When should we call you back?

[adrian]

So, I just started my shift for today, and so far I've left messages for about five people, reguarding their problems ranging from DSL to dialup and email.

I just want to know when is the best time people want to be called back? Afternoon? Evening? Morning?

[Miulang]

Re: When should we call you back?

So, I just started my shift for today, and so far I've left messages for about five people, reguarding their problems ranging from DSL to dialup and email.

I just want to know when is the best time people want to be called back? Afternoon? Evening? Morning?

Depends on which phone number they left you. If they left a home number, probably in the early evening. If they left a business number, call them between 11 a.m. and noon (right before lunch when they are more likely to be at their desks) or between 2 and 3 p.m.

What kind of message is Hawall Tel sending out when people call and have to leave phone numbers anyway? Is it so vague that you have no clue when these people might be at home? It would be better if that recorded message said something like: "Please leave a daytime phone number where we may reach you between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m." or something like that. It's a waste of your time and theirs to be playing phone tag lidat. You get frustrated because you can't talk to a person and the customer gets frustrated because they don't know when they can expect a callback from you. Not very good customer service, and it's not your fault (it's Hawai'i Tel's fault ).

Miulang

P.S. Listen to Auntie Lynn...how come you surfing when you supposed to be working?????

[1stwahine]

Re: When should we call you back?

So, I just started my shift for today, and so far I've left messages for about five people, reguarding their problems ranging from DSL to dialup and email.

I just want to know when is the best time people want to be called back? Afternoon? Evening? Morning?

Ask laterz! Get back to work before somebody finds out! Remember you are on Company Time!

Auntie Lynn

[tutusue]

Re: When should we call you back?

[...] What kind of message is Hawall Tel sending out when people call and have to leave phone numbers anyway? Is it so vague that you have no clue when these people might be at home? It would be better if that recorded message said something like: "Please leave a daytime phone number where we may reach you between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m." or something like that. It's a waste of your time and theirs to be playing phone tag lidat. [...]

This is so true. My office's system of booking casting session appointments is to have the requested talent either email their contact number or leave it on a hotline. They are always given the parameters as to when we'll call them (eg...Monday April 10 between 10a and 1p). Seventy-five percent of the time we get the talent's voice mail which then begins a game of telephone tag. It's very frustrating and tends to almost double the amount of time we spend on the phone booking these appointments. When we leave a message we always ask that they return our call by 5p and let them know we won't be available after that time...and we time stamp the message. It's truly amazing the number of calls we get after 8p and waaaay into the night. We don't return those calls and many of those people complain to their agents that we ignored them. Paper trails rock!

[adrian]

Re: When should we call you back?

Ask laterz! Get back to work before somebody finds out! Remember you are on Company Time!

Auntie Lynn

Okay, for the past week, we started at 8am, and by 9am, I made 20 calls, all to leave messages.

Its always been like that. We usually get to solve problems at 10am, and sometimes when we're in the middle of leaving a message, the person picks up and either asks us to help them with a problem (sometimes unrelated to the one we have in the report) or says that the problem's been fixed by someone else.

Now I know how telemarketers feel.

[Miulang]

Re: When should we call you back?

Okay, for the past week, we started at 8am, and by 9am, I made 20 calls, all to leave messages.

Its always been like that. We usually get to solve problems at 10am, and sometimes when we're in the middle of leaving a message, the person picks up and either asks us to help them with a problem (sometimes unrelated to the one we have in the report) or says that the problem's been fixed by someone else.

Now I know how telemarketers feel.

But Adrian, it doesn't necessarily always have to STAY that way. What does the outbound message tell the caller about which of their phone numbers to leave for a daytime call back? If Hawaii Tel just modified that little piece, it might save you a whole buncha wasted time. Of course, since you're a contractor, you probably wouldn't have any say in what they put in their outbound message, but as a Hawaii Tel customer, I would get pretty fried if I had to play phone tag with customer service.

Miulang

[tutusue]

Re: When should we call you back?

But Adrian, it doesn't necessarily always have to STAY that way. What does the outbound message tell the caller about which of their phone numbers to leave for a daytime call back? If Hawaii Tel just modified that little piece, it might save you a whole buncha wasted time. Of course, since you're a contractor, you probably wouldn't have any say in what they put in their outbound message, but as a Hawaii Tel customer, I would get pretty fried if I had to play phone tag with customer service.

Miulang

Ya know what, Miulang? Even with a detailed outgoing message, it just won't make any difference...human nature being what it is! The only thing that changes by giving details is the vendor (be it HawTel or a small business like mine) at least knows they did the best they could. It's the ol' "You can lead a horse to water, but..." routine! If and when the customer complains we, the vendors, can at least fall back on proof that we tried. In my business, because of the nature of it, I can gently point out the details and how they were ignored by the 'customer' (who isn't a paying customer, btw!). HawTel wouldn't want to chance that, I suppose.

I'm in the business of finding talent who can follow direction. The audition starts long before any of them enter my studio. It starts with the request to "leave a phone number where you can be reached between <time 1> and <time 2> on <day of week>, <date>. If you don't answer we'll leave a message and we will, unfortunately, start a game of telephone tag." As I mentioned in a previous post, this happens an average of 75% of the time. My office also notes the times we leave messages and often we leave more than one. I always get a kick out of an 'actor' who complains to his/her agent that we never got back to them and "What's up with that?"!!! The agent calls us to find out why the 'actor' was passed over. We recite the times we left messages and that our calls weren't returned. The agent apologizes. And the dance repeats itself on the next project!

Come to think of it just yesterday I received a return call from an actor who was replying to a message left during mid-February! Even tho' we mentioned dates and times (all during February) he was stunned to find out that the job was pau!

[Miulang]

Re: When should we call you back?

Being one of those people who has helped customer service departments in the past try to figure out ways to make their time more efficient and their interactions with their customers more pleasant, I hear what you're saying. And you know what? a lot of places are now not always saying "the customer is ALWAYS right" too!

One way I've figured out to disarm the call agent when I have a complaint (like I did earlier today when I got a bill for $900+ for lab tests that were covered under my policy) was (in my most pleasant voice, even though I was really mad because I knew it was their fault): "I'm not angry at you, but I believe there's a problem with the billing I just received that needs to get corrected right away..." Few minutes later, the agent gets back on the line and says. "yes, it appears that we made an error in your billing. You shouldn't have gotten that bill. I'll put a hold on that and it will be cleared up within the next 6-8 weeks. You shouldn't get another bill. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Miulang