Retail Bargains |
|
Your Money > Retail Bargains Articles > The tricks call...
|
|
By Sarah Modlock
They may seem like they exist in an alternate universe, but call centres really are staffed by human beings. Some of them are even based in the UK. But why are they the focus of so much stress and anger, what tricks do they use to get what they want and how can you play them at their own game? Last October, one Abbey customer went public when his bank account was vandalised by a call centre worker he had complained about. Carpenter George Bates, 23, gave the clerk low marks in a satisfaction survey after finding him “rude and arrogant” when he phoned for help. But soon afterwards he discovered his identity at his local branch had been changed to a Ugandan divorcee aged 33. His overdraft facility had been withdrawn and direct debits totalling £750 had been cancelled, landing him with £60 of charges. And when he tried to draw cash from a hole-in-the-wall dispenser, it swallowed his card. George claimed the worker then pestered him to give maximum scores of seven in an automated survey which customers take following a call. But he gave him just ones and twos. Abbey reinstated George's overdraft and direct debits. They also rectified his personal details, cancelled the charges and offered £200 compensation. Even so, George switched banks. He said: “This man's spiteful actions have caused me massive inconvenience and I've changed because I'm scared he could still access my account.” Abbey insisted they “fully investigated” the incident but refused to reveal if disciplinary action was been taken. Shocking stuff. And it seems that for every customer with a horror story, there is a call centre worker with a miserable tale to tell in an online forum or blog. So very few people are happy about call centres. There are more than 5,000 of them in the UK, employing around a million people. But the trend for bigger, far flung call centres may be changing. Bollywood dreams Just this month, BT announced it will bring at least 2,000 of the company's 5,500 call-centre jobs in India back to Britain as it prepares to close about half its customer service operation on the sub-continent. This follows moves by businesses such as Powergen, Abbey and Orange to close some or all of their Indian call-centre operations. BT insisted that its move had nothing to do with the quality of service offered in India. In recent years, the influx of money and regular work brought to India by call centre employers and its impact on the social lives of employees has become a cause for concern. Employers have tried to compensate for the monotonous nature of the work itself by creating an informal, American-style college campus atmosphere, where there is plenty of après-shift drinking and partying. Since many staff work night shifts, after which normal socialising is impossible, office friendships - with accompanying sexual liaisons - have blossomed. In the southern city of Bangalore, a call centre hub, the rising number of abortions – up 50% in two years – is blamed on the licentious lifestyles of the call centre workers. So entrenched is their reputation for dating, drinking and partying that many middle class parents are now reluctant to let their daughters take up such jobs. If you have ever suspected that a call centre has hung up on you or kept you waiting to encourage you to hang up on them then you're not being paranoid. Two long-serving call centre employees who blew the whistle on tactics to The Times confirmed that this was common practice. “Productivity is measured by ‘abandonment rates' - the percentage of customers who tire of waiting and hang up," one said. "The industry average is about 5%. A lower rate implies underemployment; a higher rate suggests that people are waiting too long.You would think that centres always try to improve response times, but those with low abandonment rates could be trying to increase the time that you spend waiting. They also revealed: • Call-centre managers would rather employ too few than too many staff, because they do not want workers underemployed, which is why there is always a queue when you call. • Problem-solvers have hourly targets, such as 12 problems an hour. If each call lasts about five minutes, and after four a resolution seems unlikely, they may hang up. If they realise that they are unable to resolve a complaint and the customer is becoming irate, they may hang up or say 'try this and call back'. This allows them to tick the approval log. AHT - average handling time - they would rather you made four short calls than get four issues resolved in one longer call. • Giving customers false names is another common tactic. In Indian call centres they often use westernised names to make callers feel more comfortable. Another trick is for a call centre to use only a handful of names, such as Sue, Laura, Steve and John, because it makes people feel more comfortable if they think that they are coming back to the same person. • It is the commission that drives wrong behaviour. Productivity is determined by the number of calls rather than the quality or outcome. • A lot of staff take their jobs less seriously because they assume that they will be gone in three months. There is very little staff loyalty and people do not see call-centre jobs as a lifelong career. • If someone asks to speak to a manager, staff will not always put them through. They might, instead, put the caller through on to the team leader, or even another adviser. Staff are meant to make a note of complaints on the customer's file, but because they move immediately from one call to the next, they forget to log the notes. Often, they do not want to log the notes because they are worried about how it will reflect on them if the call goes higher up. How to avoid call centre stress • Use a branch instead. Yes, I know it's easier said than done and not as convenient at 9pm but could save time, money and blood pressure. • Avoid responding to voice-activated or push-button menus by dialling zero to be put through to an attendant. • Call the sales section of a company, regardless of the nature of the query. Because they are set up to attract new business, the calls are prioritised and they usually have freephone or standard rate numbers as opposed to higher rate numbers. They can put you through to colleagues if they cannot help. • When put on hold or in a queue, call head office and demand to be transferred to an operator. Companies will normally ensure a caller speaks directly to an attendant. • Take names, note the time of the call and how long it lasted. If you're making a complaint, do it in writing - good old letter rather than email - as this will have much more impact. • Don't waste money on 0870 numbers. The website www.saynoto0870.com lists alternative landline numbers, for hundreds of organisations and government agencies and departments (who should know better) across the country. • Give a company a taste of its own medicine. Once the attendant comes on line, place him or her on hold and put on the kettle. Useful links: |
| ||||||||||||||||