The totally off-topic thread

[JohnK]

Not all o/s call centres are useless. I have dealt with some that are very good. It depends on who the AU company contracts and their various policies, training and ongoing support.

You may well be right but I seem to always get the call centres that do not have a clue.

They say that the internet and online shopping is progress but I really miss the face to face dealing and if you had complaints they would try to sort them rather than transfer you from department to department in the hope that you will give up.

Plus TBH, call centres in Australia are well known as being expensive due to wage costs, land costs, fixed costs and the general attitude of Australians towards work.

I may well be totally off the mark but call centre costs should be looked at as a cost of doing business and not a burden or a way to improve the bottom line. There are much better ways to improve the bottom such as reducing eecutive salaries to realistic levels.

There is a reason why these companies are called service companies and sales is not the end of the service.

 

[oz_mark]

Plus TBH, call centres in Australia are well known as being expensive due to wage costs, land costs, fixed costs and the general attitude of Australians towards work.

...and if the Telstra call centres are anything to go by, equally as useless as the overseas call centres.

 

[anat0l]

So what we are saying then is that poor customer service is a way of life and there is nothing we can do about it?

It could be a way of life. We seem to put up with "poor customer service" every day. In some cases we just shrug it off (we note it's bad, but just keep walking), and in others we need to make a big deal of it.

That digresses from the point you were answering, and all I was alluding to was that shareholders in a (public) company are after dollars. That's what a shareholding agreement is all about: members of the public give you money to operate a company and they expect some of that money to be returned to them. The more profits a company makes, the more shareholders receive in return.

So when given a choice between make a bit less profits and improve customer service (or any other "non-monetary" aspect, such as work-life balance of employees, sustainability and so on), or make the most profit as possible, what do you think they will choose (on most part)? It doesn't help, of course, that when an AGM is being held, the big presentations usually mask some of the more particular and "coal face" issues, such as customer service issues which failed to make the press headlines.

Customer service is really only a big issue to a company when they can clearly see that it is affecting their bottom line. In current practical terms, it means they would have to make tremendous royal ****-ups in service and perhaps be taken to court a few times (and these would be made known in the press, because most shareholders don't know things unless they are reported through popular media - the company won't share day-to-day performance data with them). But if a company reports we had 200 major customer service incidents last year and this year we only had 180, along with a profit increase of 15%, then most shareholders would probably go, "Great, the company is doing better." Not many would go, "Why can't that 180 figure be 0?"

 

[Mal]

Curious phrasing on the Qantas website for Flight Disruptions:

Sometimes due to circumstances outside our control, such as bad weather or industrial action, your flight may be disrupted or cancelled.

If this happens, we will do all we can to fix the problem and keep you informed of developments and the choices that are available to you.

So how do they fix a weather problem? An industrial issue? Do they always do "all we can" (ie, obtaining for Heathrow additional de-icers, or forcing striking employees back to work?)

 

[Flashback]

Curious phrasing on the Qantas website for Flight Disruptions:



So how do they fix a weather problem? An industrial issue? Do they always do "all we can" (ie, obtaining for Heathrow additional de-icers, or forcing striking employees back to work?)

It was pretty cool watching the heavy snow fall out my window this morning, and also cool as I was walking to the gym

I'm just hoping my flight to Germany in a few days time goes OK so I make it in time for Christmas :shock:

 

[Mal]

It was pretty cool watching the heavy snow fall out my window this morning, and also cool as I was walking to the gym

Fresh snow is usually fine (and tbh quite nice walking through snow normally), but ice on roads/footpaths etc - especially the stuff you can't see is bad! MmmKay

Does your local borough do footpath clearing?

 

[Flashback]

Fresh snow is usually fine (and tbh quite nice walking through snow normally), but ice on roads/footpaths etc - especially the stuff you can't see is bad! MmmKay

Does your local borough do footpath clearing?

Yeh, I had fun taking a run-up and going sliding down the path in Oslo last weekend I'm yet to fall on my cough... touch wood!

They do in some places but not anywhere I walk so I tend to jump on the bus for 1 stop to get to the tube instead

 

[Mal]

Interesting travel tip from United Airlines (via their twitter feed)

Put a copy of your eTicket receipt in each piece of your checked baggage for quick and easy identification.

Hadn't thought of that before. Does make a bit of sense, as if your bag is lost, they might be able to re-unite it with you sooner.

 

[Flashback]

Interesting travel tip from United Airlines (via their twitter feed)



Hadn't thought of that before. Does make a bit of sense, as if your bag is lost, they might be able to re-unite it with you sooner.

Even though I have all my trip data on my iPhone usually, I always carry a printout in my carryon as well as leaving one in my suitcase:!:

 

[Mal]

I'm yet to fall on my cough... touch wood!

Your time will come young Jedi

The three situations which are most dangerous (in my books).
- Water running over a footpath. Avoid it if the temp has been below zero in the last 12 hours or more.
- Sloped footpaths / curb ramps.
- Stairs that are outside and have been exposed to the weather.

 

[Flashback]

Your time will come young Jedi

The three situations which are most dangerous (in my books).
- Water running over a footpath. Avoid it if the temp has been below zero in the last 12 hours or more.
- Sloped footpaths / curb ramps.
- Stairs that are outside and have been exposed to the weather.

I've almost gone cough-up on the first 2 points, the 2nd one being today on the way down to the tube station

Just reading through all my travel insurance policies, etc. at the moment ; trying to work out what my options are if any of my flights have issues over the next week.. have STN-PAD, PAD-STN, LHR-EDI

 

[tuapekastar]

Come back drought, all is forgiven!!! :shock:

 

[JohnK]

Brisbane.... where the sun never shines....

 

[Flashback]

Brisbane.... where the sun never shines....

You're starting to sound like a Pom JohnK

 

[ozbeachbabe]

If it's the flight I'm thinking of what's with the raw bacon on the BLT muffin? I know I can eat it raw but I prefer mine cooked!

Ah, the snack box on the return sector! Didn't realise bacon was raw as I was pre-occupied will pulling the rind off the bacon rasher & thinking that the 'roll' would make a good substitute for a cricket ball.

No luck with availing myself of anyone else's duty free allowance either so just got a couple of bottles of Smirnoff & carton of ciggies for a friend plus a cute Bulgari purse spray fragrance set that just jumped out at me - very necessary!

Also, is a Zoo magazine standard issue now for new recruits?

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Brisbane.... where the sun never shines....

Ever visited Seattle John? :shock: :shock:

 

[MissBurrill]

Also, is a Zoo magazine standard issue now for new recruits?

Part of my job was distributing the magazines. I would keep my boss happy with the pick of Zoo or Ralph, which ever covergirl he preferred. Then if anyone had annoyed me they would get women's magazines instead of the girly ones.

 

[Mal]

Brisbane.... where the sun never shines....

Or to paraphrase an older slogan:

Brisbane. Pathetic one day, pouring the next

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Part of my job was distributing the magazines. I would keep my boss happy with the pick of Zoo or Ralph, which ever covergirl he preferred. Then if anyone had annoyed me they would get women's magazines instead of the girly ones.

So let me guess there are a lot of MP's or RP's with copies of Womens' Weekly then?

The STARS refueller always wants a copy of the NT News & I thought he must've had a vested interest in crocodiles however I've since found out his boss is an Aussie.

 

[JohnK]

Lol Mal.

You're starting to sound like a Pom JohnK

What do you mean by "starting to"?

Ever visited Seattle John? :shock: :shock:

Not yet but hopefully I won't be living there either.