Henry VIII has a lot to answer for - but he'd be the only one answering
No this is not a post about the rotund wedding cake loving monarch. I am talking about call centres.
I hate call centres. I was offered a job working in a call centre once, when I was 21 and looking for a job after leaving University. The job was working for the Woolwich. In those days I rarely had any contact with call centres but I knew I wanted no part of them. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life at that point but I knew I didn't want to spend my life on the phone and I wanted nothing to do with the general public. I have never for one second regretted my decision. So, I speak of call centres from the 'outside'.
My latest experience of problems with call centres came earlier this year. I was having problems with my power provider (one based in the North of the UK). Basically they kept getting my 'Estimated' readings hopelessly wrong. However, when I called their 0845 number to tell them I would typically spend between 20 and (on one occasion) 90 minutes on hold. As a result I can no longer listen to Greensleeves without feeling physically sick.
So, after continuing this charade of attempted phonecalls daily for 2 weeks I received a letter telling me I had not paid. Well, clearly I have not paid. That is because IT IS WRONG! And apart from anything else I probably paid double the amount I was overcharged in listening to their premium rate jukebox. Is this their intention? I wouldn't like to say but I certainly said this and more to everyone I knew at the time.
Eventually I sent them an email. No response but at least the auto reply that came back didn't have a Greensleeves media file attached. 10 days later I sent another email. By this time remember I was complaining about the non-response to the email, the call centre and, by this time, the relatively unimportant matter of the wrong bill! After a while I recieved a phonecall saying that they would adjust the bill and give me £20 for my inconvenience. I suspect I have done badly out of this deal but I felt better. They had admitted that their call centre is terrible. A small victory but a victory nonetheless!
The funny thing is, given the nature of reports about call centres in recent times, is that this call centre is based in the UK, rather than India. If this is the standard of call centres based here then is there any wonder that the Indian alternative is more attractive (regardless of the obvious financial benefit to companies). Unfortunately I cannot comment on the competence of staff. You have to get through to them to do that.
I hate call centres. I was offered a job working in a call centre once, when I was 21 and looking for a job after leaving University. The job was working for the Woolwich. In those days I rarely had any contact with call centres but I knew I wanted no part of them. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life at that point but I knew I didn't want to spend my life on the phone and I wanted nothing to do with the general public. I have never for one second regretted my decision. So, I speak of call centres from the 'outside'.
My latest experience of problems with call centres came earlier this year. I was having problems with my power provider (one based in the North of the UK). Basically they kept getting my 'Estimated' readings hopelessly wrong. However, when I called their 0845 number to tell them I would typically spend between 20 and (on one occasion) 90 minutes on hold. As a result I can no longer listen to Greensleeves without feeling physically sick.
So, after continuing this charade of attempted phonecalls daily for 2 weeks I received a letter telling me I had not paid. Well, clearly I have not paid. That is because IT IS WRONG! And apart from anything else I probably paid double the amount I was overcharged in listening to their premium rate jukebox. Is this their intention? I wouldn't like to say but I certainly said this and more to everyone I knew at the time.
Eventually I sent them an email. No response but at least the auto reply that came back didn't have a Greensleeves media file attached. 10 days later I sent another email. By this time remember I was complaining about the non-response to the email, the call centre and, by this time, the relatively unimportant matter of the wrong bill! After a while I recieved a phonecall saying that they would adjust the bill and give me £20 for my inconvenience. I suspect I have done badly out of this deal but I felt better. They had admitted that their call centre is terrible. A small victory but a victory nonetheless!
The funny thing is, given the nature of reports about call centres in recent times, is that this call centre is based in the UK, rather than India. If this is the standard of call centres based here then is there any wonder that the Indian alternative is more attractive (regardless of the obvious financial benefit to companies). Unfortunately I cannot comment on the competence of staff. You have to get through to them to do that.
posted by ChiefMoaner at 4:26 PM
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