Welcome to the UK 2021, the country where no cunt answers their phone

[DildoBoggins]

At work, I mean.

I have heard previously that some folks get the anxiety about talking on phones. Is this now more common? Or is it just that everyone is sat watching daytime TV while they work from home?

I find pressing all the wrong buttons in the ridiculous menu you get before you have a hope of speaking to a human, gets me through to one!

@Athenajm80 because they have less staff. But it is easy to blame it on wfh rather than saying, sorry for the long wait, we have cut staff numbers.

[quote julieca]@Athenajm80 because they have less staff. But it is easy to blame it on wfh rather than saying, sorry for the long wait, we have cut staff numbers.[/quote]
Sorry, yes, you're probably right. I just think it's a pisstake that companies are using Covid as an excuse when it's been 18months or whatever by now. They should have managed to sort things out ages ago.
I think I was letting my experience of ex colleagues "working" from home colour my view. Apologies to anyone I may have offended.

@Athenajm80 its fine.
I suspect a lot of people who think wfh is to blame for long waits for call centres has zero understanding how call centre staff are managed or monitored. It is not a case of an individual's perception of their productivity. If you call answer rate goes down or customer satisfaction goes down, you will be warned and ultimately lose your job.
It is just firms taking the piss.

My SIL works in a call centre and now works remotely most of the time. But they are busy and have insane waiting times because they can’t recruit anyone since the higher ups decided all new staff had to be graduates. Plus all the usual recruitment issues.

@YesitsBess

I've had a huge uptick in people hiring me to be "on hold" for them (yes, this is a job now!).

^ what does this mean, employed to be on hold for them?

We don't have less staff, we are just busier. I wish I had time to watch tv! In an average 9hr shift I do around 230 calls
My boss knows when I am going to the toilet, on a call, writing an email, ringing an external number, on my lunch (timed), break (timed) and my screen is recorded too. You couldn't skive if you wanted to
I don't answer my mobile phone. Ever I'm very much "texting works just FINE thank you"

Oh and my average call handling time is 2 minutes, with 10 seconds between the caller hanging up and a new call coming through. It's actually better for people to ring us because I don't have time to reply to emails unless I do them before/after work or on my lunch. Especially if the email wants me to ring them, I can't ring them when incoming calls are battering through!

I called the DVLA and got through first ring. Also called insurance and dentists and all answered.
You must be having a bad week.

I much prefer email as a means of communication as its easier to consider my reply and divert difficult encounters.

Always press whatever button it is that routes you to Sales. Never press the one for Customer Service.

I hate it when people call me on an actual work phone because it's always when I'm in the middle of something and I need to focus. I also hate the audio quality and it's much nicer to see someone's face when talking. Email or Teams me and tell me you need 15 minutes and you'll speak to me that day. Call me and you'll get screened!

Same principle applies to the rest of my life too. I prefer to video call via Whatsapp or Messenger. I hate having to call companies on the telephone and put up with menus and crap audio.

People have called the dvla and got through?
I've been trying to call them for 2 months and been cut off every time. I'd got to the point of assuming they just never answer the phone.

@BeenThruMoreThanALilBit

Always press whatever button it is that routes you to Sales. Never press the one for Customer Service.

I don't see how that makes any sense? For all the companies I've worked in all that would result in is the same team transferring you to customer service, which would result in you being sat in the same queue as internally transferred calls don't get preferential treatment.

I only answer the phone if the number is in my contacts. This is because I have a serious and complex mental illness and speaking on the phone does cause me severe anxiety and because I have extreme paranoia. I find it very difficult. If someone calls me who is in my contacts but is not family of a close friend it will depend on how I feel at that time.

Hate phone calls. I’ve found since covid call centres are worse than ever, the longest wait I’ve faced to speak to someone so far is an hour and you can probably guess who that was (HMRC). It’s much easier to do a web chat, I always prefer that.

My two adult DC (teen and early twenties) do anything they can not to talk on the phone. It’s very annoying. Sometimes a quick phone call is all that’s needed but they are always emailing then waiting for the reply back. I don’t know where it’s come from. Not DH or I.

DVLA: they have gone to sleep during covid and are not back out yet. Their absence is also at the root of HGV shortage as all licenses are delayed. My new driving license arrive a whole year late, due to “Covid”

GP’s are in hiding

Note that dvla staff and GPs are still getting paid in full so there is no incentive to go back to work as normal

@SadAboutSD I do what is sometimes ostentatiously called "life management" for a living. People with too many day-to-day tasks piled up employ me to sort it all out for them and free up their time. It can be anything from getting through to utility companies (a lot of that at the moment) to diary management and travel plans.

God, I would totally do that if I had the money.

Finally got through to the energy company this lunchtime. The woman I spoke to was watching judge Judy. Ffs.

It took my entire lunch hour to get through btw.