NTL is call centre with longest wait in Mirror test - Page 6

orangebird · 13-09-2004, 14:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason1

Only problem is with most of the companies you dont have to ring them as often as ntl, so its not as bad only have to ring electric people every 3 months they have one of those auto call backs when busy always a pleasure to call. Ntl's services and biloing always cock up you can never get it sorted and to top it off have to hold for ages to speak to a *wat that dont know the job their getting paid to do (not all ntl staff are *wat*s some are good at what they do)

Oh, OK, so you think the every customer with ntl has a problem, and that every customner that has the need to call them waits an unreasonable amount of time to be answered, and that every customers problem never gets sorted and every customers bill is always cocked up?

13-09-2004, 14:45

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Originally Posted by Nemesis

British Museum

its not a quick process to dust off an employee

13-09-2004, 14:48

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Originally Posted by orangebird

I know. But some people think it's only ntl who have a queue problem. And it's not

You can only go from personal experience, and my personal experience is that it is only NTL that has a problem.

13-09-2004, 14:50

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Originally Posted by greencreeper

There does seem to be a problem in Britain at the moment whereby people have all but given up and just accept crap service and try to convince themselves (and others, as a part thereof) that it's not crap service

The problem is more the fact that companies are being forced to make bigger and bigger profits. One way to do that is to cut costs and therefore reduce the size of call centres rtc, well its either that or the punter pays more.

greencreeper · 13-09-2004, 14:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by gary_580

The problem is more the fact that companies are being forced to make bigger and bigger profits. One way to do that is to cut costs and therefore reduce the size of call centres rtc, well its either that or the punter pays more.

Yes, but that's poor business analysis and very short-sighted. Consistently good customer service is the way to sustainable profits - cutting costs is a short-term thing and in the case of customer service, foolish. You need to spend money to make money

darth dougs · 13-09-2004, 15:24

it dooesnt suprise me the standard waiting time on ntl customer support is so bad, i worked there, it turned into a hell hole, the folk on the front line who were there longer than 3 years were shat on and most are leaving, ie leaving a shortfall in experienced staff, they are now recruiting in shopping centres and in bars and the age group is school drop outs or leavers with no interest in further education. the managment couldnt answer a call if their life depended on it its all americana , "buzz" to gee people up, the wait times are up the standard is down and repeat calls are up as u dont get the problem sorted 1st time

Shaun · 13-09-2004, 16:13

I can't wait for the outcome of the cable forum phone poll and then we can see exactly how bad NTL are.

Indecently I'm on the phone to NTL now (still trying to sort out their cock up from 3 weeks ago) and the guy I've just been speaking to (Joe in customer relations(Nottingham)) firstly banged me through to CS when I explained my problem and when I dialed back (as it was a CR problem) I got him again so he's put me on hold to find a manager.

How shocked was he when he got me again

I also got Joe to check if any notes had been placed on the account and the answer was a straight no, so thats four people I've spoken with since Monday and none of them have placed any notes on the system! Brilliant

As for other companies being as bad as NTL, I cant honestly say I've had that many problems, BT even have an automated system where they keep your place in the queue and the system rings you back when you get to the front. Marvelous, why can't NTL buy that system?

Edit well after speaking with Dean Hall I've told them once again to stick the service.

The story so far : Apparently the system that is used for provisioning connections/reconnection's is down, there is no ETA for a fix, it could be 10 days or 100 days, noone knows.

I asked what I was suppose to do as a customer and he said that I'd just have to patient, the impression I got was "like it or lump it", not a very good attitude to have with someone who's been on a whistle stop tour of the country's call centers being lied to.

According to Dean they are also signing up new customers at the moment to a service that they can't be provisioned on! Just sums up Ntl's attitude really, screw the customer for their money and give them no information or service!

greencreeper · 13-09-2004, 16:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by dellwear

I also got Joe to check if any notes had been placed on the account and the answer was a straight no, so thats four people I've spoken with since Monday and none of them have placed any notes on the system! Brilliant

When I had connection problem recently an engineer called me and left a message on my voice mail asking me to call and he gave me a number. The wrong number. The woman I spoke to, who was clearly at the end of her rope, knew nothing at all - no record of the fault or anything. I hung up and phoned the usual number and hey presto - knew all about the problem, notes on the system, and an engineer would phone me again. Conclusions: completely separate and isolated computer systems. Engineers must be located in some sort of secure area.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dellwear

BT even have an automated system where they keep your place in the queue and the system rings you back when you get to the front. Marvelous, why can't NTL buy that system?

It would be the same story as the solve-all-our-problems-shiny-new-email-system

poolking · 13-09-2004, 16:27

If it is true that computer systems are isolated then something needs to be done to integrate all of the systems.

orangebird · 13-09-2004, 16:40

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Originally Posted by poolking

If it is true that computer systems are isolated then something needs to be done to integrate all of the systems.

Something IS being done - The Harmony Project.

greencreeper · 13-09-2004, 16:55

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Originally Posted by orangebird

Something IS being done - The Harmony Project.

Indeed. All NTL staff now have to hug their managers before they start work.

Marge · 13-09-2004, 17:03

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Originally Posted by greencreeper

Indeed. All NTL staff now have to hug their managers before they start work.

I'm off one day and everything changes

ian@huth · 13-09-2004, 17:52

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Originally Posted by greencreeper

Yes, but that's poor business analysis and very short-sighted. Consistently good customer service is the way to sustainable profits - cutting costs is a short-term thing and in the case of customer service, foolish. You need to spend money to make money

Couldn't agree more.

Give the customer a good product at a decent price with good after sale support and he will reman a loyal customer putting money into your business on a regular basis and extoll the virtues of your company to all about him which is good, free advertising.

P1ss off the customer with what to him is unacceptable service levels and he will soon be gone taking his business for all products bought from you elsewhere, not just the product that he had the problem with. He will be quick to blacken the companies name at every opportunity and extoll the virtues of your opposition that he has now moved to.

In my mind Customer Services is misnamed and should really be called Customer Retention. Every call to them is an opportunity to enhance the companies name and make sure that the customer remains loyal. The FIRST agent that receives a call from a customer should take OWNERSHIP of the customers needs and make sure that the customers needs are fulfilled and the customer kept informed of progress. Every time an agent accesses a customers records he/she should have to post details of who they are, why they accessed the records and what they are doing as a result.

themelon · 13-09-2004, 19:20

Not really sure when those journalist bafoons at the gutter press Mirror rang BT.....but if they got through after '2 rings' they must have called at 2am on the 24 hour service. In the whole history of ringing BT at work every day, I have never ever got through in less than 5 minutes, and frequently wait 10 minutes, so I find that 'claim' quite interesting!

Russ · 13-09-2004, 19:23

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Originally Posted by themelon

Not really sure when those journalist bafoons at the gutter press Mirror rang BT.....but if they got through after '2 rings' they must have called at 2am on the 24 hour service. In the whole history of ringing BT at work every day, I have never ever got through in less than 5 minutes, and frequently wait 10 minutes, so I find that 'claim' quite interesting!

BT are currently rolling out a feature on the phones that whereas you still get a few options, one of them will be to speak to a human. It'll take a few weeks (possibly 1 or 2 months even) but this will eventually cover all parts of the UK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangebird

Something IS being done - The Harmony Project.

With respect - that was being hailed as the new fabulous idea when I moved from dial-up to BB tech support - and that was more than 2 years ago. People are just tired of waiting.