NEW : Top Issues in the CSC this week!

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For the next couple of weeks we're going to publish our top reasons for inbound contacts into our Customer Support Centre. We'll be looking out for customers' feedback as to this 'trial' and if it's positive - we will start doing it every week (or perhaps more regularly!). When you read the top reasons it's important to understand that, as an inbound support centre, many of the top issues are likely to remain the same most of the time. For example, things like faults reports / updates and customers querying how to setup their connection etc... are exactly what we're here for. In fact, we want to see more of the 'standard' stuff here on the 'Top 5' than anything else - because that proves that we're doing our best to provide a great service and it means that contacts are not coming in as a direct result of something we have done (i.e. our actions impacting on customers). So, here's a run down of what we've seen this week :- SPAM Queries Customers receiving unwanted e-mails and asking about our Spam Protection. Concerned parents asking for advice on filtering spam from their children. Good feedback on Blog updates regarding Spam and what we're doing to help combat it. Don't be fooled that 'SPAM' has only made an appearence in the Top Issues since the Webmail Incident a few months back. For the last couple of years we've seen a growing trend and it's important we keep on top of spam where possible. Spam is a problem caused due to the design and implementation of email in general. It has plagued us for some time and will continue to do so. We will do all we can to help customers deal with it. The Spam Protection guide can be found on the Portal here : http://www.plus.net/support/security/spam/spam_protection_guide.shtml Hardware Setup Queries Helping customers setting up their hardware/routers to connect to their PlusNet Broadband service. Many Customers unable to access the internet due to incorrect proxy / DNS settings inherited from their previous ISPs. This is often a pertinent reason for inbound contacts to our Support Team. Hardware Setup Guides can be found on the Portal here : http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/hardware/index.shtml Customers raising faults Authentication and speeds seem to be the hot topic this week with customers calling regarding problems with both. Speed problems are a mix of genuine faults raised to BT and educating the customers on IP Profile issues, Delta Reports and Sync-blips due to bad weather etc... A few more than normal this week in terms of MSOs, so an increase in Authentication reports coming through. If you suspect you have a Broadband Fault, you can report it to us here : http://faults.plus.net Email Setup - Member Centre and Clients Customers asking for confirmation on how to setup mailboxes, aliases and redirects as well as help on setting up their local mail clients etc... A high majority of these are not aware of the extensive online help and need clarification on certain areas for setup. Where necessary we have educated as to the wealth of information and step-by-step setup guides available via the Portal. Email Setup guides can be found on the Portal here : http://www.plus.net/support/email/setup/email_setup_guide.shtml Sales Calls We've seen an increase over the past months on Sales calls. Mainly customers enquiring for information on Broadband and Home Phone. Common questions relate to line rental being included on Home Phone and broadband usage allowances and bandwidth costs. Customers are encouraged to visit the website to signup, but we do now have a process in place to either hand-hold a signup, or signup a customer via phone if they do not have access to the internet. Many customers calling for sales information complaining about service that they currently have elsewhere, or whom have already signed up elsewhere but are experiencing difficulty getting activated and getting nowhere with their support. -- Please Note: This weekly post represents the significant topics our customers have raised with our support team over the course of this week. The information is provided in the spirit of openness for which PlusNet strives. Each day we review pertinent items and this drives internal discussion around what we can do to improve the experience for customers. It's expected that issues like ADSL faults, service problems and assistance with setting up software or equipment will always be near the top of the list for our support team. If people didn't have problems and questions we would only need a sales team! Customer feedback or suggestions on any of these items (especially if it helps us improve the experience for other customers) is most welcome via the comments section below.