A Kinder, Gentler Comcast > Does not care.

Does not care.

.. and what's the problem with that? Everything you mentioned is part of the job isn't it? Why can't you do it all?

Comcast obviously has goals they want to meet, like any business does, and you're going to be rated on your numbers. Your job description requires you to attempt sales - and believe it or not, if you do the job right, you should be able to make some of those numbers come true much of the time.

I see no problem with the company asking their employees to ask a customer if they would like to purchase a product - makes sense to me.

So, if you're not meeting goals, then maybe you're not the right person for the job.

However, it sounds like the issue that the customer is NOT getting the basic service, in which you stated could be done, in the first place.. after all, customers are not bitching that they are not being sold.. they're upset that they are not getting good service from the customer service department.

My point is you can get good scores just by selling. You don't even have to address the issue the customer called about. Just try and sell and you're okay.

I heard an internet tech call in a QA session the customer said he couldn't access his email. The rep didn't even discuss email or try and help, but did try to sell and it was scored well.

Nothing wrong with having reps try to sell but when you are rated higher on selling over everything else the service will be poor for the customer.

reply to fiberguy
Normally I agree with you but no this time.

And this is why

Sales are a part of our job. A PART of it.

A tech with excellent sales skills can do half-assed job everyday and still get a bigger raise than a hard working tech doing his best but not selling.

It does not make any sense.

Yes it does. There's tons of people with no techincal skills making it fine at work because they sell.

You hit the nail on the head with...

"A tech with excellent sales skills can do half-assed job everyday and still get a bigger raise than a hard working tech doing his best but not selling."

And more commision! This is exactly how it is here. A tech can bust his ass solving problems all day, no sales equals crappy performance.

reply to Anonymous
The problem is that he's not being 100% accurate about what he said. He IS right, however, selling IS part of the job. He wants to be rated on the tech and service part alone. Comcast wants CSRs that can do all three parts of the job.

From what I know, they don't routinely terminate people for not selling. Techs also get low scores for repeats on trouble calls or installs. The DVR dropped the techs scores all the time. It was a sad and idiotic issue, but, no techs were terminated over it and while it did lower the pay raise portion a little, it was about 10 to 20 cents an hour... again, not fair, but it didn't kill the employee nor were they fired.

And, in comcast last, not sure about MC, the sales will not get you a bigger raise when high over a poor service performance.. if the service performance is low and they look at the 'why' and it's valid, then the tech would be terminated - sales or not.

The reason I bring up my rebuttal is becuase many phone reps don't WANT to sell and then say that they are doing their job becuase they handled the call.

And, again, anon, what I'm also trying to point out, maybe now that good, is that if the service part of the job was being done, absent of sales being made, the customer wouldn't be complaining and the company would not be ranking low scores. (Remember: see also that good reps aren't fired)

reply to Chuckles
My recommendation would be to focus each Customer that you have in front of you and making sure they are handled right. Focus on resolving the reason for the call. This make the job more fun and Customers love it. I think sales can be important, but service comes first. Once the issue is resolved, if there is something that is appropriate you may want to mention it.

Just make resolution and good service your main goal.

reply to Chuckles
TM reps are scored are somewhat the same. They are based upon being able to try and provide customer service and actually be nice. regardless if they don't know what they're talking about or not. They believe customer reps can always be trained. Be rude and non-helpful and not offer the customer anything for their problem- get wrote up or fired.

TM will tell you this if you talk to Customer Relations (not the actual call in number Relations calls you by request only via fax) and by MGT in the call centers.

reply to fiberguy
FiberGuy,

As someone who usually agrees with you, I have to disagree here.

If you are talking about the sales department, then you are correct.

But would you say the same for the people who handle the CHSI and CDV support calls?

How do you sell another service to those who are calling for a problem with a service they already have?
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I'll do it later.

reply to Chuckles
Ahh...so the tric to receiving better service is to start the call saying "I'm thinking of upgrading my service, but I need to see this problem fixed first."

Tried that. Didn't work. They couldn't figure out how to make the 'triple play' work here even though it's advertised ad nauseam. To this day my address comes up "unservicable" even though it's had cable since 1981. That ended today...no more cable nonsense here.
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Toolmaster of La Grange.

reply to fiberguy
IMHO

SALES REPS

And SERVICE REPS

SHOULD NOT EVER BE THE SAME
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Rick Scott
Everett, Washington

reply to comcastcares
I believe that Frank's post above (comcastcares) is the one of the best I have ever seen on DSLR, concise and customer oriented.

I have also noticed that the phone support has improved markedly over the last few months.

Thank you.

reply to comcastcares

reply to comcastcares
Frank - I have never ever ever had one single good CS experience with Comcast. Ever. Missed appointments that they claim I canceled, Three bad DVRs in a row, billing mistakes. Rude CS, on and on and on.

And now we find that CS guys are graded on what they sell? How the hell can you sell something when what the customer has already bought doesn't friggin work? it's immoral, and in the long run very bad business. Oh yeah, i forgot, Comcast is a quick-buck operation, so it doesn't matter; fleece the customer now, and fougetaboudit later.

It's nice that you are trying, but if the other poster is correct, your nice advice means nothing if the employee wants to get decent evaluations. So basically, all of us - the folks who pay your salary - are screwed.

you may be a nice guy, and you may solve some issues with some customers, but basically you are a PR tool for the boys upstairs. If you have any influence at all, why don't you exert it on HR to get them to change the way they evaluate CS agents?

The SECOND Uverse is available here I kick Comcast out the door, no matter how much better their CS has gotten - I've been burned too, too many times. Period.
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Illegitimati non carborundum