, say "feck off I'm taking my kids to the beach" without the threat of loosing ones job?

Looks like I'm in the minority here. So much for evolution :rolleyes:

Perhaps you should realise that we are not in an ideal world and that others need time with thier family and therefore they have right to time off to be with them.

My gripe is not with voluntary work but with firms demand it on thier workforce. The ones that say; we are now going to support xyz on a 24/7 (or whatever) basis, your current contract is null and void, Either sign up to new contract or feck off. As far as I'm concerned Weekend and nights should be purely voluntary.


Apologies; thanks for the chat, not meant to be confrontational. I've had a few beers this evening :p:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

In an ideal world we would all like to spend quality time with our families, unfortunately we have to earn a living some how, I fail to believe that you are forced to do this as your only job.

Completely disagree. So just because the weekend arrives the world should stop to be with its family? In an *ideal* world that would be nice, however people and customers still need help with their products and services, they still require an acceptable level of support.

What has it got to do with society evolving?

Not me - I work nights and I've just worked 6 out of the last 8. In total, I've worked the last 6 weekends in a row. I don't like working weekends but unfortunately, I don't have much choice in the matter, because the nature of the place I work in requires that the customers get looked after round the clock. I always work weekends and bank holidays including christmas and New year.


There is a shift pattern which 'forces' people to work 24/7? - no sorry.. because thats illegal.... and when does ntl offer a 24/7 service that requires people to work 24/7?


Like I said, in an ideal world it would be nice if we could spend time doing the things we wanted to do, unfortunately we have to earn a living so we cannot always do what our hearts are set out on doing.

With respect. I am not the one who needs putting into perspective thanks.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

at the end of the day , you have 2 choices , work there or get a job somewhere else , they have just changed the shift pattern where i work , ppl were moaning like hell until they gave it some thought ;) , unfortunately , work is a necessary evil for most , i trust you are in that same boat :erm:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I'm extremely happy that NTL are going to be open on a sunday :)

Even though I won't be able to call them as I work all day on a Sunday ;)

And well done to Mr Team from CF for helping to get this sorted.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

So in your eyes there should be no shops open, no leisure facilities, no tv, no radio etc available over the weekend? Maybe you would like to stop water, gas and electricity services while you are at it.
Someone needs to grow up and smell reality here and it isn't Mick, people do not go into a job with their eyes closed, if you enter into employment within a service sector you will know that you stand a good chance of having your working times changed and that you may be requested to work some weekends etc.
Why should society have evolved to the point where it shuts down at the weekend and goes into hibernation until Monday?

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I would have said that due to "society evolving", people tend to work more unsociable hours due to so many more services being required 24/7 - I think more people have night jobs now than they used to. We didnt have Cable TV, Broadband and the like if you go back 20yrs or so.

Your shift sounds horrible Mick. I thought my shifts were bad, and we only have to cover 7am-7pm Mon-Sat and 9-5 Sun!!

I dont think he meant the people physically worked 24/7 themselves, but more the people as a team need to cover the hours of 24/7. If NTL offered a 24/7 service, it wouldn't be cost effective - I cant see many people calling in at 3/4am, would be better asking them to call back during more realistic hours for the type of industry that NTL resides.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

The weekend break really is based on religious principles saying that Sunday should be a day of rest. Not all people subscribe to the religions that say so.

I have worked many a weekend and it has not resulted in a breakdown of family life. Let's face it, family life on a weekend usually involves doing something that is impossible without people working during the weekend. You talk about going to the beach but that involves having people working during the weekend to allow you to do so. No public transport as the employees are also enjoying their couple of days off. No petrol for your car as the garages are closed. No roadside assistance if your car breaks down. No hotels as they are closed for the weekend.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I don't see the benefit :shrug: Like Spike said - engineers don't work Sunday so all you can do is report a fault and wait. Same as you could do on a Monday. It might help those with anxiety disorders. It's a clever bit of smoke and mirrors. My company does the same - lines open 07:00 til 18:00 5 days a week, and 08:00 til 13:00 Saturday, but the engineering team that manages the engineers is only open 09:00 til 17:00 Mon-Fri. This is true of a few other teams as well. The customer thinks they're getting better service but they're not. Phone with a fault on Friday at 17:30 and you may as well have phoned at 09:00 on a Monday - service is no faster.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

but surely if someone wanted some sort of package change doing then that could be done on a sunday , plus calls made to faults on a sunday would most likely get sorted on monday , rather than having to wait till tuesday , or have i got the wrong end of the stick :confused: :D :D

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Well no package changes will be done on a Sunday as it's faults only, faults are actioned when the customer rings through with them. what i think may happen is if the customer rings with a fault on sunday there won't be a tech visit until the next available appointment, which would be monday morning at the very earliest.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Which is better than sitting in the queue on Monday just to find out you have to wait till Tuesday or Wednesday lol. At least it will help speed up engineer visits a bit if people get to report faults as soon as they happen.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Wrong I'm afraid. Teesside Despatch are not opening on Sundays. Swansea Faults are, on a 13 week trial basisi I might add. The only dept on Teesside who are working Sundays will be FMS

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

When I did faults (quite recently ;) ) we booked the first available appt, quite often we could book same day so even if a customer rang on Monday morning they could have someone out Monday afternoon. It all depends whats available to book but it may be possible that the next available appt may not be till Tues/Weds so Sunday opening may not mean a visit any quicker.

The quickest I ever heard of was my friend was chatting to a lady and had an appointment for the same morning, as luck would have it the tech was driving past the ladies road when he got the call so it turned out the tech was knocking on the customers door before she'd even put the phone down to faults :D :D :D

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I wouldn't b too sure on that one like. Seen many a fault call booked on for missing channels. No hits sent to the box at all. I do this, call the customer half an hour later, hey presto! All the channels are back and the need to be trucked is gone. It's a shame some agents in Swansea don't carry out the correct diagnostics

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Having faults open on a Sunday means that engineers have more jobs waiting to be done when they start work on Monday which will enable them to plan their Monday work schedule better. It also means that some customers who have reported a fault on Sunday may receive a visit early on Monday instead of being kept waiting in a queue Monday morning to report it. Result is less frustrated customers taking it out on NTL operatives on Monday morning.

It has been said in this thread that loss of NTL services isn't the end of the world for that customer. The customer may think along different lines though and think it is sufficient reason to look elsewhere for the service. The result is an increase in churn which isn't good news for either NTL or remaining customers.

24/7 services need 24/7 support in all areas. I don't subscribe to the idea that Sunday opening is not warranted in areas such as customer services. If there is little demand on Sundays and during the night for customer services then I am sure that a small team would not cost the earth and that there could be other jobs for them to do if the phones were quite. Answering emails and web queries spring to mind. Similarly with faults, a small team working Sundays could go out to rectify faults and if all was quiet could go round checking on the state of the green boxes.

At the end of the day anything that improves the customers perception of a company is worth doing. If paying an engineer £100 results in retaining a customer spending several hundred punds a year with NTL then it is money well spent.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

If you book in the red I hate you ;) lol

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

To be honest,I cant see this working for long as the cost would be too high.In order for this to work in a ideal world,NTL would have to employ more staff.If you have, say,30% of your weekday staff working on a Sunday,then you have less cover during the week when those staff are off because they worked the Sunday.
For a feild tech,that also means that the work quota probably wont lag off ,espeacially at the beginning of the week.The workload may increse per man as he/she will have to do the work of those that are on D.I.L..
As it is,we dont get paid overtime over here,so it wont be done for a monetary goal.
Spike

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

nope, didn't do harmony ;)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Then you would also require Despatch to be open. This would mean paying the service techncian and also the agent(s) who would have to go in on the Sunday.
__________________

Let you off then ;)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I'm afraid if someone rings on a Sunday there is no more likely to be an appt for Monday than if they rang on Monday morning. It works off what is the next available appointment. They have xx amount of points available every day, as far as I'm aware Monday is no different to Wednesday.

As I've said before I think it's a good idea to be open on a Sunday however it doesn't mean that the fault is gonna be fixed any quicker than if the customer rang on Monday morning.

One note of caution however is that some customers may think as they can report a fault on a Sunday that the tech is gonna visit on a Sunday as well, the number of customers I spoke to, when faults was open late, that the tech was going to go out to fix a stb problem at midnight :erm:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

see i told you i would get the wrong end of the stick :disturbd: :D :D

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

[One note of caution however is that some customers may think as they can report a fault on a Sunday that the tech is gonna visit on a Sunday as well, the number of customers I spoke to, when faults was open late, that the tech was going to go out to fix a stb problem at midnight :erm:[/QUOTE]

We used to leave our mobile numbers with the customer,but when you get a phonecall about a job you did 8 months ago,or at 2 am on a Sunday morning cause some moron gets home from the pub drunk & cant turn on his tv,Or 3 times on a Sunday afternoon when you are having a lunch out with the girlfriend cause his BB wont work,AND you've asked him politly to call back monday,It does tend to p** you off!
We are entitled to some quality time off too.Something some people who see you work for a certain company dont & will never understand!To them,you are permanently on call & have no life!lol
Spike

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

It will not be a case of phone and wait all the time at all - Sunday Faults will be able to deal with many cases where customers have lost channels and the STB only needs a 'hit' sending to the box. You probably haven't seen some cases on here of customers being in despair trying to phone the business support line on a Sunday because they have lost channels etc etc.

Incorrect - See above.

Precisely and thats if they need an engineer visit - Usually that probably is all that is needed is probably a 'hit' being sent to reactivate lost channels.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

If I recall correctly, telco faults will be fixed on a Saturday, however strictly only Lifeline customers. On call network techncians are going to be working so rectify any problems that may occour during the weekend. Saying that, I might be completly wrong!

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Yes I agree you are entitled to quality time off and that is not being disputed here at all and that is up to ntl to manage shift arrangements. But as I keep saying customers have come on here with a problem and have had a real need to ring on a Sunday to report a fault - I have passed this feedback on to ntl and they must of agreed that it is inappropriate to not have nothing open on a Sunday.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Mick,
I agree that a service needs to be provided on Sunday,My post,in conjunction with Marge's post,was about people, for want of a better phrase,abuseing the system by constantly 'nagging' engineers & other staff they see in the street because;
A-they dont want to have to phone up & be on hold .(often for ages)
B-they think it will get done quicker than going thru CS/Faults.
If i had a penny for everytime someone had stopped me to report a cab open,fix a DVD player,retune a tv,ect,instead of going thru the channels,i & others like me,would have a fair bit of coin!
Spike

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

you would indeed. It's even the same when i go into my local after getting home from work for a quiet pint. People get one look at the pass around my neck (which i always forget to take off) they come running over complaining saying ntl are this that and the other. Wanting free TV, internet, etc. I'm not at work!! Leave me alone, I don't care if your bill is high and you want some form of discount!! No one in my street knows I work for ntl. Most are on it so any problems they're going to come knocking on my door.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Well, yes I agree that is quite naughty really.... :erm:

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

I agree also...

btw, Spike... can you fix my TV? (just kidding! - I know... not funny :()
I have often seen NTL vans around here and also Telewest vans when in Liverpool, but I've never even dreamt of pulling them over to ask them something. You have to do things through what is called "the right route". Otherwise, nothing will be organised or correctly recorded for future fault diagnosis.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

This is not unique to NTL staff. It happens no matter who you work for or what job you do. If you wear a companies "badge" whether it be round your neck or on the side of your van then you are to people who see it "that company". You will get approached and your company judged by the way that you handle that approach.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

my mistake sorry i did mean fms! ;)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

of course

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

good

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Glad to hear this, good stuff and well done to those who were involved in getting this implemented.

In my opinion there is a big difference between able to ring up have acknowledgement of a problem and possible earlier fix then be sitting around in the lurch. Disabled people will also have a high need for a working landline.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Indeed.
Fair enough, no engineers work on Sundays, but there are many cases which can be resolved by those in the faults dept by sending "hits" or going through simple procedures with the caller without an engineer even being required.

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

We actually had a fault finding day where by a nominated agent calls customers to see if a fault that has been booked for an engineer can be resolved over the phone. 3/10 could be fixed via the phone. An awful lot when you consider the amount of jobs that technicians attend throughout the day in all ntl franchises. the majority of the time a tech was booked on due to the hits having a 2 hour delay on them. Having the ability for customers to get these hits sent during the weekend will without doubt reduce the need for them to stay in during the morning/afternoon waiting for a technician that might not even be needed

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Networks Engineer do, and always have, worked on-call on Sunday. They can spend a full day resolving large area network faults with the help of the FMS Teesside and AMNC Bromley departmens. The fault team's being in helps and answering the phones provides networks with further info, i.e. where the customers are calling from, which help's in resolve outage's quicker. The theory is that this will have the knock on affect of reducing the workload on Monday which is the day we normally get battered!

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

Exactly... on the helpdesk where I work, we're open 9-5 on Sundays but have no engineer cover and 2nd level support finish at 2pm. However, in those last 3hrs, we can get calls that we can fix without the need for an engineer or a colleague from a higher level of support... dont get me wrong, we still get other things we cant fix, but they can then be dealt with first thing on Monday morning.

I was not aware of this, but are these are different engineers to those that would be assigned to onsite residential repairs? (onsite as in the person's home who reports the problem)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

yes, different techs altogether. They focus on the maintainence of the netowrk itself rather than individual faults. if we didnt have them we would have nothing. They do however take on the regular service call. (i.e visit a customer and fix a fault should service not be able to attend for some reason - a lifeline for example that service does not have the manpower for)

Re: ntl open Sunday!!!
 

..or service to network referrals, where the Service Tech is unable to resolve the fault he escalates it to the networks. This may be due to the Service Techs knowledge of the network or simply that the fault is outside his remit. Apart from daily preventative maintenance, network engineers generally deal with the wide area network outages affecting from 3 customers to 1000's and are on-call 24/7/365.

We have always worked Saturdays, it's just the front end FMC's who are new to this!!