Tired of all the questions from CRO?

[ladyjayhawk]

When you call CRO just to check on rates (not to book yet), do you always have to give your personal info? I get so tired of the 20 questions before they will give you the price. Has anyone ever said "lets skip the questions and just tell me if a room is available?"

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I am with you 100%... they ask me the same questions everytime & the kicker is, they have the info infront of them....why are they asking again . Then after minutes of questions, they check for the resort/rate only to find out it isnt' available. Then when you call back, you go through it again. Sometimes I wonder if Disney has stock in our phone companies after all, they are helping them make money by prolonging our converations. I know they have some sort of interest in mine, I have Sprint. Sprint & Disney will be partnering on cell phones for family's with children (special edition phones for kids to use)....

 

[chyam]

I am with you 100%... they ask me the same questions everytime & the kicker is, they have the info infront of them....why are they asking again . Then after minutes of questions, they check for the resort/rate only to find out it isnt' available. Then when you call back, you go through it again. Sometimes I wonder if Disney has stock in our phone companies after all, they are helping them make money by prolonging our converations. I know they have some sort of interest in mine, I have Sprint. Sprint & Disney will be partnering on cell phones for family's with children (special edition phones for kids to use)....

I have said the same thing for years............They not only waste my time they waste theirs, if you call and ask if your dates are available and they are then go on with the questions, if not they and I get off the phone and they are able to answer the phone for someone else who maybe able to book for different dates. I think they waste entirely to much of their time which makes us all wait to be answered when we call. The system defineately needs to be streamlined! Besides like you said they have all the info in front of them..........they actually have me with several named people whom I have visited Disney with and proceed to rattle off all these names and ask me who is coming with me this time? geeeeeeeesh don't they realize I live in FL and many people come to visit me and of course we spend a couple days at Disney! I always feel like I have run a brothel out of their rooms with all the names they say I have stayed there with!!! Wish I was having all that much "activity"
Perhaps we need to start an email campaign and tell them all of this, I have on several occasions sent them emails about this very same problem.

 

[snowbunny]

I used to get around this by checking rates on the website...but they've made it fantastically less useful by putting in that "offer" screen you have to wade through...

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I have said the same thing for years............They not only waste my time they waste theirs, if you call and ask if your dates are available and they are then go on with the questions, if not they and I get off the phone and they are able to answer the phone for someone else who maybe able to book for different dates. I think they waste entirely to much of their time which makes us all wait to be answered when we call. The system defineately needs to be streamlined! Besides like you said they have all the info in front of them..........they actually have me with several named people whom I have visited Disney with and proceed to rattle off all these names and ask me who is coming with me this time? geeeeeeeesh don't they realize I live in FL and many people come to visit me and of course we spend a couple days at Disney! I always feel like I have run a brothel out of their rooms with all the names they say I have stayed there with!!! Wish I was having all that much "activity"
Perhaps we need to start an email campaign and tell them all of this, I have on several occasions sent them emails about this very same problem.

Yes!!! They have my name linked to my aunt & uncle's from last year. All I did was ask about availability for them since I was already making a ressie for me...it wasn't even for the same time frame
They also had my daughter's boyfriends name this time when I called. I had called a few weeks ago looking for something for my 12/1-4 dates. I had to give all the info & then ended up not booking. Well, when I called the other night to get the FL rate (which I ended up canceling & then doing BRP since it was cheaper) I had to give my info again. I gave me & my daughter's names..then I said "daughter's boyfriend" and she said oh yes we have him here to is his name xxxxx xxxxx? I said yeah & if you look you may see his mom's ressie I am not sure which room he will be in... she looked up the mom's ressie & had all her info (just from me giving her the phone number).

 

[TnTsParty]

They always think I am my sister - with my married last name. I brought her once and now they think my first name is her's. I have told them numerous times that I am not her. Don't know why when they had her first and last name why they would hook her first name with my last name.

 

[srfrgrl07]

They always think I am my sister - with my married last name. I brought her once and now they think my first name is her's. I have told them numerous times that I am not her. Don't know why when they had her first and last name why they would hook her first name with my last name.

Probably because when they added her to your records they didn't input her last name and it defaulted to yours. Just tell them when you call, "Hi. My name is Jane Smith and I'd like to book a reservation." That should keep them from thinking you're your sister and you can tell them to correct her last name if you'd like.

 

[srfrgrl07]

I also want to add, although I know this is not the most popular opinion, that they are just doing their job. When I call any of the businesses that I have an account with, I usually have to verify my name, address, phone number and some type of security question like my social security number or the last four or my mother's maiden name, whatever. Call centers typically monitor calls to be sure that employees are following policy. For me, it really doesn't take that much more time (a matter of seconds) to check rates online if that's all I want to do.

Plus, it's my understanding that they gather that information for marketing purposes and that's how they send out promotional offers, so I'm okay with making sure that everything is correct so that I don't lose out on any special offers that I am eligible for. I would hate to know that I missed out on an email because I didn't verify that it was on my records!

 

[chyam]

I also want to add, although I know this is not the most popular opinion, that they are just doing their job. When I call any of the businesses that I have an account with, I usually have to verify my name, address, phone number and some type of security question like my social security number or the last four or my mother's maiden name, whatever. Call centers typically monitor calls to be sure that employees are following policy. For me, it really doesn't take that much more time (a matter of seconds) to check rates online if that's all I want to do.

Plus, it's my understanding that they gather that information for marketing purposes and that's how they send out promotional offers, so I'm okay with making sure that everything is correct so that I don't lose out on any special offers that I am eligible for. I would hate to know that I missed out on an email because I didn't verify that it was on my records!

I disagree completely.........first they ask you to enter your phone number then how many visits, then how many times in the past year etc. etc and that is even before you get to talk a live person! Then you get Tinkerbell or whom ever and you have to tell them your phone number again, your address and how many visits once again all the time they have this in front of them, believe me if I believed that it was simply for marketing I could handle it once in awhile, but when they can name off the last 10 years of people that I have stayed there with they have the info already. Just let me know if something is available for my time frame then ask as much as you want, if there isn't anything available then they really DO NOT need to know all that information on me. And as far as the person who has their sisters name in there, I have asked and asked for them to remove some of "room mates" from my file and they refuse! And it is not a matter of a few minutes, every minute that I am on hold adds up while they do the same spiel on some other person wanting to know availablity also. Many of us have been on hold for an hour or more during busy times, and it's not always because everyone is booking or because of codes, it is because we all have to go through the prerequisite answer session. Get me a room and go on with it, if not get me off the phone and go on to someone who maybe able to get a room. I used to say that they were getting a kickback from the phone companies!
As you can tell this is one HUGE pet peeve of mine with Disney!
And as far as giving passwords, mothers maiden names to other businesses that you do have accounts with, that is a different story, you are accessing an account and they should be careful who they give information to.......with the reservation line I just want to know if something is available plain and simple.

 

[sid]

hello people, this is sid from the DRC. well, for once, i'm going to agree with you guys on this topic, but unfortunately, it's our policy to do so. i've heard reasons ranging from trying to waste peoples' time to we're in collaboration with "Big Brother" by stockpiling all this information. the reason for the name, address, etc. at the beginning of each call is to; gather your name for possible reservations, statistical purposes, and for the sake of "shopping" around and seeing prices. obviously, marketing has something to do with it, but at the same time, if you're already in our system, we don't have to gather your information all the time. trust me, i do get frusterated at the fact that when people are checking prices/availability over the phone than over the internet because i could be helping someone who wants to book, but at the same time, there's nothing i can do about it. so, in the nicest way i can say it, when we ask, just bear with it, and let us either gather the information we don't have, or verify if you've already given it.

*edit*
after reading several posts about how we're already looking at the info and just making you jump through the hoops by making you repeat it, that's completely false. just like any teleprompt (i've been working call centers for the longest time), they never transfer all the information to a computer. if anything, we get the phone number, and if we get that, it might not even be the one that we have on record. granted, the current system we have right now could be better, but it's not. we have to deal with it, so we ask that you bear with it as well. as for those who are wondering about getting rid of their "roommates," our systems don't allow us to remove, just modify. you can ask us all you want, but the simple fact is that we're not able to. again, sorry about that.

 

[srfrgrl07]

I disagree completely.........first they ask you to enter your phone number then how many visits, then how many times in the past year etc. etc and that is even before you get to talk a live person! Then you get Tinkerbell or whom ever and you have to tell them your phone number again, your address and how many visits once again all the time they have this in front of them, believe me if I believed that it was simply for marketing I could handle it once in awhile, but when they can name off the last 10 years of people that I have stayed there with they have the info already. Just let me know if something is available for my time frame then ask as much as you want, if there isn't anything available then they really DO NOT need to know all that information on me. And as far as the person who has their sisters name in there, I have asked and asked for them to remove some of "room mates" from my file and they refuse! And it is not a matter of a few minutes, every minute that I am on hold adds up while they do the same spiel on some other person wanting to know availablity also. Many of us have been on hold for an hour or more during busy times, and it's not always because everyone is booking or because of codes, it is because we all have to go through the prerequisite answer session. Get me a room and go on with it, if not get me off the phone and go on to someone who maybe able to get a room. I used to say that they were getting a kickback from the phone companies!
As you can tell this is one HUGE pet peeve of mine with Disney!
And as far as giving passwords, mothers maiden names to other businesses that you do have accounts with, that is a different story, you are accessing an account and they should be careful who they give information to.......with the reservation line I just want to know if something is available plain and simple.

I understand your frustration, and I would suggest that if it's a HUGE issue for you that you go online and check it. You don't have to make a long distance phone call, you can check all 22 resorts if you want, and you don't have to go through as many questions. The questions at the beginning of the call before you get a live person simply routes your call to the correct agent, I don't think that they see all of that on the computer right away. And as far as accessing an account and being careful with info...there's no telling what could happen with identity theft these days and that extends to any business...I would imagine the agent is expecting a call to lead to a reservation since it is a reservation line, so it's a good idea to verify info right away just in case. I guess I just don't see what the big deal is since it is a matter of seconds. Everywhere you call nowadays has some type of automated system to route the call. We all have prcedures in our jobs that we have to follow. I guess there's really nothing I can say to make it easier, so I just thought I would explain myself more and hope that you understand how I see it.

 

[chyam]

I understand your frustration, and I would suggest that if it's a HUGE issue for you that you go online and check it. You don't have to make a long distance phone call, you can check all 22 resorts if you want, and you don't have to go through as many questions. The questions at the beginning of the call before you get a live person simply routes your call to the correct agent, I don't think that they see all of that on the computer right away. And as far as accessing an account and being careful with info...there's no telling what could happen with identity theft these days and that extends to any business...I would imagine the agent is expecting a call to lead to a reservation since it is a reservation line, so it's a good idea to verify info right away just in case. I guess I just don't see what the big deal is since it is a matter of seconds. Everywhere you call nowadays has some type of automated system to route the call. We all have prcedures in our jobs that we have to follow. I guess there's really nothing I can say to make it easier, so I just thought I would explain myself more and hope that you understand how I see it.[/QUOTE
Oh..........I do understand how YOU see it, and believe me I do use the online reservation system also, but it is almost a joke, if you are able to log on at all (passholder/FL resident) Like today for instance you cannot make a reservation using either the passholder/FL resident section of it, it just has a rate and a phone number. And it is alot more than a few seconds, I have actually worn down a cell phone battery listening to Hi Ho Hi Ho 10 times. I just think it is a waste of my time and their time to verify information if it will not be needed. Just tell me if it is available then lets go from there. It is different with a business account where you are already doing business, card numbers etc. to verify that the information is correct and you are who you say you are. But each of us has our own opinions and I was simply agreeing with the original poster. So i guess you explained yourself and I explained myself..............online is not always the way to go since many times they will not even accept codes when they are available, and did you know, as I found out today that if I make an online reservation (make a deposit) and then call and change to a different resort that you cannot transfer that original deposit to your new room reservation that you make on the phone? And is there a way to alter a reservation that you make online without calling........I haven't found it.

 

[sid]

as for modifying reservations, they have to be done over the phone with any DRC agent. that's the unfortunates of it.

 

[srfrgrl07]

To answer your questions...I know it can be a long hold time. I would suggest calling between 12-4 because the shifts overlap those hours. And no, you cannot modify a reservation or transfer funds booked online, but at least it's one less call especially if you don't have to make any modifications after you book. As far as the website, yes it is difficult to access much of the time and I hope something is done to fix that, but the current outage is due to other issues as referenced on other messages here. I know it's frustrating, I was just tyring to say have a little patience...in the whole scheme of things it's not a big deal to me and planning a Disney vacation should be fun, not stressfull!

 

[sid]

sounds like we have another DRC agent online posting. ;-)

 

[srfrgrl07]

No, just someone who has worked for Disney in the past and is familiar with the booking process...It pays to be a FL resident!

 

[sid]

litterally. you guys (along with Passholders) get some nice discounts.

 

[WDWBetsy]

Am I the only person with an unlimited long distance plan on my home phone? All this talk about being on hold and Disney having stock in the phone companies...

Sometimes I think people use "filler questions" to fill the time when they're using a slow computer system. If they want to ask me a question while they wait for a screen to pop up, that's fine with me.

At one point of my life, I was a Sprint operator. People would try using an AT&T calling card on a Sprint owned pay phone and get ticked that their call didn't go through like normal. So little old me would have to pleasantly ask them to read their calling card number. Man, did I get yelled at! Sometimes they'd start punching the numbers in on the phone; then I'd have to ask them to read it again. And let me tell you - I was a very nice operator!

I can understand if people get peeved when they're repeatedly asked the same questions, but please don't take it out on the CMs - they're just doing their jobs. I often wish that more people worked in the service industry so they'd understand and have more patience. I'm all for emails to Disney to ask them to improve stuff though!

 

[chyam]

sounds like we have another DRC agent online posting. ;-)

Ok..........You guys I am not slamming you and I do know you are doing your job I just think if Your higher ups realized some of the time they are wasting perhaps the system could be streamlined, making your job and my inquiries a lot easier and a lot less stressful. It just at times I think that for a billion dollar plus operation that Disney runs that they could make things easier for their employees and their customers. It's just like the online system, WDW should be a front runner in all of it's communications and systems instead it seems they are way behind the "industry" standards. And yes I have free long distance on my cell phone it's just that not all of us can spend all that time with a phone stuck to ones ear, and I would use the internet more if it were more modern (expedia and travelocity do it just fine) why does Disney have to be so "Mickey Mouse"
Most of you at the call center do a wonderful job and are almost always cheerful, it's the system that you have to work under and the rules of the management. Although I just wish that more of you would be on the same page about available programs , codes, etc. It seems you can talk to several different CM's and get a different answer from each of you. But all in all it is a good bunch.
And yes I do understand about the glitch in the online reservation system and how some people got some great rates, but it seems the system is more down than up.
Do your managers ever read these boards? they sure could learn alot

 

[sid]

oh, i'm not taking it as a slam whatsoever. trust me, i get aggrivated at the fact that when someone calls in for a info call that i do waste my time on asking questions when i know you only want to get rates or availability. it's just that at this time, that's the process that they've made for us to follow. the best things, as i've said, is just to help us go through it as fast as possible by either providing the information, or by verifying, whichever is applicable.