#Customer service centers

[vertagedialer]

How does Outbound Dialer software work?

Outbound Dialer software works by using a computer system to dial phone numbers from a list of contacts, play pre-recorded messages, and connect live agents with potential customers. The software uses various algorithms to manage the calling process, ensuring that agents are not overwhelmed and that maximum connections are made.

[free-boundsoul]

Hate being an adult and making phone calls. Why can't I just email for everything?

[skeleslime-phantom]

If you're buying furniture and getting it delivered, ya GOTTA understand that there's gonna be SOME KIND OF FLAW with the products.

The furniture was made by humans, put into a box, that box was put in a truck, then onto a shipping container, then onto a boat, which arrives at a port, then loaded onto a truck, then unloaded into a warehouse, then back onto the truck for delivery, and THEN into your home.

Like dude to me it's a miracle the furniture made it here at all, you're lucky if it's only a knick or scratch.

Anyway, customer care doesn't actually care if you spent $6,969 on a bedset. Do you wanna get a replacement delivery scheduled or not? Stop wasting my time here on this good green earth. 🙄🔫

[steveharrington]

i’m a rlly nice person but if you’re rude to me on the phone when i’m trying to help you i really will wish nothing but the worst upon you for the rest of your life

[banafanax]

Just got put on hold to "In the Hall of the Mountain King." Between fits of incredulous laughter I wondered what message the company was trying to send. My guess is they thought "A rotating playlist of recognizable classical music sends a classy and professional tone," but all I heard was "You're about to be sent on a wild phone call goose chase you stupid asshat, so you better buckle up your five-point harness and brace for the most frustration you've ever felt in your life."

[crocsanddocs]

[biodegradablebisexual]

Translating what your coworker in the customer service department said to you:

They said: (Customer) is dedicated to making sure this is resolved quickly.

They meant: (Customer) will not allow me to disconnect this call until we have an answer for them, so I need you to figure this out.

They said: (Customer) advised they are expecting a call back from you.

They meant: This person let you a voicemail a week ago, why the fuck haven’t you called them back?

They said: I advised the customer that you will have to assist them with this issue moving forward.

They meant: This is so far above my pay grade and I have neither the time nor the will to cover the fact that you messed up.

They said: (Customer) asked me to pass along the following suggestion about (thing we do here).

They meant: Here’s some utterly unfeasible and high-key insane “suggestions” from someone who does not understand the logistics of what we do here. I hope you laugh as hard as I wanted to.

They said: I do think it’s important that we bear in mind the timeline we’re working on.

They meant: You’re delusional if you think I’m going to have time to get that done before the deadline that you gave me.

They said: Just a heads up, you’re probably going to get a really weird email from (Customer) pretty soon.

They meant: I was unable to give this person everything they have ever wanted, plus my first born, and $7 billion, so they’re about to send you an email letting you know how Incompetent and Disrespectful I am 🙃

[slut4thebroken]

Every once in a while I think about that one finished 10k word fic that I had in my drafts on wattpad that was randomly deleted and couldn’t be recovered :)

[whilomm]

recently i have learned that people really, REALLY, dont read signs. at fucking all.

i work in a grocery store, and the customer restrooms are being remodeled. this is somewhat annoying, but eh, whatever. they have portable ones set up outside, both the usual blue portapotties and some like, nicer sorta travel trailer thing (that i havent used yet, but eh, looks way nicer at least).

now, outside of the restroom area there is a Big Ass Sign, one of the metal ones that stands on the floor, that says Very Clearly:

—

NOTICE

RESTROOM REMODEL

portable restrooms are located at the front of the store for your convenience.

—

and i want to be clear, this sign is almost entirely blocking the entryway to the restroom area. it is physically improbable to reach the restroom area without touching with the sign, either by turning and brushing past it, or by pushing it slightly out of the way. you can NOT just walk past it, you have to touch it, interact with it at least slightly. now, you would think that a Large Sign directly blocking someones path would make them go oh, hm, perhaps i should read this. there is the word "notice" in a large, scary red block. perhaps this is revelant to me.

but no. i have in fact very often watched customers simply push past the sign, perhaps shoving it to the side as if its not there. not even in a "bathroom emergency" haste, they simply calmly push past it, not a care in the world.

they are then met with an even LARGER sign, this time hanging from the ceiling, sort of a banner made from a tarplike material, once again proclaiming 1. there is a restroom remodeling 2. there are portable restrooms at the front of the store.

now, you might expect people to think to themselves hm, a SECOND sign directly blocking my path, preventing me from entering the restrooms, which are also walled off in tarp. perhaps i should read this one?

but no. instead, these customers will look confused for a moment, they will look as if this new obstacle was completely unforseeable. they will then turn to the nearest employee, confusedly asking not "which way are the portable restrooms, i didnt see them walking in" or anything else sensible. no, they ask "so theres no restrooms????".

now, im not gonna claim that i am the most amazing sign reader ever. im sure i miss them on occasion, but i am definitely the type to notice when a store i go to regularly has a new piece of paper in the windows, and i will read it to make sure it doesnt say "NEW HOURS" or "WE ARE CLOSED FOREVER GOODBYE" or "THERE IS A RABID TIGER LOOSE IN THE STORE DO NOT OPEN DOOR", or whatever else may be relevant to my shopping experience. i will stop a moment, squint my eyes, and read. sometimes i will even read the small print, mayhaps even a full paragraph or two if the large print makes it feel necessary. i figure if someone spent the time to put a sign up, they must want me to read it, and i might as well make use of it, yeah?

as such, there is just a part of me that cannot fathom walking into TWO separate signs, each Very Large, one of which requires you to physically move it out of your way, each with only a one or two sentences of text written in a 80 point font, and just saying well. instead of reading that, i will bother an employee clearly on their lunch break and make them explain to me the restroom situation, and i will also proceed to ask followup questions such as "why" (because theyre remodeling) "well how long is it gonna last???" (the dates being clearly printed on the first sign they brushed past)

this makes a lot of things about the world make a lot more sense. i suppose some people view reading signs as a last resort, to be used only when there isnt an employee to bother and make them explain the thing they have already explained to 40 other customers in the past hour. even signs that are only two or three words are ignored. "partners only" is ignored as people walk straight into the bakery, then get angry when you tell them they arent allowed in here. "well how was i supposed to know???" (the big red sign, also the general vibes of the area being hostile to human life). "out of stock" signs might as well be nonexistant for how many people will simply ignore them and ask me "are there any more tortillas???" (no. thats what the sign says).

im sure plenty of customers HAVE in fact read the signs. im sure im just especially noticing the ones that are the most egregious. but christ alive the numbers of people who simply Do Not Read Signs is. hm. too high i feel.

[vertagedialer]

What is Outbound Dialer software?

Outbound Dialer software is a type of telemarketing automation solution that enables businesses to make automated phone calls to customers, prospects, or leads in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

[adultbeginnerballerina]

all these things that stay on screen? Bad Website Design. it’s common, too common, so much of the screen is blocked! can we go back to cluttered screens AND POPUPS being considered extremely tacky if not a sign that the website is really sketchy? personal gripe, but this time it was on a ballet site

it’s borderline disfunctional, especially when the “sign up for this discount” box pops up every single time you go to a new page. not even on a different tab, on the same one. you have to scroll to even click on the product through all the clutter on the screen

I also do not know a single person who actually wants to use a chatbot, let alone have it onscreen (and saying you have a message)

tbh it’s so inconvenient I don’t even want to be on the site, despite the sale

uh anyway, mod hates modern website design, dancewear edition

[ofbetterbodies]

BRUH PEOPLE HAVE DEFINITELY POSTED ABOUT ME ON THE LULULEMON REDDIT LMFAOOOOO

[lateniteponders]

New Job….?

So as some of you (aka 1 of you) saw on my last post…I got a new job. And quit my old job.

Well….new job kept nagging me over and over to sign their offer letter but wouldn’t answer my question about needing time off within 90 days of hire. So I caved and signed. Then no one would tell me when I was starting…despite me telling them multiple times that I was still employed and needed to give my employer a notice of some kind. So I emailed and emailed….no response. Finally I called the guy who offered me the position. We will call him Danny. He picked up and helped answer my questions. Time off shouldn’t be an issue, he said. He asked if I could start on 6/14/2023….and at the time of our phone conversation it was 6/12/2023. I told him, yet again, that I was still employed and needed to give my notice. He should he would check and call me back. A few hours later he called me back and said I could start 6/19/2023. Ok, that works….but what about work equipment? (Remote call centers typically send you all your equipment before the 1st day of training). He said the first few days were onboarding stuff and all I would need would be a personal device and Zoom. Ok, no problem.

Well, I gave a 1 week notice and leave my job on Thursday 6/15. Ended things fine, no bridges burned or anything. Then me and my husband go to the in-laws for the weekend. I check my email on Friday night, no zoom link. I check again on Saturday...still no link. I check again on Sunday night. No link. I sign into the company website where I've been doing all my onboarding paperwork....and see there is one more document I need to sign. Did I get any type of notification of this? NOPE. So I sign it. After signing said document I see the start date says 6/26/23. A little annoying but ok I can take a week off.

I send an email on Mon June 19 to follow up about my start date. Danny tells me it is not confirmed yet and will update me ASAP. Well Wednesday June 21 comes and I have no update, so I call him. He told me my background check delayed my start and that leadership needs to update him when my start date will be, but the background check is completed. Okay fine. I call again on Friday 6/23, twice, was sent to voicemail. I left a message asking for an update.

I check my email on Monday, 6/26/2023. Guess what? NO LINK.

I checked their onboarding website yesterday, 6/27. Guess what? MY START DATE IS NOW JULY 10! Did I get a call or email about this? NOPE. My goddamn start date has been changed THREE times now.

At this point, I've started applying to jobs. Started applying last week because I just see fucking red flags all over the place. I can't be rehired at my old job because I only gave a 1 week notice.

And yes, I researched the company before signing their offer. I found their website, LinkedIn page and Glassdoor reviews. They have a 3.9 star rating.

Just…what in the ever fucking shit is this bullshit? Because it sure ain’t fucking professional.

Back to applying to jobs. I have all the time in the world to do interviews now. Let’s hope something better comes along.

[janiedean]

anyway

hello i'm still here i won't have wifi until october 4th, i could write a book about how the worst thing about adulting is dealing with call centers and I'm tired af but I'll manage to be back steadily is2g I miss shitposting here so badly

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The White House has issued new rules aimed at companies that manufacture synthetic DNA after years of warnings that a pathogen made with mail-order genetic material could accidentally or intentionally spark the next pandemic.

The rules, released on April 29, are the result of an executive order signed by President Joe Biden last fall to establish new standards for AI safety and security, including AI applied to biotechnology.

Artificially generated DNA allows researchers to do all sorts of things—develop diagnostic tests, make beneficial enzymes to eat up plastic, or engineer potent antibodies to treat disease—without having to extract natural sequences from organisms. Need to study a rare type of bacteria? Instead of going out into the field to collect a sample, its genetic sequence can simply be ordered from a DNA synthesis company instead.

Synthesizing DNA has been possible for decades, but it’s become increasingly easier, cheaper, and faster to do so in recent years thanks to new technology that can “print” custom gene sequences. Now, dozens of companies around the world make and ship synthetic nucleic acids en masse. And with AI, it’s becoming possible to create entirely new sequences that don’t exist in nature—including those that could pose a threat to humans or other living things.

“The concern has been for some time that as gene synthesis has gotten better and cheaper, and as more companies appear and more technologies streamline the synthesis of nucleic acids, that it is possible to de novo create organisms, particularly viruses,” says Tom Inglesby, an epidemiologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

It’s conceivable that a bad actor could make a dangerous virus from scratch by ordering its genetic building blocks and assembling them into a whole pathogen. In 2017, Canadian researchers revealed they had reconstructed the extinct horsepox virus for $100,000 using mail-order DNA, raising the possibility that the same could be done for smallpox, a deadly disease that was eradicated in 1980.

The new rules aim to prevent a similar scenario. It asks DNA manufacturers to screen purchase orders to flag so-called sequences of concern and assess customer legitimacy. Sequences of concern are those that contribute to an organism’s toxicity or ability to cause disease. For now, the rules only apply to scientists or companies that receive federal funding: They must order synthetic nucleic acids from providers that implement these practices.

Inglesby says it’s still a “big step forward” since about three-quarters of the US customer base for synthetic DNA are federally funded entities. But it means that scientists or organizations with private sources of funding aren’t beholden to using companies with these screening procedures.

Many DNA providers already follow screening guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2010. About 80 percent of the industry has joined the International Gene Synthesis Consortium, which pledges to vet orders. But these measures are both voluntary, and not all companies comply.

Kevin Flyangolts, founder and CEO of New York–based Aclid, a company that offers screening software to DNA providers, says he’s glad to see the White House taking action. “While the industry has done a pretty good job of putting some protocols in place, it’s by and large not consistent,” he says. Still, he hopes Congress will adopt formal legislation by requiring all DNA providers to screen orders.

Last year, a bipartisan group of legislators introduced the Securing Gene Synthesis Act to mandate screening more broadly, but the bill has yet to advance.

Emily Leproust, CEO of Twist Bioscience, a San Francisco DNA-synthesis company, welcomes regulation. “We recognize that DNA is dual-use technology. It’s like dynamite, you can build tunnels, but you can also kill people,” she says. “Collectively, we have a responsibility to promote the ethical use of DNA.”

Twist has been screening sequences and customers since 2016, when it first started selling nucleic acids to customers. A few years ago, the company hired outside consultants to test its screening processes. The consultants set up fake customer names and surreptitiously ordered sequences of concern.

Leproust says the company successfully flagged many of those orders, but in some cases, there was internal disagreement on whether the sequences requested were worrisome or not. The exercise helped Twist adopt new protocols. For instance, it used to only screen DNA sequences 200 base pairs or longer. (A base pair is a unit of two DNA letters that pair together.) Now, it screens ones that are at least 50 base pairs to prevent customers from shopping around for smaller sequences to assemble together.

While Twist has tightened its own screening measures, Leproust still worries about some hypothetical scenarios that are beyond her control. For instance, a state actor with bad intentions could start making its own gene sequences. “Probably the biggest risk is if a state wants to build their own DNA synthesis capabilities,” she says. “They may be able to do it, because states have vast resources.”