When is "The Front Desk" not "The Front Desk"

[cyiland]

Perhaps this could have gone to a general board instead of the DVC board, but I think us DVCer's might have a special interest in this:

I'm staying at the BCVs (in fact I'm here right now as I type), and just learned that when you hit the button on the phone that says "Front Desk", you get someone at some consolidated "Front Desk" 15 miles away from your DW resort. This from a "cast member" at the hotel who was frustrated by this new "so-called improvement". Who'd have ever thought it: front desk no longer is self-descriptive!!!???

The problem comes when they don't do a decent job of making sure those folks know what they're talking about... at least that's when MY problems came up. (See the High-Speed Access thread if you care for more info.)

Anyway, thought you might be interested in that tidbit of info. And no, my Internet access woes over the past 24 hours haven't been enough to dampen my spirits!

 

[Pa@okw95]

Central front desk is what it sounds like to me!! What next? Maybe when you check in during off peak hours you will just pick up a phone instead of talking to someone at the check in area. Oh no!!I just gave them another idea!!

 

[CarolMN]

I suspect that this was a cost saving move and so I don't really have a problem with it. I bet a lot of calls are for the same reasons and can easily be handled by most anyone. That said, I'm sure there are cases where I'd want to talk to a CM familar with the resort.

Thanks for letting us know. If I ever have to call the front desk and don't get a satisfactory response, I'll know to ask to either be connected to the "real" front desk or go down in person.

 

[Disney Doll]

I'll have to agree with CarolMN. It's good info so that if I don't get a satisfactory response to my "front desk" question, I'll walk to the front desk and see a CM in person.

 

[Regina]

How many times have you called the front desk and listened to the phone ring and ring? Conversely, how many times have you been at the front desk only to find the CM tied up on a phone call?

I have no problem with them centralizing this if it alleviates these scenarios.

 

[BigDisneyKids]

We joined DVC in February, first it was the price increase for SSR, then the price increase for park passes now a centralized front desk, what's next? I hope we don't regret this.

Remember what Eisner said a few weeks ago to NEWSWEEK, "Magic is about deception." Wow, it must be, now that he's making CM's disappear and reappear 15 miles away! If that's not magic, I don't know what is.

Then again, he may need the money especially since his Disney's stock is down again?

 

[Peter Johnson]

We know a CM who worked at the Call Center. The information below is a few years old, but shoud still be basically correct.

When you call the "Front Desk" number from any WDW resort room phone, your call ends up in the Call Center, not at your resort. The CMs know your name, resort, room number and visit details when they pick up the call. Depending on the nature of the call, the Call Center may transfer it to the actual resort front desk.

The Call Center is a room full of computer servers and telecom hardware. Each CM handles specific resorts.

I don't recall the name of the road the Call Center is on, but if you drive past PO (towards MK), and take a right at the end of the road, the Call Center is a short distance down the road on the left.

 

[MelissathePooh]

you know, I heard that the "cookie" smell at the main street bakery isn't really cookies baking, but a piped in smell to make you think it is cookies!

DR

 

[Terry S]

The front desk calls have been going to a central location for years now. I found that out about 3 years ago when I called the "Front Desk". I told them I had left something down there a few minutes earlier and wanted to make sure it was still there so I could come and get it. The women told me that she was not really at the "Front Desk" but she could transfer to the real front desk. I was a bit confused and asked her if I pushed the right button on the phone and she told me "yes, I did", but It doesn't connect you to the actual front desk.

So, I just wanted you to know, this isn't a recent change, this has been happening for years.

 

[Peter Johnson]

Originally posted by MelissathePooh
you know, I heard that the "cookie" smell at the main street bakery isn't really cookies baking, but a piped in smell to make you think it is cookies!

DR

Sad, but true But in Disney's defense, many grocery store bakeries do that also.

 

[mbhoxsie]

I am a supervisor for a fairly large Call Center/Command Center environment...

The Central Desk idea doesn't bug me in the slightest as long as the service stays to be what I expect... Small wait times, no abandons, friendly and compotent CM's, etc..

What disapointed me last December was the WDW-DINE number..

This is no exageration... I called the number from my Cell phone at the MGM boat dock at BWV... Waited on hold for the entire length of the boat ride, through the entry into the parks, and finally got a CM by the time my DW, DS, DD, and I were in line for the Playhouse Disney Show...

At least 30 cell phone minutes, just to get Priority Seating at 50's Prime Time Cafe...

Centralization and consolidation is ok, as long as it makes sense.. When the customer suffers adversely is when the corporation should rethink its position...

Hopefully Disney will at least keep the Call Center CM's onsite at WDW... In these days of cost cutting, I wouldn't be suprised if the CC CM's went the way of the animation department, and were shipped offshore...

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by BigDisneyKids
We joined DVC in February, first it was the price increase for SSR, then the price increase for park passes now a centralized front desk, what's next? I hope we don't regret this.

Well, if you were expecting prices to remain stagnant indefinitely, methinks you have probably come to the wrong place.

This is the first across-the-board park ticket increase in over 18 months. And an increase in the DVC point costs only means that the value (such as it is) of your DVC purchase will inevitably increase.

Not really reason for concern, IMO.

 

[Dean]

I think Disney has done this for years. I know on several occasions when I scheduled a wake up call, it was obviously not someone at our resort. As long as they have a way to handle the appropriate issues/problems, it is likely a good idea. The problems will arise when there is an issue that can't be handled by the first person you get on the phone.

 

[freediverdude]

Well, all I know is, if in the future I hit the "front desk" button on the WDW resort room phone, I BETTER NOT be getting some call center in India!! I will be very very upset!! Of course, by then, I will have nobody to complain to, because the real "front desk" will be a computer terminal in the lobby where you check in

 

[KNWVIKING]

***"....because the real "front desk" will be a computer terminal in the lobby where you check in"***

What do you think The Timekeeper is doing when the attraction is "seasonally closed" ?

***" Well, all I know is, if in the future I hit the "front desk" button on the WDW resort room phone, I BETTER NOT be getting some call center in India!!"***

Hmmmm......... how will you know the call was routed to India and not the Best Western on International Drive ??

I have no problem with a Central Call location because apparently it must work. I've called the front desk a few times over the last couple years and always had satisfactory results. I'm sure some have had problems going thru central call, but I'd be willing to bet that in years past, calling the real "front desk" also resulted in some problems.

 

[cyiland]

I didn't make it clear in this post, but my issue is less with where the Front Desk was located and MORE with the fact that those staffing the "virtual front desk" had not been provided with the information they needed in order to handle my call - as stated by the person at the Business Center.

For me, the lack of info being passed (in THIS case; clearly others have had other results) resulted in me delaying Internet access for 24 hours, making an unneeded trek to and from the Business Center in the Convention Center back to my room at the far end of BCV, plus more time getting the wrong info I'd been given straightened out. Though the issue cost more than simply the 40 minutes of my time, even 40 minutes is expensive at Disney prices!

OK, that's behind me, and the rest of the trip will be great, right?!!!

 

[skelooch]

I was at WDW last week and called WDW-DINE from my cell phone and got routed to a call center in Kansas City, the woman told me that overflow calls get routed to different call centers. Unfortunately because they don't handle dining all the time she wasn't to knowagable.

 

[Peter Johnson]

Originally posted by freediverdude
Well, all I know is, if in the future I hit the "front desk" button on the WDW resort room phone, I BETTER NOT be getting some call center in India!!

IIRC, our friend said that when a guest needs a translator, the call goes to a translation center in Illinois. The guest, translator and Call Center CM then have a three-way call.

 

[Pa@okw95]

My son used to be a manager at a call center. They took calls for everyone and everything under the sun. When I called my credit card company the other day, I was sure I was not talking to a bank employee, anyway 6 calls later the problem was not solved, they finally decided to get in touch with the person from the bank that wrote me a letter about something. Call centers are more common than one thinks, but when you stay in a hotel one would hope that you get the front desk, when you call the front desk.

 

[trooper]

It always scares me when misinformation gets out about My beloved DVC's. Here is the truth from the "Mouse's Mouth". The call center idea started several years ago for Central Reservations. About 2 1/2 years ago the idea was accepted to rout front desk calls to a central location. This was done for several reasons. Yes, cost savings was the big one, but to support that, it also cut back on calls to front desk agents, and to the resort itself. This allows more of a front desk cast member's attention to be on the guests and service. All resorts did not make the move at once. It is still an ongoing process. Yes the Beach Club made the move less than a year ago. The call centers have several locations, some close to disney, some not so close. The bottom line is they were given a ton of information about each resort, and the means to identify where the call is coming from if it is on Disney property. Taking into concideration that each cast member handles several hundred calls a day, some issues may arise.

Now, all that being said, is it a good idea?? It does make things less personal at the resort, and it does make things a little tough when you want a resort cast member on the phone. I've read many times online Disney Exec's claiming that cost cutting and employee cutbacks aren't affecting service levels, and either they are in denial or aren't visiting their parks and resorts. But at the end of the day, if this helps keep my dues and other costs down, I'm for it... for now!