Quote:
Originally Posted by eth01
There are selective amounts of people on this forum who will not disclose their status with VM -- for whatever reasons they may be. That you cannot debate.
I suggest you pursue it further (if you're interested in VM).
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The reasons why they will not disclose their status etc is because it is written within their contracts not to discuss with the media internal procedures etc.
Media being...
Internet, Newspapers, TV, Etc...
Both customer accounts (Data Protection) and Internal procedures, policies and services (Due to competitors gaining an advantage)
HOwever nothing stops staff telling you what its like to work for them.
I will tell you the pros and cons as being ext staff member (2003-2007)
** Please note processes change, prices etc but the nature of the beast remains the same **
Pros:
Friendly staff, who will give you support and you will learn alot on regulators and channels etc, how virgin media works both your own department and others, their remits etc.
You get free TV and the XL package,
(Not sure if Sky movies and sports been added back to it dont think so but XL is guaranteed)
Free Phone line
Free Broadband (Max speed)
Free Sim for Virgin Mobile
Staff discount card for Virgin Products
Such as Virgin Holidays etc etc...
Staff balls (tho they arent the best parties ever)
Staff Incentives for holidays etc.
You get Institute of Customer Services recognition, Broadband Licence, Advanced Broadband Licence and quartely bonuses
Internet access and email at work
Negative sides... CONS
Complaints, you must be able to be patient
Some calls are very repetative and not to jump to conclusions as sometimes its not the same thing
Friends and Family might start to pester you about their VM problems when there is nothing you can do about it from home.
Salary:
Its underpaid where call centres average out but with the incentives they give you it kinda evens its self out.
IE:
Virgin Media: (in 2007)
Full Time 37.5 hrs a week
£13,500 Basic
£14,500 Broaband Licence
(6 months call quality achieved, targets and passed company knowledge tests) £250.00 quartelly bonus (Must achieve in all areas)
£16.500 Advanced Broadband Licence
(Excellent quality at 100% for 6 months, hit every target, punctual and tests) £500.00 quartelly bonus (must achieve in all areas)
Negative side is you have to take other department calls as well as your own (so more stressful) They used to be subject to the same AHT but they have scrapped that (AHT = Average Handling Time on a call)
Now Homeserve
£13,750 basic, with commision of up to £600.00 a month or £1000.00 on a good month, is achieved in all areas you would get 20% extra on top of your monthly earnings
So at Telewest / Virgin Media you could take home average £900.00 -> £1050.00 on a good month (Excluding quartelly bonus)
At Homeserve I would take home after tax £1250.00 to £1500.00 after tax
Virgin Medias services are only about £60.00 a month (Their incentives they give you for free) so add that to your take home pay of £900.00 its about £960.00 to £1110.00 on a good month compared to Homeserves £1500.00
their virgin tribe card (which gives you 15% discount) I never actually used and was valid for almost 1 yr after I left so you must be a frequent buyed at Virgin branded stuff
Like Virgin Holidays, Virgin Trains, Virgin Wines etc etc
At British Gas the basic salary is £16,000 with bonus and commision scheme on top of that for doing the same sort of calls as Telewest & Homeserve
Natwest pay about the same and Direct Line (Part of RBS Group)
and Rentokil Initial pay £16,000 OTE excluding commision earnt extra depending on department working on
So as a whole pay is low, the ICS (Institute of customer service) certificate is barely recognised anywere else (RBS, Homeserve and centrica had never heard of it) so its not as useful as they make out, plus it expires after 1yr
SCREAMERS!
You get get excalated calls, sometimes managers arent around to take the escalated call and you will be given stress over it.
Unlike any other call centre I have never experianced screamers elsewere, luckly for me whilst at Telewest and my time there I had sufficient knowledge to calm customers down and resolve a lot of the issues for them, including the odd occasion for other departments but never have i had to deal with the same time of calls elsewhere
If you want to know what type of screamers am I talking about look for BT Complaint call on youtube, Not every complaint call is like that but you will get your fair share once in a while
Though this is a Sales Marketing call you will get from time to time this type of call
thought it normally is caused by billing issues or faults and misread or understood billing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i_Xc...eature=related
---------- Post added at 00:13 ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 23:58 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by akira
I love my job and its one of the best companies I've worked for, I'm in Customer Relations and sometimes the customers can get you down. I've never been spoken to as badly in my life as I have been in this role. Thing you've got to remember though is its not personal and normally someones made a right messup along the way for the customer to be like that with the odd excepton where they speak to you like something they've trodden on for no reason. Great sence of satifaction when you get a customer screaming at you at the start of the call and by the end they go away happy and thanking you. Pays very good last year my pay was just short of £23k with bounus and overtime and the benifits are brill.
Put it this way I've worked in just about every major companies call centres like BT, British Gas, O2, Norwich Union etc and the longest I've been able to stick it out has been about 9 months. I've been with VM for just under 3 years now.
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£23K must be with added bonuses as the basic wage for Customer Relations was £15K back in 2007 with being a BBL staff member would have taken you to about £16K then you would have your quartelly bonus scheme and retention targets bit surprised you managed to make £23K (not stating its not possible just that it would be something you would have work hardly for)
Try try get every on on BBL (BroadBand Licence) status within 6 months of working there so by working there 3 yrs I would say you might be ABBL
Its a standard nown thing that call centres have high turn overs though out the Uk
I was with Virgin Media for 3 1/2 yrs before moving on to Homeserve for 1 1/2 yrs and then British Gas and Rentokil Initial
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