[andygrif]

I beleive that the whole appraoch to how customers are handled in each of the call centres should be re-evalued as it clearly isn't working right now (not just at ntl, but then this is the subject on discussion here).

I'm perfectly happy to be shot down in flames on this one, as it's only intended to be a topic for discussion, but here goes:

Why not have one number for all customer contact and support? I know that tech support is a revenue generating number right now, but most often it is a fault at ntl's end that causes me to call BBTS and not somrthing I have done.

If the customer had one free number to call, each call could be handled quickly and efficiently (and immidiately) via a 'receptionist' that could direct the call to the relevent next level, such as faults, BBTS, customer service, etc. Obviously depending on the level of calls of the next level, customers might experience some delay, but at least they are not then subjected to call costs whilst in a queue.

From there I think that each region should have its own tech support for internet. Quite often there are network problems in the local area, which ideally the local area should know about first. In my experience, on such occasions Swnasea may not be aware (or at least claim not to be) of these issues when calling. Localised tech support could identify these issues, make local networks people aware and potentially resolve the issue much faster.

If the localised BBTS people identify that the customer has a problem which is at their end, rather than the ntl end, then they could offer pay per incident tech support (like many companies such as Microsoft, HP, IBM do) at a reasonable cost such as £2 / £3 or customers could purchase blanket cover for a fee - both of these could be added to their phone bills every month, or pay as you go style billing via credit or debit cards. Such calls could be handled from a centralised point, be that Swansea or be that Bangalore - no doubt this would be a more efficient manner to handle such calls - without clogging up the phone lines for people with network faults.

Anyway....I could go on, but you get the general gist of what I'm saying....open up the floor.....