Tips for phoning a Call Centre.

[ozzywizard]

Ok looking at a few posts I think this could be helpfull information for this section.
When you phone a call centre and wish an action to be done on your account first at the start of the call ask for the advisors name, extension number and managers name.
Also get them to tell you somthing on your account such as amount of last bill etc. This will ensure they have entered your account and your call will be logged, too many advisors do not even go into your account so it is as if you never phoned.

Reason you ask for their managers name is they will do a better job knowing you have their information and that of their managers.
If you are not satisfied for any reason ask to speak to the managers name they gave you at the start of the call. Most of the time when you ask to speak to a manager you will get their friend sat at the side of them or somone who is designated to take excalated calls that are not a manager and have the same access and restrictions of the person you are currently talking too.

Never shout and scream and give abuse, this just attacks the advisor and they will fight back and not care about you being sorted too much. Be polite but to the point, show them you know what you are talking about and you will not go away untill resolved to your satisfaction.

You are a customer and have a right to a certain level of customer service so ensure you receive this. Phone back day after to check the person you spoke too did their tasks correctly.

[gondukin]

There are some good points there ozzywizard. I'd recommend waiting until the agent has done the data protection checks first before asking for the information, and explaining why you want it (ie you have had problems before), so the agent is less likely to go on the defensive. Whilst every company has rules, the more experienced ones will know which one's can be bent a little so if you are pleasant and develop a rapport with them they are more likely to take the time to help you properly and may cut a few corners holding up the resolution of your problems

However entering an account does not always mean the call has been logged, but it does make sure the agent isn't sitting staring blankly out the window. Also just because you ask to speak to the named manager doesn't mean they won't say he/she is unavailable, sorry you will have to speak to someone else, but it does improve your chances.

[ozzywizard]

Yeah agreed Gond, although most companies does show a trail of times and dates and any notes left when an advisor has entered an account. I know both BG and Powergen does as I have worked for them both, yet the NHS didnt. weird huh.

[lindsay22]

once acc at powergen has been accessed the agents name is automatically logged onto the acc with the date and the time they went into it, this is suposed to stop advisers from not dealing with accounts correctly. but sadly there is a minority that still do.
ozzy is totally correct, when customers ask for a manger in a lot ov cases they are put onto another adviser.

[ozzywizard]

Always be aware of who you are talking too and when possible put everything in writing and request reply in writing.

[installspark]

Originally Posted by ozzywizard

If you are not satisfied for any reason ask to speak to the managers name they gave you at the start of the call. Most of the time when you ask to speak to a manager you will get their friend sat at the side of them or somone who is designated to take excalated calls that are not a manager and have the same access and restrictions of the person you are currently talking too.

Never shout and scream and give abuse, this just attacks the advisor and they will fight back and not care about you being sorted too much. Be polite but to the point, show them you know what you are talking about and you will not go away untill resolved to your satisfaction.

All too sadly true in most cases, but some of the people who take escalated calls DO have more access rights on the systems than managers do, during my time at Powergen I had full system access including the access to force new account setups where there had been problems in opening new accounts.

Also in a lot of cases experienced agents know a lot more about how to resolve complex queries than managers as more often than not a manager call will come back to an experienced agent for them to take the necessary actions on the account before the manager calls the customer back.

If your query is a in depth and complex one be prepared to allow some flexibility as to a resolution, sometimes it is not physically possible to get a resolution whilst you are on a call. You should, however, in these cases be given an approximate timescale as to how long it will take to resolve and also be told what steps are required in order to achieve this. This is especially true in meter mix up cases as it involves external 3rd parties.