Chat queue - shocking

[#1]

Thanks for your support, Minivanman !

[#2]

@Minivanman I USED to be happy with the chat system, until this week. Twice I tried it yesterday (after no reply to my question in the phone forum) and had wait numbers well over 35 both times (8+ hours apart not sequential)

[#3]

Just speaking as I find.

[#4]

Minivanman, - I'm all in favour of a balanced view, but in a thread in which a significant number of people are trying to draw attention to an issue which is very real to them, it helps no-one (except Plusnet) and undermines the otherwise sound case for you to pop up individually and say that you have been unaffected.

Jack was speaking as he found when he said that he was alright, - but there was still no reason to pull up the ladder!

Sometimes discretion can be a virtue.

[#5]

You are being rather unfair if I may say so. 

If you read back over my many posts concerning the problems I have had with this company you will see that I am far from being their number one fan. Are you suggesting that if we cannot agree, that if we cannot sympathise, then we should just hold our own council? 

So much for having a balanced debate. 

[#6]

One way to get the wait times down, set everything to zero.
http://portal.plus.net/supportpages.html?a=212

I wounder if this was an idea from marketing ?
PN is there a known reason why the call stats are down ?

Regards
Mike

[#7]

After needing to speak to tech support , i rang about 9.50 am this moring , to be told wait time was up to 15 mins to speak to tech support. In reality took 42 mins - pathetic.

PN if you can not answer  the phones in a timely manner , at least get the wait time message correct, even better make sure you have enough staff. This is the main reason i have recently moved a few lines to other providers, who know how to answer a telephone consistently and in a timely manner.

Regards
Mike

[#8]

Appreciate your comments Mike, we are still looking to drive down the queues for both chat and calls though it's not a quick process.You'll probably find that the call and chat queues tend to sync to similar waits.

I am seeing a significant amount of new blood in our building though who will be in the process of training as we speak.

Matty

[#9]

@MattyC

Might help if someone fixes the online phone wait times page - taken at 12:14 on 5th October 2016 from http://portal.plus.net/supportpages.html?a=212

[#10]

If anything, it's likely that the page would be removed, though I've fed back.

[#11]

Great - one of the more useful pages in deciding when to phone and just because it is embarrassing it will be removed

I bet the staff don't agree with this supposition

[#12]

---

@MattyC wrote:

Appreciate your comments Mike, we are still looking to drive down the queues for both chat and calls though it's not a quick process.You'll probably find that the call and chat queues tend to sync to similar waits.

I am seeing a significant amount of new blood in our building though who will be in the process of training as we speak.

Matty

---

We've been seeing the same comments posted for God know how long - at least three years and all that happens is it gets worse. Somehow it doesn't wash any more!

[#13]

I don't believe that things are going to get any better until the faceless management team dip into their pockets and pay out to FIX the core elements of their back-office systems that are inhibiting the Front Line staff from doing their job effectively.

• A finance system that is not capable of coping with either the flexibility of a modern product set or with current banking practices like Faster Payments and Direct Debits.
• An 'automation' system that is often quoted as the root cause of many of the frequently occurring problems. E.g.  Charging customers when the order is 'complete' on the internal system, but not yet confirmed by the supplier;  Confusing Incorrect Emails generated by the 'System' ............
• An inadequate provisioning platform that allows Orders to be cancelled by the supplier and not be picked up and actively followed up by Plusnet staff.  Many examples on the Forum of no action until the customer rings in to complain.

Many problems are a combination of failures in one or more of these components - often in serial mode.

There ARE products on the market that can address these issues in a far shorter time than the 6+ years that Plusnet  have been looking at the problem.  Time to abandon the old systems and move into the New World or be backed into EE and swallowed up.

All it needs is the will and a bit of investment to get back to the old Plusnet that served the Community well for a lot of years.

M

[#14]

Webpage says: Instantly chat online with one of our support advisors.

Webchat:

Info at 10:59, Oct 7: Thank you for choosing to chat with us. 

Info at 11:39, Oct 7: All agents are currently assisting others. Your place in the queue is 1. Thank you for your patience.

Still not through after forty minutes.

I have just signed up to Plusnet today thinking the £100/year cheaper service at Sky was [-Censored-]. I have the luxury of a 14 day cancellation option which I may as well exercise. Poor customer service at Sky or at Plusnet ... well Sky is offering me to treat me badly for less

[#15]

New customer today, and ex-customer by 12:04!

Well done Plusnet. No amount of friendly Sheffield accents hides poor customer service.

Yesterday the sales team were available at the push of the chat button, or at the end of the phone. After signing up earlier today I wanted to query something about my account. Forty-seven minutes in the chat queue before speaking with someone, I decided to join this community and see that today is not exceptional.