Are call centers operated by robots?
Feb 3rd 2006, 10:46 am
#16
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 30,102
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
I rang the number on the back of my bank card the other week and got through to a human in the same town, without pressing 1,2,3 or#........I was shocked and amazed 
Feb 3rd 2006, 1:50 pm
#17
You Are All Diseased
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: Farnham, UK
Posts: 4,511
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
Originally Posted by Bradford Lass
I have just spent the last 25 minutes talking to my telephone service provider. I think that they were just offerinng to bundle a package and offer it cheaper but bloody hell you needed a degree in linguistics to work it out.
Operator: Here at Bell South we are only wishing to give you the best in value for money bla bla bla, 31 dollars are you authorised to make changes ?
Me: well I am only authorised to make changes if it doesnt increase the bill what is the 31 dollars for?
Operator: here at bla bla bal value for money
Me: so will this make my bill cheaper overall or is the 31 dollars extra
Operator: I do not work in accounts but Here at Bell South we are only wishing to give bla bla
Me; Well I am not authorised to make changes if they are going to increase the bill
Operator: Well as you know Here at Bell South we are only wishing to give
you the best in vaulue bla bla
This went round in circles for twenty minutes until I went and got the bill and said
are you saying it will make my bill 15 dollars cheaper
Operator: I do not work in accounts but Here at Bell South we are only wishing to give bla bla but yes about 15 dollars
Then she called me my husbands name about 5 times and repeated the value for money phrase about another 20. I think I have agreed to save 15 dollars but I may have signed up to work in a call center or anything is it always like this?
Operator: Here at Bell South we are only wishing to give you the best in value for money bla bla bla, 31 dollars are you authorised to make changes ?
Me: well I am only authorised to make changes if it doesnt increase the bill what is the 31 dollars for?
Operator: here at bla bla bal value for money
Me: so will this make my bill cheaper overall or is the 31 dollars extra
Operator: I do not work in accounts but Here at Bell South we are only wishing to give bla bla
Me; Well I am not authorised to make changes if they are going to increase the bill
Operator: Well as you know Here at Bell South we are only wishing to give
you the best in vaulue bla bla
This went round in circles for twenty minutes until I went and got the bill and said
are you saying it will make my bill 15 dollars cheaper
Operator: I do not work in accounts but Here at Bell South we are only wishing to give bla bla but yes about 15 dollars
Then she called me my husbands name about 5 times and repeated the value for money phrase about another 20. I think I have agreed to save 15 dollars but I may have signed up to work in a call center or anything is it always like this?
Feb 3rd 2006, 3:08 pm
#18
Powder Maggot
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Nuevo Mexico
Posts: 4,452
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
Too funny. I called to cancel a credit card the other week after they foeked up some stuff. But lo and behold I got a real live+living+thinking person in Michigan. Since that's worth more than gold I kept the card. 
Feb 3rd 2006, 3:45 pm
#19
You Are All Diseased
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: Farnham, UK
Posts: 4,511
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
Usually, if you mash random buttons on the phone, you'll eventually get a live person 
Feb 3rd 2006, 5:56 pm
#20
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,750
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
Originally Posted by rincewind
Usually, if you mash random buttons on the phone, you'll eventually get a live person
But if you call 2 different people you can get 2 different answers
I hung up on one and later called back and got what I wanted. I hate them. At least a machine can't be a smartass.
Feb 3rd 2006, 6:36 pm
#21
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,174
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
least you have the option...only got verizon in town for phone...
Feb 4th 2006, 12:07 am
#22
Pass me the Marmite..
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: Atlanta, GA.
Posts: 864
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
This is too funny. I started working for a s/w firm last year that has built technology to solve this problem.
One of the main problems in call centers, due to their mergers and aquisitions, many of the agents have to be trained on and use at least 6 different applications on their desktops to get at "ALL" aspects of your call.
These applications are totally separate, and the agents has to switch and toggle between each app as you ask each question, change an address, want info in your bill etc.,
Our software makes them almost immediately work together so, the agent only has to ask you something once AND if you change something on your account, it changes all of their systems automatically.
Bellsouth is a funny one. They called me with the same $31 dollar offer but didn't realise I had a second line (anohter system), then didn't realise I had DSL (another system) and then didn't realise I had a domain through them (another system). 25 mins in the call, she still couldn't tell me how much I would save and SHE called me. Morons. Bellsouth is a target customer for our company
One of the main problems in call centers, due to their mergers and aquisitions, many of the agents have to be trained on and use at least 6 different applications on their desktops to get at "ALL" aspects of your call.
These applications are totally separate, and the agents has to switch and toggle between each app as you ask each question, change an address, want info in your bill etc.,
Our software makes them almost immediately work together so, the agent only has to ask you something once AND if you change something on your account, it changes all of their systems automatically.
Bellsouth is a funny one. They called me with the same $31 dollar offer but didn't realise I had a second line (anohter system), then didn't realise I had DSL (another system) and then didn't realise I had a domain through them (another system). 25 mins in the call, she still couldn't tell me how much I would save and SHE called me. Morons. Bellsouth is a target customer for our company
Feb 4th 2006, 5:02 am
#23
Back where I belong!
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Melbourne, Oz to Banbury, England to El Mirage, AZ & now back to England!
Posts: 5,989
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
Originally Posted by AdobePinon
Too funny. I called to cancel a credit card the other week after they foeked up some stuff. But lo and behold I got a real live+living+thinking person in Michigan. Since that's worth more than gold I kept the card.
Feb 5th 2006, 2:00 am
#24
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2003
Location: Central Illinois
Posts: 1,275
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
Originally Posted by Bradford Lass
Because they are only trying to give me the very best in value and bla bla bla i guess
Seriously cos i needed to get phone and online quick we had to get a house and everthing organised in 10 days and using mobiles and calling cards it was simpler to find someone who did it all together. with the luxury of time would have shopped around. happy to hear recommendations have just downloaded skype and that looks promising someone mentioned media com.
Sure there is a lot i am doing wrong you should have seem my first haircut when I had no car and the nearest place to walk was Walmart :scared:
Seriously cos i needed to get phone and online quick we had to get a house and everthing organised in 10 days and using mobiles and calling cards it was simpler to find someone who did it all together. with the luxury of time would have shopped around. happy to hear recommendations have just downloaded skype and that looks promising someone mentioned media com.
Sure there is a lot i am doing wrong you should have seem my first haircut when I had no car and the nearest place to walk was Walmart :scared:
as for haircuts....GOOD lUCK! took me,literally,years to find a hairdresser to just layer my hair!,then I found a whole lot of them all at the same shop!....how can anyone mess up just doing a layer cut?,it even used to look better when I layered it myself,looking in a mirror,than the total b-lls-up so many 'so called' hairdressers made!....Sophia
Feb 5th 2006, 2:35 am
#25
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: TN
Posts: 1,759
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
I find that if you get a message asking for you to press 1,2,3 just ignore them and wait for someone to answer... 9 times out of 10 they do!
Anyone know about Tomato Vine VOIP??? i saw an ad for them.. they look pretty good but i wanted to know if you need an existing phone line to use it or can you just plug and go without one???
Oh, the indian call center thing... Natwest are now advertising over here that their telephone line will connect you to someone in England!!!! can you belive they are having to advertise this sh*t.... they will probably be indian anyways but still it proves how bad it is.
I called NTL about my broadband 2 weeks ago and spoke to someone in India who couldnt pronounce my name and had no idea about broadband!?!??!??! what the f**k :scared:
Anyone know about Tomato Vine VOIP??? i saw an ad for them.. they look pretty good but i wanted to know if you need an existing phone line to use it or can you just plug and go without one???
Oh, the indian call center thing... Natwest are now advertising over here that their telephone line will connect you to someone in England!!!! can you belive they are having to advertise this sh*t.... they will probably be indian anyways but still it proves how bad it is.
I called NTL about my broadband 2 weeks ago and spoke to someone in India who couldnt pronounce my name and had no idea about broadband!?!??!??! what the f**k :scared:
Feb 6th 2006, 5:59 am
#26
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,174
Re: Are call centers operated by robots?
BoA is funny, you need a pin number to speak to an operator, but to get a pin number, you've got to call an operator 
That and there system, which is the same used by mbna, but they don't have it set up to make sense, and they don't have a clue how many people have called, or who they have called, so can't plan for busy periods....what joy.
That and there system, which is the same used by mbna, but they don't have it set up to make sense, and they don't have a clue how many people have called, or who they have called, so can't plan for busy periods....what joy.
