The Real Reason Productivity is Down in the US

I clicked on the Time Warner Cable Live Chat Support box.

Here is the actual transcript of what followed.

———

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

Malvin>Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of talking a brief survey. My name is Malvin. Please give me a moment while I access your account.

Charlie_>Ah hi Malvin

Malvin>Hello Charlie, how are you doing today?

Charlie_>fine thank you

Malvin>You are most welcome!

Malvin>How may I help you today?

Charlie_>I have no internet service; I use cable for internet only; wonder when I can expect it back?

Charlie_> Account Number xxx-xxx-xxx-xxxx Customer Code: zzzz

Malvin>Please let me know your region.

Charlie_>Manhattan, New York NY

Malvin>Oh!

Malvin>You chat is landed to the LA region.

Malvin>I need to transfer this chat to the right department to assist you with this. Please stay connected, while I transfer this chat.

Malvin>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

Zachary>Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. As our valuable customer, at the end of this chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey in order to help us improve our customer support experience for you. My name is Zachary. Please give me a moment while I review your account information.

Charlie_>Hi Zachary

Zachary>Hello Charlie.

Zachary>Can you please help me your 16 digits account number?

Charlie_>xxx-xxx-xxx-xxxx

Zachary>Thank you.

Zachary>Thank you for being our valuable customer. Please give me a moment while I review your account information.

Charlie_>OK thanks

Zachary>You’re welcome.

Zachary>Thank you for being our valued customer. How may I assist you?

Charlie_>My service is out: I want to know how long to expect it to be out?

Zachary>I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.

Zachary>Please tell me, since when are you facing this issue?

Charlie_>Since the hurricane a week ago

Zachary>I see.

Zachary>Please share some details on the inconvenience you’re facing.

Charlie_>I have internet-only service. I get no cable signal from the modem, neither when I pass it through the router, nor when I try it directly from the modem to my computer. I have tried turning them off, in different sequences, then turning them on — no change. I do not have TV service so I can’t tell you more

Zachary>Thank you for sharing this information with me. I’d be glad to assist you with this.

Zachary>I understand this could be frustrating for you.

Charlie_> My address is

Zachary>I’ll go ahead and troubleshoot this issue for you.

Zachary>Let me go ahead and transfer this chat session to our next level of support where you’ll be assisted further with this concern.

Zachary>Please stay connected while I transfer you.

Charlie_>oh groan OK

Zachary>Thank you.

Zachary>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst

Analyst has left the room. Your problem is being escalated to another analyst

Aaron>Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Aaron. Please give me a moment while I access your account.

Charlie_>OK

Aaron>Thank you for your patience, Charlie.

Aaron>How may I assist you?

Charlie_>Read the transcript above! My service seems to be out, and I’m trying to find out when it might be restored.

Charlie_>Do you need me to re-enter the information about account number, location, length of time of outage?

Aaron>Please give me a moment while I review your interaction with previous agent.

Aaron>Thank you for your patience, Charlie.

Aaron>I have reviewed your previous communication with Zachary.

Aaron>I would like to inform you that by mistake you have been transferred to a wrong department.

Charlie_>OK thanks

Charlie_>This is the third time today that happened. How can this be?

Aaron>Please stay connected as I transfer you to the concerned department.

Charlie_>OK

Aaron>Please be assured that I will connect you to the right department.

Aaron>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst

Charlie_>Hi

Margaret>Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable’s chatroom. Please give me a moment to view your account.

Charlie_>Sure

Margaret>Hello Charlie, I could not pull up an account with the info provided. Please provide a telephone number or account number.

Charlie_>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst

Charlie_>Account Number xxx-xxx-xxx-xxxx

Charlie_>Phone xxx xxx-xxxx

Charlie_> Customer Code: zzzz

Charlie_>New York NY

Margaret>TWC account numbers in LA start with 8448

Charlie_>Goddam it I’m in New York. This is the fourth time someone has sent me to LA. I’m assuming LA doesn’t handle New York issues, right? How in the world can I get someone to answer a simple outage question about New York service?

Charlie_>Here’s what Aaron before you said: Charlie_>OK Aaron>Please be assured that I will connect you to the right department.

Margaret>no cursing – I will escalate you to the NY chat.

Charlie_>And Zachary before him?

Margaret>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst

Diosdado>Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable Online Sales, Home of the Best Triple Play. My name is Dandy, How can I help you today?

Charlie_>Hi

Charlie_>You are the fourth person I’ve had this dialoge with; do you have access to the script?

Diosdado>Hello.

Diosdado>Yes,let me just check that.

Charlie_>My service is out. I want to know when to expect it back. Thanks

Diosdado>Thank you for the information.

Diosdado>One moment please.

Charlie_>OK

Diosdado>Thank you for waiting since you’ve been transferred to sales department i will just provide you the number that you should call.

Charlie_>WAIT!!!!!!! Every time I call a number, there is no answer

Charlie_>That’s why i went to the chat service!

Charlie_>I’ve spent the last 45 minutes on chat, you’re going to say it was all wasted, there’s no one on chat who can answer a simple service outage query?

Charlie_>I am dismayed

Diosdado>I’m sorry for that,But the thing is i will just transfer you to the technical support team so that they can answer your concern.

Charlie_>That’s what I was hoping for all along…

Diosdado>I’m sorry for the wrong transfer.

Charlie_>(s) plural, 3 of them

Charlie_>Thanks

Diosdado>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst

Charlie_>Yes, I know the drill

Charlie_>thanks

Erik Jacobs>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst

Analyst has left the room. Your problem is being escalated to another analyst

Antione>Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Antione. How may I assist you?

Charlie_>Antione, do you have access to the transcript preceding?

Charlie_>I’ve talked with Erik, Diosdado, Margaret, Zachary, Aaron and Malvin

Charlie_>I can re-enter the data; basically my service is out, and I want to know when I can expect it to return

Charlie_> Account Number xxx-xxx-xxx-xxxxCustomer Code: zzzz

Antione>Thank you for the share your concern again. Please give me a moment while I access your account and check for the information.

Charlie_>phone number xxx.xxx-xxxx

Charlie_>Thanks

Antione>Thank you for the information.

Antione>Please give me a moment while I check that for you.

Antione>xxx-xxx-xxx-xxxx

Antione>Thank you for your patience. I am checking that for you.

Charlie_>OK…

Antione>Charlie, I need to transfer this chat to the concern department. . Please remain online while I transfer the chat.

Charlie_>This is really amazing. This will be the 7th person I speak to about this. OK I’ll wait

Antione>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst

Shadd>Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Shadd. Please give me a moment while I access your account.

Charlie_>Hi Shadd

Shadd>Charlie, how are you doing today?

Charlie_>Fine except for this chat has been quite frustrating: you are number 7

Shadd>I am sorry for the inconvenience caused to you.

Charlie_>Thank you

Shadd>I understand how frustrating it is.

Shadd>You are most welcome.

Shadd>How may I assist you today?

Charlie_>Shadd, do you not have access to the transcript preceding?

Charlie_>My service is out: I want to know when to expect it back

Charlie_> Charlie_> Account Number xxx-xxx-xxx-xxxx

Shadd>I am sorry to hear that, I will definitely help you with the information.

Shadd>Please help me with the account number?

Charlie_>I just typed it in: read four lines higher

Charlie_>Here it is again: xxx-xxx-xxx-xxxx

Shadd>I am sorry for that.

Shadd>Thank you for the information.

Shadd>Charlie, I checked the details and I found that there is an outage in your area, that’s the reason of your services are out,

Shadd>I would like to inform you that, we have already made all the arrangements to make sure that it is fixed at the earliest.

Shadd>Be rest assured, our team is working on this issue.

Shadd>As I see the technician notes indicate about an Emergency maintenance carried in your area.

Shadd>We regret the inconvenience caused to you.

Charlie_>Well, thank you, that’s good to know it’s not just me, I do appreciate it. OK then, thank you. What does “emergency maintenance carried in my area” mean? I assume it means they’re expediting repairs probably, yes? Many thanks

Shadd>Yes, be rest assured the technician are currently working in the same issue.

Shadd>Most probably within 24 hours the service will be restored.

Charlie_>OK Shadd thank you.

Shadd>I will make sure that you get a prorated credit on your account as the outage is gone.

Shadd>You are most welcome.

Shadd>I will also make notes on your account regarding the same.

Charlie_>Thank you

 

10 replies
  1. MJGottlieb
    MJGottlieb says:

    Hysterical post. Very relevant and true, and albeit quite often a fist pounding experience. HYSTERICAL nonetheless… 🙂 Best-MJ

    Reply
  2. John
    John says:

    LOL I can’t count how many times this has happened, I am currently involved in an 8 week long email exchange with tech support on an Iphone APP.

    Automated messaging, IVR and Chat all have their place and can be valuable tools. The challenge for companies is to step back and use the system themselves. When they are not designed well, someone can tell thousands of people.

    Reply
  3. Douglas E Rice
    Douglas E Rice says:

    And I’m guessing the only reason you stayed connected was that you could use the transcript as a blog post??? The fact that I could put together a nice blog post on my bad experience has gotten me through many customer service debacles. I’m experienced the same thing with Time Warner, though. Very frustrating.

    Reply
  4. Ron
    Ron says:

    As a former customer of TWC, I can tell you that experience is not unique. I think 9 transfers must be an average for the webchat. I switched to them when we had issues with Verizon, but went back after a whopping 86 days.

    Reply
  5. aspath
    aspath says:

    I had a fantastic experience with Dell Customer support yesterday to replace a keyboard. I stated up front in my first post all the things I had tried already, and remarkably, the support rep read what I wrote, and did not proceed to ask me to try them again! Simply moved right on to the next link in the chain, which was ordering a new keyboard. It doesn’t have to be like this! I felt guilty for laughing in sympathy to your travails, and glad that I have satellite TV.

    Reply

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