Customer helplines defined

[Mooncat]

Helpline:
A phone number to ring to be told there are no advisers available but your call is important to us!

If it is important, why don't you answer the feckin' phone?.

[BillyGoat]

Having worked in the back ends of a national call centre, I can tell you it's a difficult business to be in.

Have too many staff sat around twiddling their thumbs and it cost a fortune - consumer ultimately pays the price in products/services and customers complain
Have too few, customers complain
Have them on at the wrong time, customers complain

There are always people leaving and new ones coming on - it's not easy to train them fast enough to hit the peak demands, customers complain. Call centres naturally have a high turnover of staff - people get bored, move on or can't deal with the stresses involved so leave.

It's a massive numbers game that isn't always easy to get right, so many things can influence the call volume, that you might not ever think of:

- time of year
- time of month
- time of day
- seasonal influences (weather, holidays, schools, christmas, etc)
- sporting events
- the type of product/service

After being there and working through all sorts of departments and having to deal with complaints, staff, teams, etc I do feel a level of sympathy for those involved, especially when they get it with both barrels when they answer the phone.

Had to deal with many a threat, breakdown, tears and issues.

Be patient and check they don't have alternative means of communication - email, customer contact, alternative numbers, etc.

Good luck!

[Mooncat]

Their website is as bad. leads you round in circles, so I'm bypassing them.

[joinerjohn]

Brrr, brrr,,,,,, brrr,brrr,,, "Hello, you have reached the national, impatient peoples helpline. All our advisors are busy. Your call has been placed in a queue.. You are number 34 in the queue. Please be patient and one of our advisors will be with you shortly."

[thescruff]

I had a call from 12345678910 again today, with good news that a report that my computer is having problems and he's gonna help me sort it out ( lucky me)

Been there and got the Tee shirt, Never got to follow the complete instructions but think I give them access if I did.

He put the phone down after I bent his ears for 5 mins.

[Mooncat]

It is not too bad if they tell you how far down the queue you are, but this one didn't, There could have been one operator and 500 callers. Not the sort of job I'd take on though.

[cotswold builders]

I always check for Live Chat, lot easier than talking on the phone to some one with an Indian accent.

[Wes]

- time of month

I've often thought the time of the month had something to do with the poor service

I always check for Live Chat

Snap...Best thing ever invented. I've got it on my website but I'm never on it I just reply to the offline messages I get through it...No spamming my live chat BG

[Someone-Else]

I called the amputee help line, I got cut off.

[dandan]

I agree with Billy, I have been involved in supporting the systems call centres use and it is a near impossible to get right.

Adding to what he already mentioned, there is a big issue that taking several hundred calls per day is bloody hard work and the people who do it generally don't want to be there but cant find any other work. It means they are off sick a lot and come up with all sorts of very clever ideas to cheat the system so they don't have to answer the phones.

Saying that, it is no less frustrating when I cant get through to somebody and when i do they cant/wont help me...

[steviejoiner74]

When I have to call sky, I politely ask to be put through to a uk call centre and 9/10 they usually oblige!

[joinerjohn]

When I have to call sky, I politely ask to be put through to a uk call centre and 9/10 they usually oblige!

When I call Sky, I usually get some blugger in Livingstone. (unless that's nae part o the UK now)