How does one become an Oracle?

[Xavientois]

I'm curious about the role of an Oracle (though I have only recently gotten my account) in the community.

Other than the 20$ reward, what sort of job do Oracles do? At a certain point, won't all of the most common questions have been answered? What happens after that?

I'm new to the community, so maybe my above assumption is incorrect, but I do wonder about it.

[darlicious]

@BearFBI 

Lol....yes I enjoy the freedom to open my big mouth when wanted.

[BearFBI]

If I was an oracle I'd get fired lol. That job would definitely not suit me. 

[darlicious]

@Xavientois 

Welcome to the community! Indeed many of the questions asked are common problems and can be repetitive in nature. They can easily be searched by using the search bar. I have used it to help answer many questions that I have had no idea what the solution was or even know what they were asking about. It is a great resource for your own curiosity.

When I first switched to public mobile and joined the community I was completely technologically challenged. I had only begun using a smartphone and still used a flip phone for one of my two accounts. I like to say I went to public mobile's community college as I had a huge learning curve to overcome as I took on managing several accounts of some of my referrals who were simply unable or unwilling to manage their accounts and service themselves. Surprisingly they have had few if any issues with their service. Of everyone I have referred the only real problem account has been one of mine! So thankfully I spent the time here to learn the ins and outs of public mobile's service. As an added bonus I've been lucky enough to earn a community reward every month since I've joined.

More than earning a community reward I have been able to refer enough people coupled with the autopay and loyalty rewards to bring both of my account's bill(s) to $0. I have always helped out others or advocated for them. The community gives me an opportunity to do that everyday. You get to meet and get to know people you would have never met in your own life. They come from different backgrounds, age groups etc...and from every region in Canada. You get to socialize a little, have a few laughs, help out and learn. Trust me I still learn something new everyday.

A topic can be raised that creates an extensive discussion among members. Sometimes it can make pm stand up and notice and change policy, plans, promotions etc.... Other times an unusual problem with a phone or a part of one's service will get many regular's thinking caps on trying to solve it or figure out its cause. A few times they have dragged on for weeks with multiple google searches, different tests and troubleshooting. Occasionally there is a eureka moment other times it just will get chalked up to unresolvable.

Although I still want to fling my tablet out the window in frustration about once week I never would have imagined two years ago that I would have gained all of the knowedge I have today about mobile phones, the cellular industry, public mobile in particular and the computer skills I was sorely lacking in previously. Sure lots of the questions are the same but you end up learning all kinds of other things in the discussion that comes along with helping answer those queries. The more effort you put into the community will pay dividends in your knowledge and enjoyment of your service. It will make your pocketbook happy too.

[Doomsday]

As far as I understand it, by helping others resolve problems in the community space.

Or by being one of the oldest and wisest programs created in The Matrix  😉

Good luck

[hairbag1]

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@Xavientois wrote:

Thank you for the link! That post is very informative.

I do still wonder, though, what happens when all of the possible questions have been asked? I am not very familiar with the intricacies of cellular service, but I would expect that most of the issues that individuals face are relatively common? I understand that there may be edge cases, but a lot of questions appear to be similar when I take a cursory look at some of the topics.

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Most customers who have problems don't take the time to look through the PM library of possible answers...they go right to the Community and post their concern. Some common problems like autopay glitch are asked several times weekly.

EDIT...a lot of customers don't even know the Community exists until they run into an issue affecting their phone service.

[Anonymous]

The Public Mobile Community Team post this please read it,

We have some exciting news to share - we're looking to grow our Oracle program!

As Public Mobile continues to grow and expand, we're hoping to do the same with our Oracle program; not only are we looking for new and exciting opportunities for Oracles to get more involved with the Community and with Public Mobile, we are also looking to expand our Oracle team. 

We're looking to add passionate, knowledgeable Oracles to the team, and we would especially love to add diversity and representation from those that are bilingual French speakers, so we can better support our Community. 

The Oracle program is designed to recognize our most active and helpful Community members who are passionate and knowledgeable about all things Public Mobile, enjoy helping others, and are interested in providing feedback & participating in ideation with Public Mobile.

This time around, we'll be trying something new and will be using an application process to allow all who are interested to apply should you meet the criteria below:

Who we're looking for:

• Friendly, welcoming, positive individuals that want to make the Community a better place & help others
• An active member of the Community for the past 12 months (you should be a top 25% contributor or higher for roughly 9 of the last 12 months)
• Someone who is able to take on a minimum commitment of 1 year to the Oracle program
• Individuals who want to be representatives of the Public Mobile Community, and who maintain and uphold our Community guidelines

Our expectations of Oracles:

Oracles are expected to be an active, involved member of the Community, and will be responsible for:

• Providing Community support such as answering questions and helping other members
• Maintaining the Community by keeping it organized
• Providing feedback & participating in beta testing and research sessions with Public Mobile 

What’s in it for you:

• Being the first to know about official Public Mobile news
• Sneak-peeks at new Public Mobile projects and initiatives
• Opportunities to provide feedback and weigh in on upcoming Public Mobile projects
• Events with the Public Mobile team
• Occasional Public Mobile swag
• Oracle Community badge 
• Unique Community privileges 
• And last, but not least, a $20 Community Reward every 30 days!

Does the above sound like something you'd be interested in? If so, we'd love to hear from you via our application form here; please apply by Thursday December 3rd. We will be reaching out to the successful candidates later in the month to chat about next steps! 

[Xavientois]

Thank you for the link! That post is very informative.

I do still wonder, though, what happens when all of the possible questions have been asked? I am not very familiar with the intricacies of cellular service, but I would expect that most of the issues that individuals face are relatively common? I understand that there may be edge cases, but a lot of questions appear to be similar when I take a cursory look at some of the topics.

[JK8]

@Xavientois 

Here is a link on the last application process.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/We-re-expanding-our-Oracle-team/m-p/620...

Have a look at this too:

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles/the-oracle-program

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles?q=Oracle