Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA
| reply to hopeflicker
Re: Not for long
said by hopeflicker  :And that's the problem right there. This shows the bare minimum staffing that the cable outfits have. The fact that there's only a couple dispatchers doesn't show anything, dispatch is going to be busy but the calls they take are likely short and to the point because the people calling them are going to know the protocol.
Quite frankly if any department is overstaffed it's probably dispatch due to the fact that CC is wasting money paying employees to sit around any time there's a hold que getting thru to dispatch.
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Revolution!!!... or some such nonsense. |
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hopeflicker
Capitalism breeds greed
Premium
join:2003-04-03
Long Beach, CA
| said by Combat Chuck :said by hopeflicker :And that's the problem right there. This shows the bare minimum staffing that the cable outfits have. The fact that there's only a couple dispatchers doesn't show anything, dispatch is going to be busy but the calls they take are likely short and to the point because the people calling them are going to know the protocol. Let's just put it this way. When i was in the field (when i worked it) I would call in to close out an install and the techs were always on hold. Sometimes up to 20 min. The techs were pissed because it would put them behind sched.
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Fossils, Not Gospels. |
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morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000
clubs:
 ·Charter Pipeline
 ·AT&T Southwest
| reply to Kylemaul
yes, the sky will fall if companies are forced to make realistic schedules!!! carefree techs, ebola outbreaks, oh my!
no, what this will do is force the companies in charge of scheduling appointments to value their customer's time, instead of assuming that customers want to wait around even longer, despite the agreed upon service window. of course they can't predict how long an install will take, but they can make the schedule with some cushion in case there are problems. but they don't want to do that because that is money lost. it boils down to cableco's wanting to save money (that's ok) at the expense of screwing customers on install times (not ok). |
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FusorFodder
join:2002-02-28
Frederick, MD
| No, it will force Comcast to change the dispatch phone numbers, and it will also cause a severe tie up in other customers being serviced. Having worked for Comcast, I can tell you there will be customers that will refuse to hang up, or will call back repeatedly JUST to tie up phone lines. These temper tantrums will only serve to create a backlog for techs and agents who are legitimately trying to reach dispatch. Dispatchers are constantly busy, they don't have the time to waste on customers who think they are so smart for dialing an internal number.
Hooray, some asshat managed to get Comcast to spend a few extra dollars on changing phone numbers, guess who gets to foot the bill? |
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yambag
@comcast.net
thumbs down from:
3SGTE
| reply to morbo
talk to me when you call ronald mcdonald bc ur burger took more than 60 seconds. cry me as river. |
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yambag
@comcast.net | reply to bigjimc
noone makes u use comcast. dont like it? go back to dial up. |
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bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA | reply to cdru
And the proper, reasonable response is to call the front-line number for assistance, not to use inside information to bypass normal procedures because you feel you're "entitled". |
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bigjimc
join:2003-04-21
Middleboro, MA | reply to yambag
Nope...Went to FiOS.... |
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Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
 ·T-Mobile US
| reply to cdru
said by cdru :At what point does "just a few minutes" become "too long of a period of time"? The second the hand ticks outside the promised appointment window.
They are a business and they made a commitment to arrive within a window of time agreed to by both parties. If they see they are going to fail to make the window they have an obligation to notify the customer in a timely manner and make new arrangements and if necessary kick the customer back to sales as a save and let installation take a ding for the resulting discounts incurred or the loss of new subscriber.
An installation appointment is a commitment and usually the first commitment a company makes with a new customer failing that first commitment is no way to do business.
Not having been in the cable business I cannot understand why it has become a truism that the cable guy is always late but it would seem looking at it from my side of the house they cannot get a handle on how to balance load vs. force. We do it with both maintenance and installation under one roof. IMO in the cable world it would be even easier as most times they subcontract out installation and do maintenance in house sparing the install side from the after the thunderstorm etc. maintenance load.
Wayne
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If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician. |
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Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
·T-Mobile US
| reply to phattieg
said by phattieg :You are so wrong. They don't have time to talk to customers. No chit you have that right. They are already up to their bottoms in calls from techs. 
Just because you call them, doesn't mean they are going to call your tech and get them out there. Within the first few words they hear (in the business we all use some internal jargon tech number etc) they will know if they are speaking with a tech or not......
At that point the call will either be disconnected or my guess is Comcast will as a patch issue a speed-dial transfer number for such calls. At that point the caller will drop into queue as if they dialed the 800 number just only slightly behind those who called the 800 number directly or if they care off to a sales save number.
BTW Comcast can re-port new numbers into those dispatch centers within minutes issue a memo and cut the old ones in a week or so once they wean the techs off them.
Wayne
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If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician. |
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marigolds
Gainfully employed, finally
Premium,MVM
join:2002-05-13
Saint Louis, MO
| I still wonder what happens with the numbers that are not Comcast numbers.
As I posted elsewhere in the comments, quite a few of the numbers clearly do not belong to Comcast. Most of these belong to contracting companies of various types, but quite a few lead to cellphones and at least one leads to a private residence (probably someone who works for Comcast or a contractor).
These people are not going to be able to re-port new numbers within minutes and are probably going to have no clue why they are suddenly getting strange calls from irate Comcast customers.
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