travisc
join:2001-11-09
Port Perry, ON
| reply to En Enfer
Re: Bell to get rid of 2,500 managers - save big $
They are making significant profits. However, they are being challenged in ways unlike any in the past. Their residential voice business is threatened, LD is withering, satellite TV's growth is stagnant and mobility is lagging competitors. They are nowhere near bankruptcy, but they have problems to deal with. |
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TI POIL
join:2006-03-05
Toronto, ON
|  reply to CanadianIron
I'd say the company is in deep sh*t. What I like is everyday something negative comes up with Bell either job cuts or a lawsuit. I knew it was gonna be a long process but maybe we all got what we wished for  Let's keep hoping. |
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LazMan
join:2003-03-26
Angus, ON
 ·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to CanadianIron
There's a few things at play here...
Bell's traditional profit-heavy enterprise/government contracts and long distance networks are drying up - TELUS, Allstream, and some US carriers are making big in-roads on the enterprise and government business; and, well, with wholesale prices at $0.01/min and VoIP; there's just no money left in LD... Doesn't mean Bell/BCE is on the verge of bankruptcy, but as old revenue streams go away, new ones need to found.
The whole Globemedia "content" business didn't go quite the way they expected...
Also, the new "owners" are going to look to improve margins - doing "more with less" is the way of the world these days... Automation and business intellegence systems (SAP / Peoplesoft / etc) can eliminate alot of management duties; "empowering" is another big phrase - allow front line managers or staff to make smaller decsions, rather then having to feed it up the chain of command... Let the (remaing) managers deal with larger issues.
Cope's got a long row to hoe; but he's got a track record - Clearnet/TELUS Mobility/TELUS has made one hell of a turn around in the last decade - Entwistle may have been the man at the wheel, but Cope played a big role as well...
Laz |
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drjp81
join:2006-01-09
canada
·TELUS
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to travisc
said by travisc  :... They are nowhere near bankruptcy, but they have problems to deal with. Not to mention the 20 Billion dollar debt the new owners just put themselves in. (mentionned elsewhere)
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lol2
@videotron.ca
| What I think is so funny, is that Bell management still focuses so much on outsourcing. Yet on the other side of the coin says "We have to be the leader in customer service". How can you be a leader in customer service using front line staff that are paid 1$ over min wage (for those in Canada), or using staff from India (who are paid next to nothing).
You get what you pay for. Meanwhile.... the execs are soaking in the cash, and are paying almost nothing for their front line staff and using them more as a curtain to protect them from their irate customers.
Revolving door, cheap labour call centers don't work for a viable business. Sabia never learned that. Maybe Cope will.
No wonder Bell customers get transferred 8 times to resolve an issue. Not the agents fault... management dropped the ball along time ago. They treat their employees like sh#t! |
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onlyrh40
join:2008-01-29
North York, ON
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Bell Sympatico
| reply to drjp81
The new owners i.e. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and the shark funds are now trying to shore up the prearranged financing arrangements and make new arrangements for lines of credit. In the meantime they are losing legacy telephone line business at an alarming rate, the cell business is looking more outdated as each new service is offered by Rogers, and the coup de grace is their indiscriminate throttling of internet services.
The sacking of 2500 management with savings of $300 million per year is the first of a series of moves that are meant to reassure committed and prospective lenders that costs can be cut and that Georgie boy is tougher than Michael. It is a certainty that price increases will follow since cutting ones way to profitability is counterproductive. As for improvements to customer service when you see it you will recognize it. The bottom line is they paid too much for BCE. |
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travisc
join:2001-11-09
Port Perry, ON | Price increases have already been happening... And if you think throttling of your P2P is the worst thing going on, your perspective is badly skewed. |
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drjp81
join:2006-01-09
canada
·TELUS
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to onlyrh40
said by onlyrh40 : The bottom line is they paid too much for BCE. Here here
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Cheers!--
I reserve the right to use any private message
in these boards if you behave like a horse a$$ in it. |
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drjp81
join:2006-01-09
canada
·TELUS
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to lol2
said by lol2 :
Not the agents fault... management dropped the ball along time ago. They treat their employees like sh#t!
Well I'm on the fence for that one, last time I spoke to a CSR he was a complete a$$. I usuallu request service in french as not to end up overseas, but he made me regret it.
I was flat out lied about the throttle while Deadpool was helping me iron out issues out with it. So even if I don't always see eye to eye with Deadpool he has earned sufficient respect for me to believe he wouldn't lie about the existence of the throttle (CSR said they never did that, and never would).
Anyhoo... maybe management told them to lie. But I'd love to see someone at my office try to get me to lie to a customer. They's have a very bad surprise.
There's no level of employment where ethics are optional, in my opinion.
But then again, as far as we are concerned they perhaps treat us, as they are treated.
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Cheers!--
I reserve the right to use any private message
in these boards if you behave like a horse a$$ in it. |
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BryceS
join:2007-09-17
Waterloo, ON
| said by drjp81 :said by lol2 :
Not the agents fault... management dropped the ball along time ago. They treat their employees like sh#t!
Well I'm on the fence for that one, last time I spoke to a CSR he was a complete a$$. I usuallu request service in french as not to end up overseas, but he made me regret it. I was flat out lied about the throttle while Deadpool was helping me iron out issues out with it. So even if I don't always see eye to eye with Deadpool he has earned sufficient respect for me to believe he wouldn't lie about the existence of the throttle (CSR said they never did that, and never would). Anyhoo... maybe management told them to lie. But I'd love to see someone at my office try to get me to lie to a customer. They's have a very bad surprise. There's no level of employment where ethics are optional, in my opinion. But then again, as far as we are concerned they perhaps treat us, as they are treated. As a front line rep I can assure it has been made clear that Bell practices "Traffic Management". |
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drjp81
join:2006-01-09
canada
·TELUS
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| You as well, I have observed, has a decent code of honor, so to speak.
But I assure you the experience of getting one liar greatly overshadows 10 good reps you never get to speak to. That's a fact of life. It sucks but that's what it is.
There was no official announcement about "traffic management" as you so call it at the time and I had told the CSR that if it was a fact and here to stay at Sympatico it would mandate a non-renewal of my contract. Besides with bell grandfathering (what a disgusting euphemism for cancelling or getting rid of) their unlimited plans, I saw exactly where things were headed.
So, he proceeded to treat me like a heel. Not to mention the lying. Anyways I gave Deadpool the guy's so called employee number (4 digits if I recall) and First name. And despite Deadpool's best efforts (I presume) when my VPN was on, I was throttled everywhere.
So why would I live with that hassle? THings are all cleared up with Bell now...? well too little too late guys.
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Cheers!--
I reserve the right to use any private message
in these boards if you behave like a horse a$$ in it. |
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lol2
@videotron.ca
| reply to drjp81
I was flat out lied about the throttle while Deadpool was helping me iron out issues out with it. So even if I don't always see eye to eye with Deadpool he has earned sufficient respect for me to believe he wouldn't lie about the existence of the throttle (CSR said they never did that, and never would).
Anyhoo... maybe management told them to lie. But I'd love to see someone at my office try to get me to lie to a customer. They's have a very bad surprise.
There's no level of employment where ethics are optional, in my opinion.
But then again, as far as we are concerned they perhaps treat us, as they are treated.
reply:
Thanks for making my point. when talking to Deadpool you're talking to a real Bell employee. When you call for help, chances are you get a revolving door, cheap labour outsourced call center. Where the employees have little skills except to follow a script, make a sale, and get you off the phone as soon as they possibly can, for the little money they get. You think they stick around long enough to gain knowledge of the product? NO!, they'd make more money as waiters in a low scale restaurant. |
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En Enfer
This account has been compromised
join:2003-07-25
Montreal, QC
·VIF Internet
| reply to travisc
said by travisc :Price increases have already been happening... See, the problem with bell is they are still thinking like an monopoly, even if there's competition, they still can control the prices. Best examples out there:
- DSL wholesale can't go lower to allow ISPs provide cheaper service or better profits.
- You can switch phone company but you'll have to pay 6$ network fees.
- You can keep DSL and ditch residential phone for VoIP but you'll have to pay dry loop.
- Your VoIP is dependant of your internet connection, but bell can piss you off by messing up with your line.
As a long time bell customer, if you don't follow their current deals, if you're just a paying customer who never called bell in the last 10 years and never read your phone bill, you will find yourself in a long distance package you never asked for, overpriced and limited minutes allowed, along with interior wiring program?
Back in high school, we were taught that a monopoly will always increase their prices for profits, and competition will bring products prices down to get customers. Hell, today, bell's prices are still higher than before competition was a threat, and worse case scenario, they are INCREASING the prices for almost all of their products because they lost customers over the last few years.
The discusting part is, their retention/winback departments are able to provide service to customers at a price that most competition cannot afford (or make zero profit on).
Bell's Business model: kill the competition any way you can, punish customers who haven't call to pick a package, treat customers like cash cows.
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"I unofficially declare Beaver Hunting Season is on!" (© DR_JAYMAHDI) |
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root9
join:2005-04-08
Kitchener, ON
1 edit | reply to lol2
We'll see. Part of his record is to hire young, inexperienced call center PPL who think it's funny to mess with settings of customers.
Friend of mine has this happen to her a number of times till call was made to one of top managers at Telus. Nice to have friends.  This had to be repeated a number of times until situation was resolved. And not until I called and sneakily got their work IDs and taped them. In turn had their young asses fired.
In one of the calls the call taker didn't press the hold button and proceeded with, "Hey, I got this dumb f*** who wants to talk to a supervisor ..." subsequently half call center laughing.
Who appreciates being treated as such?
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Please engage eyeballs and retain functional brain before operating fingers. |
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root9
join:2005-04-08
Kitchener, ON
| reply to LazMan
And there is one more:
In speaking with expert on biz end of Bell and companies that bought it, Cope will probably make Bell function close to properly, make a load of cash, raise prices, look good on paper, then all hell might brake loose.
The reputation of companies that bought Bell is to downsize, make a profit and then sell off company in parts. In most part to USA interests. This is BAD news for Canadians.
If or when this happens and all Canadians buy it then it just might be good news.
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Please engage eyeballs and retain functional brain before operating fingers. |
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Bell employee
| reply to lol2
Not true...and we don't get paid $1 more than minimum wage. We actually get treated really well. The insentives are great too. |
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drjp81
join:2006-01-09
canada
·TELUS
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| said by Bell employee :Not true...and we don't get paid $1 more than minimum wage. We actually get treated really well. The insentives are great too. If you read enough from our friend lol2 here, you'll learn to take what he/she writes with a grain of salt. A grain the size of your couch...
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Cheers!--
I reserve the right to use any private message
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lol2
@videotron.ca
| I was talking about the outsourced employees, those that answer 50% of the calls if not more. I was not talking about Bell Employees. I knew a few that worked in Montreal for one of the many companies they use, and the pay was crap, schedules were terrible, benefits next to none, no way anyone could afford to raise a family or rent a decent place on those wages. Revolving door customer service reps... welcome to bell.... |
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drjp81
join:2006-01-09
canada
·TELUS
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| said by lol2 :
I was talking about the outsourced employees...
Outsouced =! employees.
If they outsource, it means they get external help and those are not employees.
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Cheers!--
I reserve the right to use any private message
in these boards if you behave like a horse a$$ in it. |
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lol2
@videotron.ca
| some companies use "external help" for campaigns, or during times of increased call flow. Bell outsources approx 50% of their calls to companies that pay little, next to no benefits if any at all. And also outsource overseas taking jobs outside of Canada. Meanwhile...raising prices.
I think you have your head in the sand drjp81. This is not "external help"... this is business as usual for bell. |
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