Which call centres keep you waiting longest?

I don’t want to speak to call centres when the task could be carried out online. I want to speak to someone only when it requires someone in a position of authority to resolve a problem; most call centre staff don’t have sufficient authority.

Talking of broadband suppliers, current ISP Hyperoptic answers within a few seconds, and I often get through to the same individuals. My previous ISP Be Unlimited used to answer very quickly too. Both ISPs were created by the same entrepreneurs. Go to one of the big six ISPs and you will get bad service with annoying call centres. Go to a smaller niche supplier and you will get better service and a better connection.

I had a seven to eight minute wait for BT today [0800 number] over a billing and direct debit issue, but when the call was answered the adviser was very polite, helpful, and conscientious and the problem was resolved very quickly. I’ve waited longer in banks and at checkouts and for ages in the post office and station ticket offices.

Last week I made a mid morning, mid week call to BT and had to queue for 12 minutes to tell them they weren’t sending me my email billing. They said they were and wanted another email address. I refused and said the bills were not delivered to my pc, ipad or online at BT.com. After 35 minutes and two brief conversations lasting 5 minutes with staff in India they said someone would ring me in 7 days time…?

I then tried to complain. Although the system accepts the verbal response of ‘complaint’ it won’t direct the caller to someone to deal with the complaint. It’s not the call centre staff, it’s the process and the service that’s at fault. Where is the evidence that they have taken on hundreds of new staff and set up dedicated complaint teams in the past year. It’s fiction or more probably arrogance. I would rate their service as appalling. (So why am I still a customer? – as a rural dweller with poor broadband connections it’s important to have the closest link to Openreach).

I would like to see restrictions on UK companies offshoring to non-EU call centres. I don’t suggest a total ban, as it can work in some cases, e.g. Dell which offshores to India, leveraging India’s strong IT skills. Another one that works well is Admiral insurance which offshores to Halifax in Nova Scotia. But most offshoring doesn’t leverage local talent but cheap labour, which comes at the expense of customer service.

If UK companies insist on offshoring their call centres, then I prefer to see greater use of EU call centres. For example, my previous ISP had its call centre in Bulgaria, and their standard of English was better than some countries that claim to speak English as an official language (e.g. India).

There need to be better quality controls on non-EU call centres’ standard of English and quality of service.

I can’t stand the waiting in a queue with awful hold music. I’d almost rather wait in silence! For tackling the god awful menus, I sometimes use a site called pleasepress1.com. It gives shortcuts for most menus if you type in the company you want to call. Has saved me from throwing the phone across the room in a rage a few times! Now, we just need something to stop the queues! Anyone?!

I needed some pre flight information from BA, never again! Tried to get through off and on for 2 weeks, when I did eventually get through was cut off, tried again but was impossible. Hint always take a name and give them your phone no, because if you’re not cut off they will leave you on a timeless loop and not let you know they are trying to resolve your problem. No music, and not repeating themselves would help too. Their website needs looking at too. Not blaming the staff, they must be frustrated too. Get a grip BA, the business is too competitive these days to have sloppy customer service. While we’re on the subject, why do so many companies not have a phone contact now, a two second phone call is often enough. Phone calls are expensive now , if time is money that applies to the customer also. Why cant they all be like, and take a lesson from John Lewis, efficient, polite and immediate service every time

Ref BT’s call centres.
Totally agree that what the customer really wants is a quick access to a human agent -no doubt.

Here BT often does not do well. But I consider that they should get some credit for 2 aspects of their response.

If the waiting queue is long, they will volunteer to call you back, on th eland line no or on a mobile. It does work, and is better than just sitting on the open line.

Also they do have the ability of.r one to use online text chat facility. Have used it a few times, and it does work.

But, no doubt, quick access to a human is best.

How about a survey to find out the worst ‘call queued’ music – my vote goes to Virgin Media where the music is not only horrible but also way, way, way too loud – or are they trying to stop me calling?

My iPhone3 broke beyond repair so I decided to replace it with another Apple phone because in my experience they cannot be beaten.

I telephoned EE Orange to cancel my monthly SIM only contract and obtain a PAC code as I had decided, because of Customer Support issues, not to remain with them.

This decision was entirely vindicated. I had to telephone an 07973 number at a cost of 15p per call plus 12.5p per minute. (This is the quoted cost from an EE landline, but I use BT-why don’t they quote the BT cost?).

I had to phone twice. The first time I was cut off after 12 minutes, waiting for their Connection Team, their words not mine. I got through on the second attempt and the call took 13 minutes, giving a total call quoted call charge of £3.42. My actual cost would be slightly lower because BT charge 12p per minute.

It is very irritating for these admin issues take so long-more so when one gets cut off. On this occasion a lot of the time was taken up waiting to speak to somebody and when I did, operators trying to ascertain why I wanted to leave and trying to talk me into changing my mind.

I’ve decided to go to Giffgaff where I will not be able to speak to an operator as everything is carried out online. At least I haven’t got to enter into a contract and if I don’t like it, should be able to change quickly.

Call centres are one of the customer interface models that handsomely rewards poor performance. Often we only pick up the phone when something has gone wrong, and then the longer the wait, the slower the provision of a solution and the more time being transferred between teams all boosts revenue by the minute without increasing costs significantly. In any other environment, charging the customer more for giving a poorer service would be classed as a scam and ridiculed.

Have any of your subscribers heard “I`m sorry, we are unable to answer your call because we havent employed enough advisers !!” No I thought not. I was kept waiting 50 minutes on the phone by Lloyds bank before I gave up in disgust. Am I too impatient??

Has any one experienced problems with John Lewis broadband, am unable to get an answer after 8 attempts in one day, to try and arrange installation . Have now given up, thought Talk Talk were bad !

How about my recent experience of trying to contact the Charity Commission.
Firstly their telephone line is manned 9.00am to midday only, and it is for problems encountered with completing online forms.
I telephoned and whilst waiting in the queue was informed regularly about my position in the queue. However there is a 20 minute maximum being held in the queue, and yes, when I was number one in the queue my 20 minutes were expired and I was cut off!!
Most frustrating!

My John Lewis MasterCard was refused on Monday. I tried to call them, they apologised they were very bust. I tried to get help via the web site they too were too busy. Being trying daily ever since spent over an hour on the phone still no one will talk to me. I love John Lewis but this is making me think I might have to change allegiance

I was kept waiting for 10mins by TFL Congestion Charge Disability help line with inane music and every few seconds a message saying that we will be with you in 2-3 mins I must have heard that same message with same waiting time nearly 20 times !!!
Help me then I managed to get through to an operator, dealing in car numbers, who did not know the phonetic alphabet

John Lewis the best? Not their Financial Services who, following installation of a disastrous new website were not only impossible to reach by phone (compounded by a voice message every 10 seconds) but whose secure messages have not been answered after 14 days.

I have experienced the worst call centre treatment at the hands of BT. After having no problems for a year suddenly we have had one or all appliances in the house unable to connect to Broadband. I have phoned 7 times and each time you wait anything up to half an hour for a reply .. usually from a distant call centre. I have been told it is …. too many appliances/faulty appliances (all of them????)/router in the wrong position/your contract has finished/broadband is slow today/a difference wi-fi interfering/nothing is wrong/you need to buy a new router….. After a month of limited or no Broadband, we have pulled the plug on simply the worst customer care I have ever come across – and they wont accept responsibility or a refund (£60 per month for rubbish broadband).

I have been with TalkTalk for about 8 years. I contacted them three times over the last week concerning a broadband problem that had arisen recently. Each time, I have got through to a technical support person within 2-3 minutes, and have had very good service. The staff were helpful and polite, discussed the issue, and on the first two calls made changes which needed to be monitored for 24-48 hours. The final call got me a new router, delivered within 48 hours, and my broadband connection is now great, averaging 16.27Mbps.
I know TalkTalk regularly comes low on customer service ratings, but my experience with them has been very positive.

I believe that users – you and me – should not start paying for a call centre call until business is being done. By that I mean talking to an operator or giving and receiving useful information from an automated system. Telling me that I am valued, or that I can visit their website is not useful. All charges up to this point should be born by the operating company, and if I’m using my mobile this should not eat up my free minutes. If I have to carry out a process such as power-cycling my router, I should also not have to ring off and lose my place. After all, when I’m waiting for a bus or taxi I am not charged for the time. Neither am I charged in a restaurant for just being there; gratuity aside, I am only charged for what I consume.

Perhaps you would ask OFCOM to consider this becoming mandatory, to encouage call centre manning levels to become approriate.

My worst experience was with Vodafone, normally I can settle in for a wait but on this occasion it got ridiculous. I was holding on the tech help option as my phone was not working, in regards to incoming calls and messages, I had already tried a reset to no effect and my mums identical phone just down the street was working fine, with Vodafone too. I was holding for 55 minutes, refusing to hang up at this point only to be cut off and then the lines be closed for the night. Putting up with music and messages, the next day when I tried again I got a 35 minute hold and cut off followed by a 15 minute and cut off. Never got through to complain either. Thankfully my phone self sorted after that. Though to be fair normally I’m ok with Vodafone but havn’t contacted them since.

Almost the most annoying thing about the recorded messages is when (as often) the message says “We are experiencing an exceptionally high volume of calls….” This message is played whenever one calls the organisation, no matter what day, or time of day, it is. In fact, it’s a pre-planned LIE!

And yet another poorly performing broadband provider: PlusNet. Used to be good, but in my interactions since Sept 2016 they have failed miserably. They haven’t fixed the broadband speed, but in the context of this conversation, their answer times have been awful, 20-45 minutes effectively, though at least they warn you. They recomment their online ‘chat’ service, which I have successfully used a couple of times, but other times it has been out of action as well. An assistant did explain once that they are ‘recruiting hard to provide more staff’, so it seems like the usual problem of too few staff/too much demand, but without even the excuse of a poorly implemented billing or other system implementation creating a spike in calls – just poor management of demand/supply. I’ve checked with other customers and they have similarly seen a massive decline in quality of customer service at PlusNet, which is a shame as it used to be their point of difference.

I suggest the following strategy when phoning a call centre. Go through any menu selection and get yourself into a queue awaiting an answer. At this point press the button on your phone to put it into “Loudspeaker” mode. You can then listen to the music while doing other tasks around the house such as writing an email, peeling potatoes doing the washing up etc. This can be a bit embarassing should they actually answer your call as you have to dry your hands, refocus brain and find your paperwork. This is a minor nuisance compared to the problems the company has given you. I recommend this strategy as arranging a call back is ofter not convenient. Also, most companies log the times taken to answer calls so your call waiting time creates pressure on the company as it inflates this parameter. I find that it is much gentler on my blood pressure.