live chat experiences

[Anonymous]

Now, this is supposed to be serious thread, (famous last words), and the question is simple:

Why does everybody complain about the live chat facility?

I have made jokes about it here in the community too, but I have also used it to resolve account queries, and usually get good service.

In my experience the operators are always polite, and usually do resolve queries.

For example, I enabled three way calling on my account via live chat without difficulty, and had a charge refunded to me for a call abroad that did not connect, as well as sorted out an issue with international favourites, and checked delivery of SMS abroad.

Also learned a lot about India, (where the call centre is based), chatting whilst waiting for their system to update.

Why do I have all the luck?

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I've had some truly surreal experiences with the live chat people. Some have been helpful but more have been incompetent. It's a major downside of out sourcing. These people have no experience of using the network and everything is learnt from books, mobile phone use is very different in India.

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Yes, it is very different.  A lot of people don't realise that.  Those advisers have never even touched an O2 sim!

[jonsie]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Yes, it is very different.  A lot of people don't realise that.  Those advisers have never even touched an O2 sim!

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And that's a good thing?

Making allowances is one thing, getting poor advice, things totally made up through lack of knowledge and sometimes outright lies are the unacceptable face of customer service.

[Anonymous]

Telephone_user has just summed up exactly why O2 should not outsource work to India.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Telephone_user has just summed up exactly why O2 should not outsource work to India.

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Then expect your monthly bill to go up.

The minimum wage here is at least four times what they earn in the call centre in Delhi.  Somebody has to pay for that.  Pure economics.

[Anonymous]

I don't buy that argument. Other UK companies maintain UK/Ireland based call centres and they are able to sustain the increased cost and pass little or none on to the customers. How?

The improved service, customer experience, ability to speak to someone in the UK and increased loyalty which comes as a result of a company providing UK jobs will bring and retain more customers which will offset the difference in salaries.

EE actually moved call centre jobs back to the UK after many many complaints, this led to no increases in bills that I am aware of. O2 should follow it's example.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I don't buy that argument. Other UK companies maintain UK/Ireland based call centres and they are able to sustain the increased cost and pass little or none on to the customers. How?

The improved service, customer experience, ability to speak to someone in the UK and increased loyalty which comes as a result of a company providing UK jobs will bring and retain more customers which will offset the difference in salaries.

EE actually moved call centre jobs back to the UK after many many complaints, this led to no increases in bills that I am aware of. O2 should follow it's example.

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Are you, or have you ever been an EE customer?

Their call centres are most certainly NOT all in the UK.  They brought about 250 jobs back to Ireland.  Big deal.

Try getting the free bundle added to your account for reduced international call rates.  I am not allowed to post a link to their webpage advertising it, but the short code you have to text never worked for me on two different accounts, or a PAYG handset.  The operator, (who WAS in a UK call centre), had no idea what the bundle was.  Neither did the call centre supervisor.

In the end I had to email in a screenshot of their own website, and wait almost an hour for the stupid bundle to be added.

Really good service from their UK call centre, eh?

[Anonymous]

I see fewer complaints about EE than I do about O2 live chat...

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I see fewer complaints about EE than I do about O2 live chat...

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Take out a 12 month contract with EE and experience it for yourself.  Really, do.

When it was Orange and T-Mobile, it was different.  A lot has changed.

And do you think that three still has naff customer services because of what was said five years ago?

Their call centre is offshore too, but I've never had a problem with it recently.

[Anonymous]

I'm a current Three customer for my son's phone and they are terrible. They mostly employ people with a vague grasp of English.

[Anonymous]

PAYG or contract?

I have mostly only dealt with the contract team.