Sprint hangs up on a 1000 callers

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by OneTimeSBX

and forgive me if this sounds mean, but since they started outsourcing, i have to call multiple times to get issues resolved! i cant understand Linda from India (and why do they give them american names? lol!)

My company outsources to India & there is no requirement from our end that says they have to have American names. I know that the company we hired picks American names for the agents to use & contracts them to use it the entire time they work for the company (regardless of what campaign they work for.) I don't think its for any other reason than to make it easier for the callers to understand the name of the agent.

When I was visiting our callcenter in Bangalore I met a few agents who would give me their contracted American name when I met them & it drove me nuts, because I think its rude to not even attempt to know their real names when we'd be working together. A few of the agents had, in their own words, "Christian" names, because their families were Christian. (For example: Samuel, Jasen, Matt, etc.)

[OneTimeSBX]

Originally Posted by _Lisa_

My company outsources to India & there is no requirement from our end that says they have to have American names. I know that the company we hired picks American names for the agents to use & contracts them to use it the entire time they work for the company (regardless of what campaign they work for.) I don't think its for any other reason than to make it easier for the callers to understand the name of the agent.

well half the time the only i do understand is their names...you can let them know at least THAT works

[PM_Mama00]

I'm surprised they didn't drop me, although it was THEIR fault. I was in the Sprint store about 4 times within a month because they kept screwing my bill up. When the two companies merged, you couldn't get online to pay your bill, so mine was late. Then no one ever told me that you didn't get free texts with my new phone. It wasn't written anywhere and the person at the store didn't tell me. So I had to get my $700 bill fixed. They never fixed it, so into the store 3 more times I went.

I also told the store employees that I came in there because I wanted to speak to someone who spoke English. They agreed.

[OneTimeSBX]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

I also told the store employees that I came in there because I wanted to speak to someone who spoke English. They agreed.

the last time i said that some smart-a** said that they "do speak English"...i very quickly replied "as a first language?"

i know the conversation is going to be very long and difficult when i have to give my name and number 3 or more times...

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

I'm surprised they didn't drop me, although it was THEIR fault. I was in the Sprint store about 4 times within a month because they kept screwing my bill up. When the two companies merged, you couldn't get online to pay your bill, so mine was late. Then no one ever told me that you didn't get free texts with my new phone. It wasn't written anywhere and the person at the store didn't tell me. So I had to get my $700 bill fixed. They never fixed it, so into the store 3 more times I went.

I also told the store employees that I came in there because I wanted to speak to someone who spoke English. They agreed.

They wouldn't drop you because you're technically doing them a favor by coming to the store. Its cheaper to handle in-store questions or emails than it is to take inbound calls. If companies really wanted to save money they'd drop their 1-800 #'s & use local numbers instead OR they'd drop phone support completely.

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by OneTimeSBX

well half the time the only i do understand is their names...you can let them know at least THAT works

I agree, most of our agents do have strong accents, a mix of hindi with british english makes for a very different sound than what we're used to. I also think that their inability to stray from the scripts they're given add to the frustration, but you gotta blame management for that, the agents are just doing what they're told to do then.

[Soliloquy]

As someone who worked for a cell-phone company, in-store, I can't say I blame Sprint.

Sure there are plenty of people who came in with valid issues and needed help, which of course I had no problem helping them resolve said issues. However, when you have a 60 year old come in with a camera phone wanting to know how she can take pictures of her grand-kid on the tractor... it gets aggrivating. If you're too old to understand the technology, simply get an easier phone, don't waste the time of the workers as they attempt to explain to you how to press a button. Not to mention the people that would come in complaining about stupid things and expect me to fix it, sorry but I have no control over the fact that you don't get signal at your duck-camp that is in BFE.

Unfortunately, a lot of people lack common sense. These people create major issues by tying up phone lines for people that really do have a problem. The knowledge necessary to target simple issues can be found on websites and in user-manuals, but I guess that means customers would actually have to do something for a change.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

As someone who worked for a cell-phone company, in-store, I can't say I blame Sprint.

If you're too old to understand the technology, simply get an easier phone, don't waste the time of the workers as they attempt to explain to you how to press a button.

Sorry to say...but THAT IS YOUR (Customer service reps') JOB.

Theyput stuff on the phone and half the time EVEN THE REPS don't even know how to work them but then have a NERVE to get frustrated when people have questions about certain functions??? I remember about 2 months back I went to the Sprint store to ask about GPS functionality on my phone...I had to get the mananger because the rep helping me had no clue about what I was talking about and was rushing just to get me out of the store. Bottom line is this...u can bury 10 to 100 functions on a phone...and even for the one that you do...knowing that almost everyone AND their grey haired gandmama is gonna use it....then YOU NEED people who know the equipment to be there to explain it....again...it's called CUSTOMER SERVICE...that is thier job...to explain things that may not be explainable even if it seems easy as pie.....what's easy to u may not be easy to me.

[Drolefille]

My biggest complaint is that phones don't just come with those basic technologies anymore. They all have to have internet, texting, multimedia, demos of games, shopping, etc.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

My biggest complaint is that phones don't just come with those basic technologies anymore. They all have to have internet, texting, multimedia, demos of games, shopping, etc.

one only wonders what tech support at iPhone is going thru....lol

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Sorry to say...but THAT IS YOUR (Customer service reps') JOB.

Theyput stuff on the phone and half the time EVEN THE REPS don't even know how to work them but then have a NERVE to get frustrated when people have questions about certain functions??? I remember about 2 months back I went to the Sprint store to ask about GPS functionality on my phone...I had to get the mananger because the rep helping me had no clue about what I was talking about and was rushing just to get me out of the store. Bottom line is this...u can bury 10 to 100 functions on a phone...and even for the one that you do...knowing that almost everyone AND their grey haired gandmama is gonna use it....then YOU NEED people who know the equipment to be there to explain it....again...it's called CUSTOMER SERVICE...that is thier job...to explain things that may not be explainable even if it seems easy as pie.....what's easy to u may not be easy to me.

Yes and no. I don't think it's the customer service rep's job to read someone the phone's user manual. You have in-store reps to resolve legitimate hardware issues, legitimate software issues (like updating the phone's software) and help clear up billing issues. They will also be happy to sell you a new phone. Otherwise, no, I don't see it the way you do.

Cell phone companies (and the producers of other technology) do not printo those user manuals just to add weight to the box. It should be a minimal expectation that the customer has at least referred to that manual before coming in and taking up space in a line full of people with legitimate problems who really need help from these in-store reps.

Many years ago, I had one of those in-store service jobs. When such customers would come in, I'd very politely pull out a copy of the user manual and refer to the part which described that feature. I'd then read the manual out loud as I walked the customer through the process.

Generally, I find these things to be so intuitive that a manual is just unnecessary. Once you understand the concept of smartkeys and menus and what sort of features would be found in certain categories, how to work a cell phone ain't rocket science.

-- and yes, I fully support Sprint's decision not to serve customers who were costing them money.

[OneTimeSBX]

I agree with Daemon and Kevin...

true, it is your job to help...when i was at tmobile, i was always showing someones grandma how to turn the phone on. i didnt mind with the older people, but ummm, if you are 20 and can read, you need to give it a shot yourself first.

i also blame the phone companies a little too...some of the customers, like my mom, who had the same phone for years and then couldnt find supplies for it, had to upgrade. there is a need for a simple, basic cell phone, one that doesnt text, take pictures, have games, etc. just call out, get calls in, and voicemail.

[MysticCat]

The knowledge necessary to target simple issues can be found on websites and in user-manuals, but I guess that means customers would actually have to do something for a change.

Well, customers might be more willing to "do something for a change" if the websites and user-manuals were user-friendly, or just comprehensible, but all too often they are not.

While I agree with Kevin that "It should be a minimal expectation that the customer has at least referred to that manual before coming in and taking up space in a line full of people with legitimate problems who really need help," I also think that it should be a minimal expectation that the user-manual meet some mininal standards of usefulness. I have had my share of those that don't.

I never called customer service or gone into a store with questions about how to use my phone, but I can tell you that plenty of my time has been wasted by trying to find the information I need in the poorly-designed and poorly-written user-manual or website.

Originally Posted by Drolefille

My biggest complaint is that phones don't just come with those basic technologies anymore. They all have to have internet, texting, multimedia, demos of games, shopping, etc.

I completely agree.

Originally Posted by Kevin

Generally, I find these things to be so intuitive that a manual is just unnecessary. Once you understand the concept of smartkeys and menus and what sort of features would be found in certain categories, how to work a cell phone ain't rocket science.

I agree to a point, and I'm usually pretty good at the intuitive route. But I spent 30 minutes last night trying to figure out how to edit a speed-dial/phonebook entry on my mother-in-law's phone. (She'd misplaced the user manual.) I tried every command, every menu and every option I could think of, and I never could figure it out. Intuitive it was not.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Many years ago, I had one of those in-store service jobs. When such customers would come in, I'd very politely pull out a copy of the user manual and refer to the part which described that feature. I'd then read the manual out loud as I walked the customer through the process.

Generally, I find these things to be so intuitive that a manual is just unnecessary. Once you understand the concept of smartkeys and menus and what sort of features would be found in certain categories, how to work a cell phone ain't rocket science.

-- and yes, I fully support Sprint's decision not to serve customers who were costing them money.

See, Kevin that is a GREAT example..but NOT A LOT of customer service reps will do that at a store...then again this is the surse of having so many young kids who don't give a dayum working these kinds of jobs...gone are the days when a friendly person will sit down and take the time to go over those functions....and sure we can say 'refer to the manual' but 2 things that pop in my mind for an older person

1. a 100 to 200 page manual in small print may be intimidating

2. there have been more than enough times where I may have rea dthe manual but what they are trying to tell u what to do is SO UNCLEAR...

2a. and you show that same manual to the customer service person and they are just as easily befuddled....

Now granted, this doens't mean I side against sprint...I just hate bad customer service,period.....BUT if you got a nuisance caller, calling in 4 and 5 times a day about some BS....then yeah....u messing with my money vs someone that needs legit help.

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Sorry to say...but THAT IS YOUR (Customer service reps') JOB.

Theyput stuff on the phone and half the time EVEN THE REPS don't even know how to work them but then have a NERVE to get frustrated when people have questions about certain functions??? I remember about 2 months back I went to the Sprint store to ask about GPS functionality on my phone...I had to get the mananger because the rep helping me had no clue about what I was talking about and was rushing just to get me out of the store. Bottom line is this...u can bury 10 to 100 functions on a phone...and even for the one that you do...knowing that almost everyone AND their grey haired gandmama is gonna use it....then YOU NEED people who know the equipment to be there to explain it....again...it's called CUSTOMER SERVICE...that is thier job...to explain things that may not be explainable even if it seems easy as pie.....what's easy to u may not be easy to me.

You're comparing your example of needing help with GPS (which may be something only a few customer service reps are comfortable with) to Soliloquy's example of helping someone take a picture? They're like apples & oranges in the customer service world.

Honestly, the person who helped you didn't handle your situation well at all. A good customer service rep would immediately refer you to someone who knew how to answer your question, without doubt.

But helping someone learn how to take a picture? That should only take a few minutes, which I don't think anyone would be opposed to helping someone do. Its the people you have to spend 45 minutes with because they don't press the button you tell them to, or they don't grasp the concept of zoom. It may be the job of the customer service rep to help that person, but its no less frustrating. (And costly if it comes in via a phone call, which is why Sprint terminated the services of all those people who call in far too often for inane questions that are answered in guides & manuals.)