Call centre differences
Back to Forum- This topic has 37 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 15 Aug 2013
at 06:25 by LuganoPirate.
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EllwoodParticipantBA have a very good system in place for this and you can authorise any third party nominee to manage your account and bookings. I am on OHs and it is all fine.
“As an Executive Club member, you can nominate another person to manage your account on your behalf.
This will mean that British Airways can disclose data relating to your account to the person you nominate.”8 Aug 2013
at 12:00
Papillion53ParticipantEejp1007 – I didn’t know that – that is very useful to know, thank you! 🙂
8 Aug 2013
at 12:04
TimFitzgeraldTCParticipantIn a previous role at the Centurion card travel service, we were told that whenever we took a call we had to “ID” them. This meant even if I spoke to the same person 5 times a day every single day Amex would insist on us IDing them (even they knew my pat cat’s name and I knew what they had for dinner the night before!). If we didn’t do this and they checked our calls and we hadn’t done this, then we would face disciplinary action and possible removal. We would also forego any (small) bonuses for performance. I questioned this with senior staff and they said it was Data Protection and we had to do this.
So I thought, why not phone someone from Data Protection and ask them what the law was. They said no, one doesn’t need to ID someone on every call, you just have to know you are talking to the right person and they are who they say they are. They said if you speak to someone that often then there is no need to ID them all the time.
So after all that it was just Compliance in amex saying it and making sure there backside was covered should anything happen. I did point out that anyone clever ever do call me faking another persons voice would probably know all there security information! But there was none of it and we had to persistently frustrate our customers who thought it was loopy!
Anyway I’ve had lots of fun this week talking to BA over a clients booking. The number of times they said they couldn’t talk to me (BA Trade couldn’t help as a change to booking made through me then upgraded with Avios – BA website says in big letters future changes must be made direct with BA) even though I was the agent – they’d be so quick that they didn’t bother to realise I was a 3rd party on the Exec Account of the passenger that I had to re-dial once. After about 12 calls and various “you need to talk to the agent, trade support, cust relation, exec line etc”, someone at BA in the States managed to make the change – to a fully flexible ticket – it took so long they had closed in the UK.
Airlines / Organisations don’t always make it easy – sometimes intentionally – sometimes not.
8 Aug 2013
at 13:00
AllOverTheGaffParticipantPapillion53 – 08/08/2013 11:55 GMT
Edited to add: I was going to suggest, naughtily, as MS did to pretend to be your friend but didn’t think that would work as you would have the issue with the credit card being in a different name.Papillion & Cedric
I was told in the automated way that BA were experiencing “high volumes of calls right now, your call will be answered in approximately 15 minutes”, so, as it played me their tune intersperced with drivel about how they are the worlds favourite airline, I did genuinely consider just saying “Hello, My name is xxx xxx and I was supposed to fly with you on Monday but had a change of plan, here is my gold card number” and pass myself off as the bloke who has asked me to help him out.
I most likely should have – I could have ended the call by stating that I wanted the other bloke to get the refund and that I would have him call. Hang up, call back 2 minutes later and get the refund – but then I foolishly thought to myself, “nah Gaffy, this is a common sense thing and all you are asking is if it was/is a refundable fare”. I had factored out of my logical thinking that I was dealing with BA.
Not that I need one, but another shining example of why I fly with other airlines…….and lambaste me if you will about my penchant to moan about BA, but these are simply my findings on interacting with them over the past couple of days.
As an aside, and back to an earlier point, I don’t understand why I can’t manage this part of my booking online, I am presuming they are aware that this chap didn’t fly on Monday.
8 Aug 2013
at 13:24
MartynSinclairParticipantTim – when I had an individual looking after me from Amex, we spoke so often we naturally recognized numbers and voices, we didn’t need to say Hi, its Martyn. However, I had to give my four numbered pass code each time.
Pathetic – absolutely, but thats the rules from Amex (their interpretation of the Data Protection rules).
Imagine the nonsense, my bank has had to go through when they recently sent the wrong bank statements to various customers….. a Fortnum and Mason hamper arrived on my doorstep – they are still feeling very guilty….!
8 Aug 2013
at 13:33
Papillion53ParticipantAOTG. – Ah Gaffy, I like that name! I hate to state the obvious, but you could still do this – phone up and phone again – I would imagine the chances of getting the same BA person very slim, and would they recognise your voice anyway? Be posh one time, and your normal self the other! LOL!
Good luck and let us know how you get on. 🙂
8 Aug 2013
at 13:46
AllOverTheGaffParticipantMs Papillion
You make the assumption that my normal voice is not posh.
Fitevir gees yi that idea?
8 Aug 2013
at 13:51
AnthonyDunnParticipant@ MartynSinclair – 08/08/2013 13:33 GMT
As it’s a bank, you will be checking your future statements to ensure that they’ve not billed you for the F&M hamper won’t you?!
8 Aug 2013
at 14:05
Cedric_StatherbyParticipantYou think banks have a problem with overcharging.
I had a case last year where there was a fraudulent claim on my car insurance (someone claimed I had run into them – unfortunately for them I was abroad on business at the time). After several calls between my insurer and me, some of them quite heated as they all but accused me of lying, they accepted my word, backed up by flight and hotel documentation, and sent me £50 as a compensation for the hassle.
Next I knew, my insurance quote for this year was £150 higher. When I queried it they said it was due to “the insurance event last year – the claim you made for £50”.
!!!
8 Aug 2013
at 14:22
MartynSinclairParticipant@AnthonyDunn – without any question Anthony, I have or will be billed. This Gresham Street based bank has just increased my bank charges by 1500% (fifteen hundred percent) initially with 3 weeks notice!
I am getting a big hint my business is no longer desired!!
8 Aug 2013
at 17:27
MartynSinclairParticipant@Tramor01, this one begins with a B and it’s not Barclays!
8 Aug 2013
at 19:22
ShearerParticipantI work in a reservations office.
Basic rule – you can discuss bookings with the booker. And no one else. End of. That means if a the guest has booked with a travel agent, they should in theory communicate via that travel agent. But we aren’t going to be dicks about it, if you need to cancel and the agency is closed, and you call me with your dates, confirmation number and name, we’ll help you.I detest hearing the Health & Safety argument used by my team and will always give anyone using that a refresher course. It’s just cheap and nasty. The reason we don’t want three guests in a room is nothing to do with Health & Safety is because we are a five star hotel and we don’t want three people in a room.
8 Aug 2013
at 20:29 -
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