Am I a bad CSR?

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by monkeybreath

All call centres are subject to AHT targets amongst other things- because this is the best way to make sure people are indeed working hard and not slacking.

I can't comment on the AHT for csrs, but a good tech can easily meet the targets we have and also give some courtesy support and decent explanations for problems.

And i have no idea if you are a good csr... which centre do you work in and i'll find out

and i still wonder if this is a local target set by a glory hunter manager or not

[Chris W]

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

and i still wonder if this is a local target set by a glory hunter manager or not

i doubt it... it is more likely that it is a global target

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by monkeybreath

i doubt it... it is more likely that it is a global target

fair play , just being curious

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

and i still wonder if this is a local target set by a glory hunter manager or not

Set a target too low and the manager has nothing to achieve; set it too high and the manager is demoralised because he's constantly failing. When a manager starts consistently meeting a target, that's the time to raise the target - or fire some of the better staff

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by greencreeper

Set a target too low and the manager has nothing to achieve; set it too high and the manager is demoralised because he's constantly failing. When a manager starts consistently meeting a target, that's the time to raise the target - or fire some of the better staff

i hope i never end up in a call centre

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

i hope i never end up in a call centre

This is why I have a great deal of respect for call centre staff - I don't think I could cope with it to be honest - I'd end up telling customers what I really think of THEM

So best I stay on this side of the phone.

[dragon]

No steven you are not a bad CSR infact maybe the rest of ntl customer services should follow your example.

if waiting a little longer means we get a better service when our call does get anwserd then the wait probably wouldnt bother people quite so much


better hope i get you anwsering next time i need to call ntl, which i hope is never (because if i need to call them it probably means somethings gone wrong and i prefer everything to be working as it should )

Originally Posted by greencreeper

I have, apparently, a call closure rate of 2 (that's two tickets/calls) a day and I'm only available to take calls for about 2 hrs a day. So on that basis, I'm crap at my job - which is why I have just been sacked. Stats only tell you about what you have measured. No one measures how often customers are calling back because it's not important - it's all about answering the phone and being seen to handle calls. What you basically have is a hierarchy of politics where your manager wants x from you because his manager wants y from him and doesn't care how it's achieved. And it's the people at the bottom that get the crap to deal with. With me, I spent up to 90 minutes on a call, and I spent hours in call back mode phoning users and looking at their IT problems. No one measures that.

My advice would be to leave and find a company that values and supports you - if you stay where you are you'll crack up with the stress of fighting your nature.

sorry to hear you have been sacked, J, however I agree 110% with your last sentence - it will be for the best

Originally Posted by steven_azari

So my question lies: Would you the customer rather someone that takes the time to explain to you what the situation is? or would you rather someone not tell you what the problem was and just do it and send you on your way?

Absolutely I would prefer this!

Like many people (especially those who have a degree of techno-savvy) I've got fed up with "pre-canned" responses given out mindlessly by CSR drones who are just reading from a prepared script or "knowledge (hah!) base" that doesn't help!

Me: "OK, this is the problem, I've tried rebooting the cable box and that doesn't work"

CSR: "Can you try rebooting the cable box"?

Me: "Hello? Did you *LISTEN* to what I just said???

[dragon]

Originally Posted by Graham

Absolutely I would prefer this!

Like many people (especially those who have a degree of techno-savvy) I've got fed up with "pre-canned" responses given out mindlessly by CSR drones who are just reading from a prepared script or "knowledge (hah!) base" that doesn't help!

Me: "OK, this is the problem, I've tried rebooting the cable box and that doesn't work"

CSR: "Can you try rebooting the cable box"?

Me: "Hello? Did you *LISTEN* to what I just said???

Know that feeling

also reminds me of the recorded message saying to download broadband medic when u phone bb faults and press the option for total loss of service

[Escapee]

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

i hope i never end up in a call centre

I couldn't cope with it, I admit I would probably walk out because I would find the job so soul destroying.

Then again they seem to have plenty of takers for the jobs at that rate of pay and conditions.

just couldn't do it myself.

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by Escapee

I couldn't cope with it, I admit I would probably walk out because I would find the job so soul destroying.

Then again they seem to have plenty of takers for the jobs at that rate of pay and conditions.

just couldn't do it myself.

I think I have reached that conclusion. Some people can seperate work - the culture, politics, run ins with the boss - from the rest of their life. As soon as they leave work, the day is forgotten. I'm just not like that. A guy I used to work with said that it's important that you have something more than work otherwise your life becomes your work and everything that happens at work suddenly has more significance and meaning. Tis true. Stress creeps up on you - you don't realise how unhappy you are until you can't get in your jeans because you've been comfort eating like Annie Wilkes, or you pause one day and realise that that feeling of nausea every morning for the past month just isn't normal. The trouble is, and it's true in my case, some people develop an internia where, yeah they're unhappy and stressed, but they just can't take the leap of leaving. And just because you hate the job and/or the boss, doesn't mean you hate the people you work with, which just adds to the inertia.

Leave!

[Graham F]

Originally Posted by steven_azari

Ok, NTL's CSR are monitored on AHT (Average Handling Time), this means the faster you handle a customer, the happier the managers are.

I dont think this works, because every customer has a unique story and this can add the length to the call and the matter.

on average my AHT is around 390.

but my manager wants a max of 300 (seconds per call that is).

Rather than rushing the customer, Im happy to listen to customer, say what Im going to do, action it, then give the customer a response and make sure the customer knows exactly what I've done. Rather than say "Ok thats all done for you now" and basically send the customer off thinking "what if?" because I get alot of those customers calling me back.

I then get my manager on my case simply because Im looking after the customer. My manager freaked on me because I had alot of outgoing calls. But this is simply because I had to call other departments and then call the customer back! Im not going to have the customer wait with me while I speak with Field support (engineering department...kind of) because that's usually a 45 minute wait!

So my question lies: Would you the customer rather someone that takes the time to explain to you what the situation is? or would you rather someone not tell you what the problem was and just do it and send you on your way?

I have a slightly different take on stats from when i worked at ntl...

My AHT was never over 260 my calls per hour were usually abt 15, so i was turning the customers round well within the timescales given to me, however i always had ppl moaning about the amount of 'wrap' time i used (this is what you use between calls so you can add notes, maybe send an email) which was at abt 20% target was 13%. Anyway i was always told by my manager to keep the customer on the phone for longer even though half the time i was waiting for the system to decide to work which is utterly pointless IMO.

Anyway the morale of my story is do what you deem the best way of dealing with customers. ntl have to understand that in a call centre everyone is different and deals with calls in a different manner.

To answer your question Steven, i haven't a clue if your good at your job or not as i have never spoken to you on the phone

[Rik]

Originally Posted by Neil

ntl & their bloody stats driven regime.

Its not just NTL
I used to work for BT and it was exactly the same there.

[Scarlett]

Originally Posted by Neil

ntl & their bloody stats driven regime.

I used to Work for Vartec (one of those indirect calling services), When I first started, the first thing they said was that the companys idea was that answer all the custs questions on the first call to avoid repeat callers. Then just after that, we were told that we had a CHT (call handling time) of 3 minutes. Later on though, the call centre was taken back in house and they threw the stats out of the window. Bliss.

As for the answer to the question, you sound like a good CSR, but Id say too good for a call centre. Get out because you will end up severly stressed due to having to conform to the 'bloody stats driven regime' rather than being allowed to get on and do your job Properly.