Call Centres

jas72 · 17 Apr 2007 at 11:38

Adam said:
I'll let you into a secret. I work on a helpdesk for a company as part of my training (luckily it only lasts 6 months). Before this, I hated helpdesks whether they were located in England, Scotland, India, Bosnia, Iraq or Mars. Didn't make a difference, I would have the hump before I called them just because I was having to call them.

So, what has my experience on the helpdesk taught me? Regardless of their location, they are there to help. If you act arsey, you won't get your answer as quickly. If you are impolite you won't receive the same level of service.

Be polite, speak clearly, explain your problem to the point, state exactly how you are looking to resolve the issue and you will get much further.

If your attitude stinks it really doesn't do you any favours

Yes but don't they know that you've had to wait listening to 15 minutes for continuous adverts for products you don't want first? And that even though there is a branch in your town centre they can't help you and you are forced to rack up phone bills and waste time talking to someone in a part of the country (or India) whose accent is difficult to understand.

Only to find they can't help you and put you through to a supervisor who hangs up and you have to start again. (15 mins of advert and ear splitting jingles)

kinggost · 17 Apr 2007 at 11:43

Be polite, speak clearly, explain your problem to the point, state exactly how you are looking to resolve the issue and you will get much further.

Even when i be like that still dont help me understand them

Vixen · 17 Apr 2007 at 11:44

jas72 said:
try going to play bingo in fife hehe

their numbers from 1-10 are not english at all..

That's a joke, right? The only really strong accents in Fife are in Lochgelly.

jas72 · 17 Apr 2007 at 11:46

My parents have a caravan in Anstruther, don't get me wrong I love the accent but the numbers .... hehe

twa n twa twanty twa hehe

Vixen · 17 Apr 2007 at 12:00

jas72 said:
My parents have a caravan in Anstruther, don't get me wrong I love the accent but the numbers .... hehe

twa n twa twanty twa hehe

I grew up in Fife. Perhaps you are thinking of the Dundee accent?

iBankAllDay · 17 Apr 2007 at 12:08

Vixen said:
I grew up in Fife. Perhaps you are thinking of the Dundee accent?

The caravan site might have been full of Dundonians. Although, I do know of people with strong accents from Rosyth and Glenrothes, if someone was unfamiliar with it theu might not be able to interpret what is being said.

Begbie · 17 Apr 2007 at 12:19

Fifers don't really have an accent tbh.

jas72 · 17 Apr 2007 at 12:34

Vixen said:
I grew up in Fife. Perhaps you are thinking of the Dundee accent?

Perhaps but I was in fife when it happened sorry for my accent noobness

hardc0res_gal · 17 Apr 2007 at 12:42

my boyfriend called up about a problem with our internet and as soon as he heard an indian accent he hung up. he doesnt see the point in wasting time trying to listen to someone he cant understand and i quite agree!!

nimz · 17 Apr 2007 at 12:44

I agree with jas72. Thats how the extreme locals speak. I've lived in Anstruther for about 8 years, before that St.Andrews. My parents still live in Anstruther. The local accent is very strong. Go to a pub and you'll hear it instantly. My parents have to deal with them all the time (they have a shop).

Anyone who's lived around East Fife, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee etc for a long time, you get to recognise different accents and probably guess right what part of Scotland they are from. Especially over the phone. Maybe its the years of working on phones, who knows!

V4NT0M · 17 Apr 2007 at 12:52

I work for an ISP helpdesk, we have a callcentre in india, all I get all day is complaints about getting through to india because they cant understand a word. I've called them before and had to explain that the number I was calling from (a mobile number) was not the number I had my DSL on (i didnt really) about 3 times I hung up in the end...

Not only that, but the amount of calls they generate to our callcentres is silly, they hang up on customers and basically tell them whatever gets them off the phone the fastest, really gets my back up that not only do customer get a NO SWEARING experience they **** it up for the callcentres in the UK too.

You know what the kicker is... The premium rate tech support number (50ppm) for some customers goes through exclusivley to india.

Adam · 17 Apr 2007 at 13:12

But I have quite a strong essex/london accept and people from europe/america have trouble understanding me sometimes. Just one of those things.

Its not easy working on a helpdesk even though mine is very relaxed with no targets etc. I typically get about 10-20 calls a day. I'm just lucky that this isn't permanent as i'm not sure I could do that.

cheets64 · 17 Apr 2007 at 13:18

I only ever seem to get people from Ireland or Scotland, never any English folk and I have only ever had to ring Orange who had an Indian call centre, couldnt even understand my sirname.

Sonea Fifer · 17 Apr 2007 at 15:11

hardc0res_gal said:
my boyfriend called up about a problem with our internet and as soon as he heard an indian accent he hung up. he doesnt see the point in wasting time trying to listen to someone he cant understand and i quite agree!!

What he could have done was insisted he be put through to someone in a UK based call centre - tbh i can relate to your boyfriends way of thinking though, in some cases it is completely pointless trying to explain your particular issue to a foreigner who doesn't in some cases have the resources or training to fix it.

Then on top of that they try to patronize you even further by saying "my name is George"

Dr_Evil · 17 Apr 2007 at 15:16

I think what they do is redirect your call to an Indian call centre, the chap/lady who answers your call gets paid a certain commission rate for keeping you on the phone longer, hence they talk so much. In the end the company is making money from your time on the phone to them.

V4NT0M · 17 Apr 2007 at 19:04

Sonea Fifer said:
What he could have done was insisted he be put through to someone in a UK based call centre - tbh i can relate to your boyfriends way of thinking though, in some cases it is completely pointless trying to explain your particular issue to a foreigner who doesn't in some cases have the resources or training to fix it.

Well if it was the ISP I work for its not possible for agents to transfer between callcentres. All calls come through one trunk.

[DOD]Asprilla · 17 Apr 2007 at 19:57

Sky's main call centres are in Livingstone and Dunfermline. They have a small pilot call centre in Osterley, Middlesex.

However, if they are really busy, and to provide 24hr coverage they use Indian call centres to take up the slack.

I've listened to excellent and horrendous calls from both Scotland & India.

Oh, and if you do send a letter, it won't go anywhere. Sky have no system for tracking complaints back to your account, only technical queries. My old man has been trying to get £90 out of them for months, but as no-one puts notes on the account and nothing is escalated nothing happens.

Sonea Fifer · 17 Apr 2007 at 22:17

Skyfall said:
Well if it was the ISP I work for its not possible for agents to transfer between callcentres. All calls come through one trunk.

Think it's quite safe to say we dont work for the same companies then huh?

Adam · 18 Apr 2007 at 08:10

hardc0res_gal said:
my boyfriend called up about a problem with our internet and as soon as he heard an indian accent he hung up. he doesnt see the point in wasting time trying to listen to someone he cant understand and i quite agree!!

So rather than spend a little longer talking to an Indian he hung up and the problem was unresolved. Great logic