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[MSE Martin]

What's this about?

If you're forever weaving through phone menus when trying to speak to customer services, here’s a solution for you to try.

How it works.

Instead of obeying the voices, try bashing the hash key and you'll often (but not always) be put straight through.

Does this work for you? Please post below if you’re successful and let others know which companies’ numbers it works best for.

And a little plea

I dont mind holding if there's a queue (unless its on an 0870 when I'm effectively paying to be on hold, see Saynoto0870 article). Yet the most annoying thing is having no clue how long you will hold. May I plea for companies to include a 'there are X people ahead of you in the queue' type system in.

This way we can actually judge how long it will take and whether we should stay holding or come back another time. It may also mean we don't have to play such tactics as # pressing. Managing our expectations helps us all feel better!

Martin

[lyric_grace]

It works if you press 9 alot of times on the sky customer service phone number never tried # but will in future! Thanks Martin great tip!!!

[sancho]

I use that all the time, read about it a while ago, definately works for Virgin (broadband), talk talk, vodafone and npower, you'll never gues who my suppliers are!!! :P

[Cautiouswithcash]

I work in a call centre and people do this a lot. The problem it creates is I spend my time transferring you to the right colleague rather than helping people I can, thus making the phone queues longer. Some might say you are 'pushing in' - I hope you don't do the same when you go in the high street shops!

[louised]

Originally Posted by Cautiouswithcash

I work in a call centre and people do this a lot. The problem it creates is I spend my time transferring you to the right colleague rather than helping people I can, thus making the phone queues longer. Some might say you are 'pushing in' - I hope you don't do the same when you go in the high street shops!

Wll I think these call centres should employ enough staff so we don't have to queue and "push in" or even better don't run incompetent businesses so we have to ring up all the time !!

[Cautiouswithcash]

So you get annoyed waiting in a phone queue for 3 minutes sat on your comfy sofa, bless. That company could employ 20 new staff costing £20k a year - £400k. You're okay paying an extra 50p on the price to cover that? And when companies outsource to save costs you complain they've got a slight accent! I've seen people when I'm queueing at the supermarket checkout, sneaking to customer services saying can I pay here as i'm more important than everyone else!

[hollydays]

Oh I am so going to try this-get fed up of wrongly interpreting their poor menu instructions.

[goldmercury]

i always find not pressing any numbers works the system usually thinks you've got an old style phone "non touch tone" and puts you straight through.

[pavlovs_dog]

is bashing hash necessary, or does pressing it work just as well?

[diluvsdiscounts]

Originally Posted by pavlovs_dog

is bashing hash necessary, or does pressing it work just as well?

LOL

[Happy Bunny]

Originally Posted by Cautiouswithcash

So you get annoyed waiting in a phone queue for 3 minutes sat on your comfy sofa, bless. That company could employ 20 new staff costing £20k a year - £400k. You're okay paying an extra 50p on the price to cover that? And when companies outsource to save costs you complain they've got a slight accent! I've seen people when I'm queueing at the supermarket checkout, sneaking to customer services saying can I pay here as i'm more important than everyone else!

I actually wait on my very old "plug into the wall" phone in my very cold unheated hall,

Of course I could apply to be on the other end answering the calls, I didn't realise it paid £20k a year.
I could afford a new cordless phone and a comfy sofa on that

[Frugal Fox]

Originally Posted by Cautiouswithcash

So you get annoyed waiting in a phone queue for 3 minutes sat on your comfy sofa, bless. That company could employ 20 new staff costing £20k a year - £400k. You're okay paying an extra 50p on the price to cover that? And when companies outsource to save costs you complain they've got a slight accent! I've seen people when I'm queueing at the supermarket checkout, sneaking to customer services saying can I pay here as i'm more important than everyone else!

If only....

My phone isn't even a push button - yes it does have the old style dial. It sits out in our lobby - which is unheated, and whilst I wouldn't mind hanging on for 3 minutes. The last time I was on hold - I gave up after 17 minutes.

PS - I've worked in call centres - I was only paid £10k for answering the calls, and I think with all the profits that are being made out of the phone lines then yes they could employ more staff.

[redux]

On some calls I make, the dtmf tones are not recognised, and it's just as well while driving.

Luckily the ferry company eventually lets me get through to someone without any keys pressed, and it's perversely relaxing covering a few miles of German motorway while sat in the call queue, knowing it's a lot cheaper than the fuel, compared to the wall-climbing 70p a minute it used to cost

Other than that, 0 might be better overall when guessing, as it's still a number off the end of the list and # is sometimes used after entering numbers or to skip back to the beginning.

But if it's a number called reasonably often with a boringly long menu that you always make the same choices on, it's worth noting the key sequence and then programming it together with pauses appended to the number stored in the phone book

[descartesmum]

I haven't been able to talk to anyone at ntl for the past, well almost 2 weeks now. Either I am in the line, the longest wait was 30 minutes or I do get through and their computer system is down.

So I can get incoming calls but can't make any calls myself.

I can't wait to get my bill or someone calling me to remind me to pay my bill.

Why should I pay for the telephone service I haven't had?

[rsbright]

I note your message mentioning complaints about people with a slight accent. I have a severe hearing problem that makes using the phone difficult. Yes, someone's accent can cause a problem. I always explain about my hearing problem and most call centre operators are helpful. A bigger problem is the speed at which most of them speak. My husband has perfect hearing and even he finds this difficult. Maybe some training should be offered on how to speak clearly rather than '19 to the dozen??'

[everylittlehelps]

the reason telephone jobs are going abroad is this country has become expensive to do business. if you want your calls to be answered by british/irish person then i'm afraid the bills would go up by 10% atleast. i would rather put up with a 'slight accent' than the increase.

[Idiophreak]

I really don't like speaking to these people with a "slight accent". It makes me feel stupid that I have to keep asking them to repeat themselves.

And in my opinion good CS doesn't include making your customers feel stupid.

As to "it would cost more". Fine. I'd quite happily pay a couple of quid per year for a "speak to someone english" option on my account.

[RoCas]

Oh, poor hash button

I'm setting up a campaign group DON'T BASH THE HASH ... just tap it gently.

Who's with me?

[gotnobread]

Some businesses, eg many broadband providers, are at the stage of growing their market share as quickly as possible and therefore customer service is an "anti-metric" to them (i.e. it is something that, if they pursued, would affect them negatively). They have no interest in customer service for sound business reasons - they just need to keep cost down and snare as many punters as possible before their rivals do the same (check out the work of Geoffrey A Moore for more info on why certain companies don't care.) Where there are customer service problems they can trot out the "this is because demand for our service has been so high" routine.

This should not apply in mature markets though. What does it say about businesses that grab cost efficiencies at the direct expense of their customers by reducing the standard of communication/service?

I agree with louised, the way to minimise costs is to sort your business processes, people and systems. Then your customers wouldn't need to contact you all the time (most of them do have better things to do with their lives).

Gotnobread.

[browolf]

my OH was p*ssed the other day over phoning master plan/care pcworld warranty people. transferred from central to laptop techs 50mins on hold and then phone disconnected. phoned back and demanded to be called back. which they did. and then i got to wondering if they had anyway of knowing someone had phoned previously and been on hold.....