Best time to call....for "festive" CM's at DD!?!?

[loinsley]

Any hints on the best times of day to call Disney Dining and get a happy Cast Member? I have called too many times and have gotten very sullen folks....I try hard to be happy and upbeat in my calling and am "happy" even when my ADR's are not available. Just wondering....

 

[TDC Nala]

Sorry, I am pretty sure it's the luck of the draw as to what kind of CM you get when calling.

 

[loinsley]

I seem to keep getting a "bad draw"!

 

[Brian Noble]

Considering that they're probably making minimum wage at best, I'm happy just to get someone who is competent. I don't need them to sprinkle me with pixie dust, especially considering they spend a good chunk of their day dealing with people who don't understand why a breakfast tomorrow at CRT isn't possible.

 

[WDWMaiselFamilyWDW]

I just called about an hour ago...I was as chipper as possible...CM was polite enough but icy! I was asking for ADR's 5 months out. Other times I have gotten perky, sweet CM's but most of the time I am surprised by the lack of "magical" vibes. B. Noble's post is right on the money however!

 

[Lynne M]

You're calling to make your vacation reservations. It's a happy thing for you.

The CM, on the other hand, is barely making a living wage. They sit at a tiny little desk in call center, tied to the desk by a headset. If it's anything like other call center jobs, they have to account for every minute of their day, and even their bathroom breaks are timed. They're most likely rated on how many ADRs they make in a day, so they're in hot water if they spend too much time chatting with customers and being 'festive'. Not to mention dealing with all the people who are calling for the 37th time that week to see if there's an opening at CRT.

And they spend all day, every day, making reservations for restaurants they probably can't afford to go to because they have a lousy, low-paying job.

I don't want or need entertainment when I'm calling to make dinner reservations. I want efficient, professional service, and I want someone who's concentrating on getting my ADRs right.

 

[suzimar57]

very well said, lynne!

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

My mom was on the phone for a long time once with a chatty and pleasant CM in the evening, about 7 or 8.

 

[Aimeedyan]

You're calling to make your vacation reservations. It's a happy thing for you.

The CM, on the other hand, is barely making a living wage. They sit at a tiny little desk in call center, tied to the desk by a headset. If it's anything like other call center jobs, they have to account for every minute of their day, and even their bathroom breaks are timed. They're most likely rated on how many ADRs they make in a day, so they're in hot water if they spend too much time chatting with customers and being 'festive'. Not to mention dealing with all the people who are calling for the 37th time that week to see if there's an opening at CRT.

And they spend all day, every day, making reservations for restaurants they probably can't afford to go to because they have a lousy, low-paying job.

I don't want or need entertainment when I'm calling to make dinner reservations. I want efficient, professional service, and I want someone who's concentrating on getting my ADRs right.

AMEN!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

When you call Walt Disney World, unless you really know a direct number, you will get one of two offices.

The Disney Reservations Center (DRC) includes Walt Disney Travel Company (WDTC), Central Reservations Office (CRO), Disney Dining, and some other lesser known information lines. To the best of my knowledge the DRC locations are in the International Drive area, Tampa, Kansas City and Houston and Salt Lake City. There may be more. Some of the people working at the DRC call centers may never have been to either WDW or DL (or both).

The Main Switchboard (407-824-2222) is also where all calls to Disney Resorts go if you are dialing the phone number on the back of your reservations form. Also that is where calls go if you dial the Operator from your room, and possibly even calls to the Front Desk. The Main Switchboard people will, if asked, also identify themselves as Guest Services. They can put you through to any number on WDW.

At both DRC and MS they have access to a computer which has lots of Guest Information and it is very well organized. Actually, all CMs who have access to a terminal, or who even can access the "Cast Portal" from off-site, have access to this Guest Services information. I will often open an extra window when I am responding to people and go into the Portal for the latest official information.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Please be nice to the poor CM's.
2) In-House
. . . have quotas for average call-length
. . . can get criticized if they have poor numbers
3) Outside Contracted Employees
. . . have quotas for average call length
. . . if their average is long, they can lose their job
. . . they make about 20¢ per call
. . . the faster they get to next call, the more they make
. . . staying on the line costs money and possibly their job

 

[princesswendy720]

I called twice around 8 pm and got a great CM! Oddly enough it was the same woman both times even though I called on 2 different days.

 

[SnwflkCts]

I think it is luck of the draw. And I do understand the quota thing. I do not take up much time, I do have my desired places and times handy -- I do think of alternatives & I have a pen ready to write my conf number down.

That in mind -- on my first and second trip I had the sweetest Dining CMs. Just wonderful encouraging people and the first trip, I was all nervous so it was nice to have a "slightly chatty" person.

My third trip, I ended up with a dining CM who, though efficient, was just not ... magical. No special vibe. That trip ended up being cancelled anyway (DH swears that step tripped him on purpose and the knee gave out JUST to ruin our vacation plans) --

This trip - I ended up with a sweet, efficient and wonderful CM to make my ADRs with. She thanked ME for being such a cheerful person and wished me a magical day ...

I think it was a Monday morning or maybe a Monday just after lunch (day off).

 

[hippsmom]

I called around 7ish and had to terminate a call because the CM I was speaking to couldn't understand that 7:45pm is not an earlier reservation time than 6:00pm! I called back and spoke to a wonderful woman named Joyce who was able to get me a 4:40pm reservation, thank you. She was so helpful and offered information I did not ask about such as the candlelight processional dining packages and she stated that I should call back if I have a reservation time I don't like to see if something else is available. I have pretty good luck with DD otherwise.

 

[tzeitel]

The Main Switchboard (407-824-2222) is also where all calls to Disney Resorts go if you are dialing the phone number on the back of your reservations form. Also that is where calls go if you dial the Operator from your room, and possibly even calls to the Front Desk.

When you call the front desk from your room - you get the front desk. Every resort has a phones room where there are 2-3 front desk CM that work the lines. We answer questions, make ADRs, transfer calls to other areas in the resort. There is a front desk person answering phones 24/7. 3rd shift only has a couple of CM at the FD, if they are both busy c/i ppl in or running things to rooms then you might get transferred to a different dept.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

When you call the front desk from your room - you get the front desk. Every resort has a phones room where there are 2-3 front desk CM that work the lines. We answer questions, make ADRs, transfer calls to other areas in the resort. There is a front desk person answering phones 24/7. 3rd shift only has a couple of CM at the FD, if they are both busy c/i ppl in or running things to rooms then you might get transferred to a different dept.

1) At our Deluxe resort, room calls go to the Call Center, including
. . . Front Desk
. . . Concierge Desk
. . . Security
. . . etc
2) Sometimes the Call Center will allow calls to Concierge Desk, but not often.
. . . ADR calls can be better answered going to Dining
. . . ticket sales can be better handled going to ticketing
3) Allowing calls directly to FD would cause delays for guest assistance.


NOTE: If calls from rooms go directly to Front Desk, it would be interesting to know which resorts allow this. The WDW Call Center was set up to save manpower, so all calls go to these people. They then decide whether to call the resort Concierge-Front Desk-Back Room to see if they are interested in taking the call(s).