CSRs at D* are Clueless

[DCFSCAZARES]

The other day, I called D* and spoke to a CSR from Support Department and asked the following questions:

1. Does the H21 have an internal RF antenna? The CSW took about 1/2 hour researching and calling her superiors and finally said, "I am only aware that the HR20-700 is the only receiver that has an internal RF antenna." She was unable to provide further information on this subject. :nono2:

2. Is the R64 Remote Control RF/IR capable or just IR capable? The CSR replied, "Yes, it is RF and IR capable." Wrong! :nono2:

My conclusion: Don't believe everything the CSR tells you....Most likely they are as clueless as you are. :D

[rabi]

and you're surprised at this?

[Earl Bonovich]

Actually for #2:

If she/he looked up RC64R then yes, it supports both.

[lifelong]

The other day, I called D* and spoke to a CSR from Support Department and asked the following questions:

1. Does the H21 have an internal RF antenna? The CSW took about 1/2 hour researching and calling her superiors and finally said, "I am only aware that the HR20-700 is the only receiver that has an internal RF antenna." She was unable to provide further information on this subject. :nono2:

2. Is the R64 Remote Control RF/IR capable or just IR capable? The CSR replied, "Yes, it is RF and IR capable." Wrong! :nono2:

My conclusion: Don't believe everything the CSR tells you....Most likely they are as clueless as you are. :D

and if DirecTV raised your rates by $3 in order to pay for more competent CSR's, you would probably complain just as loudly

[Doug Brott]

The good news is that it sounds like the CSRs were pleasant to you. I'm sure most CSRs try to do their job the best that they can. I also suspect that most of them are not quite the devotees that we are here @ DBSTalk.com :).

Heck, you spent > 30 minutes looking for some answers from the CSRs. Ask here and you may get the answer faster :).

[PicaKing]

The other day, I called D* and spoke to a CSR from Support Department and asked the following questions:

1. Does the H21 have an internal RF antenna? The CSW took about 1/2 hour researching and calling her superiors and finally said, "I am only aware that the HR20-700 is the only receiver that has an internal RF antenna." She was unable to provide further information on this subject. :nono2:

2. Is the R64 Remote Control RF/IR capable or just IR capable? The CSR replied, "Yes, it is RF and IR capable." Wrong! :nono2:

My conclusion: Don't believe everything the CSR tells you....Most likely they are as clueless as you are. :D

If you already knew all the answers, why did you waste their time, and the time of everyone waiting on hold, to ask those questions????

[DCFSCAZARES]

and if DirecTV raised your rates by $3 in order to pay for more competent CSR's, you would probably complain just as loudly

If you recall, D* was recently recognized for best cusomer service. If a company sells a product, they should be able to have people that know the products that they sell. We are talking about D*...They are not a small satellite company. Look at their quarterly profits...They have made lots of money. Even if you pay $10 dollars extra, the situation will not change...Why...Because it is not a high priority for D*. They just want to add more profits to their pockets rather than properly training their staff.


P.S. Extra revenue is normally used for commercials and advertisements using top celebrities, etc. :D

[DCFSCAZARES]

If you already knew all the answers, why did you waste their time, and the time of everyone waiting on hold, to ask those questions????


I didn't know the answers....I learned as I went along. The next day I did my own research...using this forum and I got the answers..

Yes, I learned my lesson. Next time, I will check the forum first than waste 30 minutes of my life on the phone waiting for the wrong answer.


Whether the CSR* was nice or not is not the point. D* has the responsibility to train their staff right. I work for a government agency and I have a duty to provide accurate information to the public about their rights and the law. D* should be no different...They make lots of profit and they have the responsibility to provide accurate information to their customers..Forget the sympathy...They don't care if you can not make the monthly payment..They will become rude and nasty towards anyone, including cutting your service if you are one day late. :sure:

[lifelong]

If you recall, D* was recently recognized for best cusomer service. If a company sells a product, they should be able to have people that know the products that they sell. We are talking about D*...They are not a small satellite company. Look at their quarterly profits...They have made lots of money. Even if you pay $10 dollars extra, the situation will not change...Why...Because it is not a high priority for D*. They just want to add more profits to their pockets rather than properly training their staff.


P.S. Extra revenue is normally used for commercials and advertisements using top celebrities, etc. :D

I recall seeing in someone's sig that DirecTV has about the same customer service rating as the IRS. It's better than the cable companies, but still. Also, I understand if they want to pour money into product marketing in the form of commercials and advertisements with celebrities in order to attract more customers. Marketing is rather important. I wouldn't be a DirecTV customer if it weren't for those marketing expenditures.

[kschaper]

You have to remember that the majority of customers only use it for tv and nothing special. The csrs only know the bare minimum as best.

[Upstream]

I recall seeing in someone's sig that DirecTV has about the same customer service rating as the IRS. It's better than the cable companies, but still.

Actually the numbers you are referring to are customer satisfaction ratings, not customer service ratings.

Here are latest scores from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (a study developed at the University of Michigan):

DirecTV 67
EchoStar 67
Cox 63
Time Warner Cable 58
Comcast 56

Verizon Wireless 71
T-Mobile 70
AT&T Mobility (Cingular) 68

FedEx 84
UPS 81
US Postal Service (Express & Priority Mail) 77
US Postal Service (overall) 73

Costco 81
Kohls 80
Target 77
Best Buy 76
Lowes 74
Wal-Mart 72
Kmart 70
Home Depot 70

IRS (Individual Tax Filers) 65


Note: when ACSI released these scores, DirecTV issued a press release bragging about their score.

[CJTE]

Next time... talk to Technical, instead of customer service, if you have technical questions.

If you feel like the technical agent doesnt know what they're talking about, ask to talk to another technical agent. If they cant handle it talk to a supervisor.

[Jhon69]

Next time... talk to Technical, instead of customer service, if you have technical questions.

If you feel like the technical agent doesnt know what they're talking about, ask to talk to another technical agent. If they cant handle it talk to a supervisor.


That's exactly what I do too.Never expect a CSR to know a technical question ask for Tech support.;)

[islesfan]

I didn't know the answers....I learned as I went along. The next day I did my own research...using this forum and I got the answers..

Yes, I learned my lesson. Next time, I will check the forum first than waste 30 minutes of my life on the phone waiting for the wrong answer.


Whether the CSR* was nice or not is not the point. D* has the responsibility to train their staff right. I work for a government agency and I have a duty to provide accurate information to the public about their rights and the law. D* should be no different...They make lots of profit and they have the responsibility to provide accurate information to their customers..Forget the sympathy...They don't care if you can not make the monthly payment..They will become rude and nasty towards anyone, including cutting your service if you are one day late. :sure:

D* CSRs are accurate about as often as the IRS and the New York Times!

[KurtV]

If you recall, D* was recently recognized for best cusomer service. If a company sells a product, they should be able to have people that know the products that they sell. We are talking about D*...They are not a small satellite company. Look at their quarterly profits...They have made lots of money. Even if you pay $10 dollars extra, the situation will not change...Why...Because it is not a high priority for D*. They just want to add more profits to their pockets rather than properly training their staff.


P.S. Extra revenue is normally used for commercials and advertisements using top celebrities, etc. :D
Of course they want to add more profits. That's the purpose of the company. That's why it exists.

Properly training the staff is only a means to that end. What they strive for is staffing costs that maximize profits. More and better staff and more training will increase customer satisfaction and, theoretically, revenue, but cost a lot of money; at some point those things cost more money than they make for you. All companies try to hit the sweet spot of minimizing costs without negatively effecting customer satisfaction too much.

[JLucPicard]

Whether the CSR* was nice or not is not the point. D* has the responsibility to train their staff right. I work for a government agency and I have a duty to provide accurate information to the public about their rights and the law. D* should be no different...They make lots of profit and they have the responsibility to provide accurate information to their customers..Forget the sympathy...They don't care if you can not make the monthly payment..They will become rude and nasty towards anyone, including cutting your service if you are one day late. :sure:
As I was reading the bolded sentence I was thinking to myself, "No, he's not going to try to hold the D* CSRs to the same standard..." DOH! He did!

If you're working for the government advising people on the law and their rights, you sure as heck better be held to a higher standard than a whatever-dollar-an-hour D* CSR is held to. They're dealing with TV, not something that could get someone sued or thrown in jail.

[Radio Enginerd]

I've read this thread top to bottom and I just want to give thanks to the DirecTV CSR's.

These guys and gals catch so much hell. Seriously, how would you like doing a job that seems to change every week? Technology changes, your company lights up new channels each week, programming changes, networks stretch SD content and call it HD and you have to listen to the complaints.... And most of this with a huge lack of communication to each of the levels. Yeah, it's a broken system for sure.

[SDizzle]

D* CSRs can order you a replacement remote control:lol: :lol: :lol: That is after they walk through the 10 minute script of troubleshooting:lol: :lol: :lol:

[bjlc]

or you can pay just $150 or more and get your own..

but for that price, it had better sing me a song and put me to bed on a daily basis.

[CJTE]

D* CSRs can order you a replacement remote control:lol: :lol: :lol: That is after they walk through the 10 minute script of troubleshooting:lol: :lol: :lol:

10 minutes?
Are you slow, or stupid!?!
:lol:

Mine was pretty quick and simple. Reprogram the remote to the receiver, reprogram AV1 to the receiver, check batteries, reprogram remote to receiver, replace.


Free under the P.P.
=D

[eandras]

I didn't know the answers....I learned as I went along. The next day I did my own research...using this forum and I got the answers..

Yes, I learned my lesson. Next time, I will check the forum first than waste 30 minutes of my life on the phone waiting for the wrong answer.


Whether the CSR* was nice or not is not the point. D* has the responsibility to train their staff right. I work for a government agency and I have a duty to provide accurate information to the public about their rights and the law. D* should be no different...They make lots of profit and they have the responsibility to provide accurate information to their customers..Forget the sympathy...They don't care if you can not make the monthly payment..They will become rude and nasty towards anyone, including cutting your service if you are one day late. :sure:

THIS IS NOT A FLAME BUT MY OPINION. YOU CAN TAKE IT AS YOU WISH

I would have a tendency to disagree with you on most of your points. As a government worker you are bound to a certain standard and are held accountable. Directv is in the same boat you are to both the stock holders and the government. They need to make a profit to invest into new ventures to keep growing, there by keeping all the investors happy and by making the IRS happy in paying taxes.

Unfortunately you are mistaken about Directv. My friend was hurt in a car accident and was out of work with no money coming in; He called Directv and informed them of the situation and Directv worked with him to maintain the service on a payment plan. He had to provide proof of the accident and also show the disability claim. You also have to keep in mind that you the customer are responsible to make your payments. If you can not pay your bills than you need to assess your financial situation and either cancel your service or go to a lower tier that you can afford. All service companies do the same thing for non payment of service. I as a subscriber pay for everyone who is late on payments or subs that do not pay.

I also want to state that all companies have a problem with customer service. They pay the people a low hourly rate as the market dictates. So if the CSR treated you right by trying to get the answer you wanted but were given the wrong information why do you blame them. It is the fault of management.

I am not an employee of Directv and have been a customer since the beginning of the company and have no problems with customer service with the exception of a person (customer) that should have had common sense and tried looking on the internet for answers to some simple questions. You actually are causing the customer service problem by asking questions that you could get answers to without going to customer service causing other people to be on hold for 30 or more minutes.. By the number of post that you have you surely found this site prior to calling Directv Customer Service. Don’t put the blame on that CSR Put it on yourself. If you could do a better job go and become a Directv CSR and we will see how well you do.

[Ken S]

THIS IS NOT A FLAME BUT MY OPINION. YOU CAN TAKE IT AS YOU WISH

I would have a tendency to disagree with you on most of your points. As a government worker you are bound to a certain standard and are held accountable. Directv is in the same boat you are to both the stock holders and the government. They need to make a profit to invest into new ventures to keep growing, there by keeping all the investors happy and by making the IRS happy in paying taxes.

Unfortunately you are mistaken about Directv. My friend was hurt in a car accident and was out of work with no money coming in; He called Directv and informed them of the situation and Directv worked with him to maintain the service on a payment plan. He had to provide proof of the accident and also show the disability claim. You also have to keep in mind that you the customer are responsible to make your payments. If you can not pay your bills than you need to assess your financial situation and either cancel your service or go to a lower tier that you can afford. All service companies do the same thing for non payment of service. I as a subscriber pay for everyone who is late on payments or subs that do not pay.

I also want to state that all companies have a problem with customer service. They pay the people a low hourly rate as the market dictates. So if the CSR treated you right by trying to get the answer you wanted but were given the wrong information why do you blame them. It is the fault of management.

I am not an employee of Directv and have been a customer since the beginning of the company and have no problems with customer service with the exception of a person (customer) that should have had common sense and tried looking on the internet for answers to some simple questions. You actually are causing the customer service problem by asking questions that you could get answers to without going to customer service causing other people to be on hold for 30 or more minutes.. By the number of post that you have you surely found this site prior to calling Directv Customer Service. Don’t put the blame on that CSR Put it on yourself. If you could do a better job go and become a Directv CSR and we will see how well you do.

You're right...the fault does not lay solely with that CSR...it's much worse than that.

1. All companies do not have a problem with customer service. The companies that don't make it a priority, spend little money (on a per customer basis) and resources on it and frankly not only don't care the service is poor but actually make it that way so people will be disuaded from calling in have a problem. Call Crutchfield, Nordstroms, or LL Bean (to name a few) sometime and you'll most likely have an excellent customer service experience. By the way...those companies also seem to make a profit.

2. Perhaps DirecTV could publish a knowledge base or answer questions on its own website? They do neither. While DBSTalk is a very nice resource with a lot of very helpful and knowledgeable people, it's also had/has its share of of conflicting and misinformation.

3. A customer should be able to ask a question about the service they're paying for and get an answer. That's not causing a problem. In fact, in quality companies it's welcomed seen as valuable feedback and reaffirm the bond withe customer.

4. DirecTV is quite profitable. I'm sure they're not having any problem paying their federal taxes. As for the stockmarket they seem to have enough money to continue to buy back millions of their own shares.

5. If people are on hold 30 minutes or more that's clearly what DirecTV has chosen as their service standard. If there were less calls they'd have less reps available.

6. Other than limited marketplaces (which unfortunately for the customer includes TV services) companies must provide adequate services to their customers or risk failure. About 20% of DirecTV's customers leave each year (that will be well over three million customers this year alone)...that's nothing to be proud of.

[KurtV]

You're right...the fault does not lay solely with that CSR...it's much worse than that.

1. ... Call Crutchfield, Nordstroms, or LL Bean (to name a few) sometime and you'll most likely have an excellent customer service experience. By the way...those companies also seem to make a profit.
That's true, Ken, but the consumer pays a premium for that superior service. That model works well in some businesses and less well in others (in terms of profitability; the reason to be in business).

2. Perhaps DirecTV could publish a knowledge base or answer questions on its own website? They do neither. While DBSTalk is a very nice resource with a lot of very helpful and knowledgeable people, it's also had/has its share of of conflicting and misinformation.
Nice idea.

3. A customer should be able to ask a question about the service they're paying for and get an answer. That's not causing a problem. In fact, in quality companies it's welcomed seen as valuable feedback and reaffirm the bond withe customer.
How much time and effort (which are really just other other words for money in this discussion) you spend keeping customers happy is a business decision. Businesses that sell products that are treated as commodities by consumers tend to compete more on price than service. The bottom line is that the bottom line is the bottom line. Does better customer service make you more money or not?

4. DirecTV is quite profitable. I'm sure they're not having any problem paying their federal taxes. As for the stockmarket they seem to have enough money to continue to buy back millions of their own shares.
Well, if they weren't profitable they wouldn't be paying taxes. They have a responsibility to their shareholders to be as profitable as possible. No amount is "enough".

5. If people are on hold 30 minutes or more that's clearly what DirecTV has chosen as their service standard. If there were less calls they'd have less reps available.
Business decision that's made on the basis of the bottom line. Are they always right? I'm sure they're not. I do know it's very difficult for outsiders like us to know how any of these decisions affect their profitability.

6. Other than limited marketplaces (which unfortunately for the customer includes TV services) companies must provide adequate services to their customers or risk failure. About 20% of DirecTV's customers leave each year (that will be well over three million customers this year alone)...that's nothing to be proud of.
It has nothing to do with pride. That may be an acceptable cost of doing business for them. My guess is that it's not and that's why we've seen the longer commitments for "advanced equipment" In the end that may be a more profitable approach than spending more keeping customers happier. I don't think TV service is so much a limited marketplace as it is a commodity; most people choose a provider on the basis of price rather than quality or service.

You make some interesting points, Ken, but D* doesn't care about customer service for the sake of customer service. Their only concern is how it affects profitability (on both sides of the balance sheet). The companies you mention in point 1 also don't care about CS for its own sake; again, a means to an end.

[Ken S]

You make some interesting points, Ken, but D* doesn't care about customer service for the sake of customer service. Their only concern is how it affects profitability (on both sides of the balance sheet). The companies you mention in point 1 also don't care about CS for its own sake; again, a means to an end.

Certainly, they're in business to make money.

Look at the churn rate...listen to the weak lip service they provide for fixing that issue. The DirecTV system for reducing lip service:

1. Don't take on higher credit risk customers. Certainly, something that has to be done....but that's as much a credit scoring problem as it is a marketing issue. Stop the low-ball price advertising.

2. 24 month contracts on the advanced products. They're paying a premium to bring on new customers that will be locked into them for 24 months. But, they need a large percentage of those 24 months to cover the acquisition cost. If those customers churn out in 2009 there are real problems...but, then again, long-term thinking and public companies don't always go hand in hand.

3. There's little to nothing being said about keeping customers. By late 2009 the number of HD channels isn't going to matter. Dish will have the same amount, FIOS, IPTV, etc. etc....You better find a way to build customer loyalty or you're back to sending out free equipment or offering 1,000,001 special deals to keep customers from jumping.

So...I would suggest that DirecTV find a way to build a value-add. Associate their brand with quality and understand that cutting churn by 1% is far better than increasing sales by 10%. Every time you have contact with a customer you have the opportunity to leave a positive impression...but it takes work and a long-term vision.h

[Ext 721]

Fact is, 24-7 service is usually lower quality than 9-5 service, and most 24-7 call centers are going to have shifts that are designed to cover the busiest times: 5:30 PM eastern to 9 PM pacific. (when people are home and have free time to call)

Not exactly desirable hours to work... few people want to work the hours from 5 to 10 PM, but those same people want everyone ELSE to work those hours.

I'd imagine this has an effect on the available work-force, and 24-7 call-in times are one reason companies began to use india....their normal business hours are close to our normal "free time to call a company" hours.

[Ext 721]

5. If people are on hold 30 minutes or more that's clearly what DirecTV has chosen as their service standard. If there were less calls they'd have less reps available.

Rush hour. If you do something when everyone else is doing it, there will be lines. at 7AM, the roads are clear. at 8, they're clogged, at 10, they're clear. at 3 they're clear, at 4 they're busy at 5 they're clogged, at 6 they're busy, at 7 they're clear Does this indicate that the highways need to be doubled in size to accomadate 15hours a week?

I almost never get long waits for things, because I know when to go.

[Ken S]

Rush hour. If you do something when everyone else is doing it, there will be lines. at 7AM, the roads are clear. at 8, they're clogged, at 10, they're clear. at 3 they're clear, at 4 they're busy at 5 they're clogged, at 6 they're busy, at 7 they're clear Does this indicate that the highways need to be doubled in size to accomadate 15hours a week?

I almost never get long waits for things, because I know when to go.

I don't think you understand how companies use call centers nowadays. Generally, they don't go with 24x7 at one call center. They have them in places throughout the world. So, if you're calling at off hours in your time zone you may be routed to a center in Ireland or India. Sure, there are some with 24x7 staffed centers, but the ones doing volume situate their centers to cover all time zones (and several languages).
There are other reasons for geographic location of call centers. Tax breaks for one. Many states and countries will give significant tax breaks to companies moving to their locale...some will build their buildings or pay to train the employees. Wages are another. It's a lot cheaper to higher call center personnel in some states and countries than others. There are call centers within some prisons nowadays. Prisoners work cheap and attendance is mandatory :).
Education is a third - You'll often find call centers located in areas near some large universities where there is a large pool of educated folks that might require less training than in other areas.

Of course, many companies outsource their call centers to other companies who specialize in that business.

Getting back to your original question. There are many people that have no choice but to call during the early evening hours or on weekends. Generally, you need to be in front of your TV when calling for support. That's hard to do from work.

[Upstream]

Look at the churn rate...


When looking at churn rate, you need to understand that it includes people who disconnect because they move, even if they resubscribe at their new residence.

Approximately 20% of Americans move every year, so a 20% churn rate, just based on moves is to be expected.

But it is actually more complicated than that: people who move, and use the "Movers Connection" or otherwise keep their same account, do not count in the churn rate.

So before looking at the churn rate, you also need to look at the rate of people moving using "movers connection" or keeping their accounts active (excluding those pretending to move to get distant locals).

Nonetheless, the actual customer churn for reasons other than moving is likely much lower than the published 20% churn number.

[Upstream]

Rush hour. If you do something when everyone else is doing it, there will be lines. at 7AM, the roads are clear. at 8, they're clogged, at 10, they're clear. at 3 they're clear, at 4 they're busy at 5 they're clogged, at 6 they're busy, at 7 they're clear Does this indicate that the highways need to be doubled in size to accomadate 15hours a week?



Really bad analogy.

If I were in charge of roads and I could easily create 20 lanes at 8 am and 4 lanes at 10 am, I would do it.

But roads are fixed. I can't easily add and remove roads when I need them. Plus roads are a fixed cost, so if I add a road, I have to pay for it even when it is not used.


But in a call center, I can have 10 people on the phone when phone traffic is light, and I only pay for the 10 people. But I can have 50 people on the phone when phone traffic is heavy. The cost and capacity is mostly variable, and can be adjusted to fit demand.

[Ken S]

When looking at churn rate, you need to understand that it includes people who disconnect because they move, even if they resubscribe at their new residence.

Approximately 20% of Americans move every year, so a 20% churn rate, just based on moves is to be expected.

But it is actually more complicated than that: people who move, and use the "Movers Connection" or otherwise keep their same account, do not count in the churn rate.

So before looking at the churn rate, you also need to look at the rate of people moving using "movers connection" or keeping their accounts active (excluding those pretending to move to get distant locals).

Nonetheless, the actual customer churn for reasons other than moving is likely much lower than the published 20% churn number.

It's a lot more complicated than you make it. Overall the Census Bureau has stated the moving rate is 16% (not 20%). What's the percentage of DirecTV customers that move? We don't know and they don't state it as a major reason for churn.

The reason for this is that it's probably one of a number of reasons they lose customers, but certainly not a major factor. Moving does not relieve someone of their contract and if they had a good experience with DirecTV wouldn't it be likely they would use them again?

The number of Americans that move declines rapidly with age and income. In addition, the vast majority of people that move are renters and not homeowners. DirecTV has quote demographics of wealthier and older (35+) customers. This would indicated moving is even less of an effect.

DirecTV has stated their biggest reason for churn is credit problems - non payment. As I stated they can correct that with better marketing and credit analysis. But even if that is half of the reason for disconnects they still have a very large percentage of their customers they're going to want to keep.

If their chief way of keeping that group is going to be long-term commitments and not providing quality service or significantly lower pricing (which is never a good spiral to be in) they're going to face a problem. There is only one HD migration...the next technology movement may not play to their advantage as well...or at all.

[DCFSCAZARES]

THIS IS NOT A FLAME BUT MY OPINION. YOU CAN TAKE IT AS YOU WISH

I would have a tendency to disagree with you on most of your points. As a government worker you are bound to a certain standard and are held accountable. Directv is in the same boat you are to both the stock holders and the government. They need to make a profit to invest into new ventures to keep growing, there by keeping all the investors happy and by making the IRS happy in paying taxes.

Unfortunately you are mistaken about Directv. My friend was hurt in a car accident and was out of work with no money coming in; He called Directv and informed them of the situation and Directv worked with him to maintain the service on a payment plan. He had to provide proof of the accident and also show the disability claim. You also have to keep in mind that you the customer are responsible to make your payments. If you can not pay your bills than you need to assess your financial situation and either cancel your service or go to a lower tier that you can afford. All service companies do the same thing for non payment of service. I as a subscriber pay for everyone who is late on payments or subs that do not pay.

I also want to state that all companies have a problem with customer service. They pay the people a low hourly rate as the market dictates. So if the CSR treated you right by trying to get the answer you wanted but were given the wrong information why do you blame them. It is the fault of management.

I am not an employee of Directv and have been a customer since the beginning of the company and have no problems with customer service with the exception of a person (customer) that should have had common sense and tried looking on the internet for answers to some simple questions. You actually are causing the customer service problem by asking questions that you could get answers to without going to customer service causing other people to be on hold for 30 or more minutes.. By the number of post that you have you surely found this site prior to calling Directv Customer Service. Don’t put the blame on that CSR Put it on yourself. If you could do a better job go and become a Directv CSR and we will see how well you do.


I am very amused by the responses that I have gotten so far. I never indicated that I was upset with the CSR. I simply stated that D* is not doing a good job training their CSRs. Please don't justify D* poor customer service.... The fact is that D* is obligated to provide accurate information about their products...period! Yes! I feel D* is the best satellite company and I am truly happy with them.....However, I am simply pointing out that I wasted 30 minutes with no results...Do the Math...Many customers have gone through the same road. FYI...I have never been rude to any CSRs in the past...It was simply an observation from my own experience with Directv.

[Newshawk]

Really bad analogy... But in a call center, I can have 10 people on the phone when phone traffic is light, and I only pay for the 10 people. But I can have 50 people on the phone when phone traffic is heavy. The cost and capacity is mostly variable, and can be adjusted to fit demand.

What to say DirecTV isn't doing that already? Predicting call volume is an inexact science, bordering on an art. Anticipated call volume may never materialize, or a situation in one part of the country may spike call volume without notice. Remember when DirecTV lost all the locals in the Midwest a few months ago? No one could predict the almost immediate spike in volume. What if you were calling in for an HD upgrade at that time? You would have complained about slow service but never have known why.

[Upstream]

Newshawk -- Modeling call volume isn't that difficult, considering DirecTV has lots of historical data which they can use for trending. Certainly there will be unexpected events which will spike volume outside the prediction of the model. But building an accurate model is pretty straightfoward ... and I would be very surprised if the modelling capability wasn't part of a workforce management function built into DirecTV's call routing system.

[RobertE]

I am very amused by the responses that I have gotten so far. I never indicated that I was upset with the CSR. I simply stated that D* is not doing a good job training their CSRs. Please don't justify D* poor customer service.... The fact is that D* is obligated to provide accurate information about their products...period! Yes! I feel D* is the best satellite company and I am truly happy with them.....However, I am simply pointing out that I wasted 30 minutes with no results...Do the Math...Many customers have gone through the same road. FYI...I have never been rude to any CSRs in the past...It was simply an observation from my own experience with Directv.

Perhaps its Karma making a small adjustment in the universe. Afterall you did say that you worked for a government agency. :lol:

[wavemaster]

Perhaps its Karma making a small adjustment in the universe. Afterall you did say that you worked for a government agency. :lol:

ROFLMAO - I just spit coke all over my screen.

When I read his post at the beginning I thought WOW - If this isn't the pot calling the kettle black ....

Sorry I couldn't resist, but that reply from you got me laughing harder than anything in the recent past thanks.

[Ken S]

Newshawk -- Modeling call volume isn't that difficult, considering DirecTV has lots of historical data which they can use for trending. Certainly there will be unexpected events which will spike volume outside the prediction of the model. But building an accurate model is pretty straightfoward ... and I would be very surprised if the modelling capability wasn't part of a workforce management function built into DirecTV's call routing system.

If it's not they need to buy a system written after 1985. Call modeling is very much a science. Most of those packages can handle international routing and rep scheduling. They're not cheap...but they really do work pretty well. They also let a company set what response rates they want to give their customers and set the other resources accordingly.

As for emergencies I would be absolutely shocked if DirecTV didn't have emergency procedures and backup locations for tech and sales calls for both service emergencies (locals in NYC go out) and/or call center emergencies (power failure takes out a call center). Actually, it would be nearly impossible to get insurance without that type of backup.

I'm sure they can program their ACS quickly to alert people quickly that they know of an outage/problem to free up reps for other calls.

[Upstream]

If it's not they need to buy a system written after 1985.

Actually they would need to buy a system created after 1917, which is when A. K. Erlang developed a mathematical model to determine how many operators the Copenhagan telephone company needed to switch calls. Erlang's model is the basis of traffic engineering and queing models used today.


If DirecTV has typical wait times of 30 minutes, it is because the have decided that wait times of 30 minutes are acceptable. It is not because they decided they wanted wait times of 30 seconds and can't figure out how many reps they need on the phone.

[CJTE]

I will say about 2 hours ago I had to call D* and IDK WTF is going on but I had to wait atleast 15 minutes, AFTER the IVR (I actually bypassed it but thats beyond the point). I went for a drive and came back and was still on hold.




EDIT:
Usually when I call DirecTV (haha, I didnt say D* this time!!), I get through no later than 5 minutes.

[Upstream]

CJ -- I would not be surprised if Directv ran a skeleton crew on a holiday morning at 5:30 EST/ 2:30 PST. But just because they decided long waits on a holiday are acceptable, does not mean they would consider the same waits acceptable on a normal day.

[CJTE]

Haha, yea, it was no big deal, I wasnt really complaining... just stating that usually wehen I call it takes about 5 minutes incl. the IVR, but for some reason last night it was hella busy, and I was told the systems were upgrading

[Dolly]

As to CSRs being clueless I find they are also that way at other companies. I recently added a service with Verizon and the CSR told me the change would go into effect that same day. Well I knew from past experience that it would be at least 24 hours. (Which it was). So I knew she didn't know what she was talking about :(

[gblues]

The other day, I called D* and spoke to a CSR from Support Department and asked the following questions:

1. Does the H21 have an internal RF antenna? The CSW took about 1/2 hour researching and calling her superiors and finally said, "I am only aware that the HR20-700 is the only receiver that has an internal RF antenna." She was unable to provide further information on this subject. :nono2:

2. Is the R64 Remote Control RF/IR capable or just IR capable? The CSR replied, "Yes, it is RF and IR capable." Wrong! :nono2:

My conclusion: Don't believe everything the CSR tells you....Most likely they are as clueless as you are. :D

Most CSRs don't get a lot of training on the particulars of a specific model. Especially the advanced models--the frontline CSRs can't even order them--why are you surprised that they don't know anything about them?

What you did was the equivalent of stumping a grocery clerk on the features and capabilities of a Nintendo Wii. Just because they're sold in the electronics department doesn't mean every employee knows about it!

[Upstream]

gblues -- so instead of giving wrong answers, shouldn't the unknowledgeable CSR just said that they are not trained to handle the call, and transferred the caller to someone trained to answer the questions?

[CJTE]

gblues -- so instead of giving wrong answers, shouldn't the unknowledgeable CSR just said that they are not trained to handle the call, and transferred the caller to someone trained to answer the questions?

One would hope so, but instead, the 'clerk' asked their supervisor, who also didnt know much about the receiver, and gave an answer off the top of their head.