Support system is a gong show

[deweydb]

So far every ticket I have submitted to the mod team has taken 4 - 5 days to get resolved.  Often going full 24 to 48 hours before a single response back.  When receiving a response its some bull**bleep** canned email, and they didn't even bother to read the content and answer the question, delaying the actual response further.

Its beyond stupid that they can't link your account to your forum posts and ask you to re-authenticate everytime (wasting another 2 days of response time!).  This would be such a simple thing to fix! and its so god **bleep** frustrating!

And there is no notifications when you receive a response either!  Am I supposed to just sit here hammering on refresh for 2 days?

Get your **bleep** together public mobile.

[stonechucker]

The problem with AutoPay in my mind is the batch processing starting too late now.

My first AutoPay was prior to the Fall 2016 promo period, where everyone was having issues.  What a mess.

Anyways... that first AutoPay occurred on the date shown on the Overview page in Self-Serve, approximately 9pm Eastern.  Everything was smooth, I woke up in the morning prior to 6, and saw my service was up and running.

The next AutoPay, was my upgrade to the Promo.  I had started seeing all these issues regarding the Expired status, and all the "if you still have service, do not worry" suggestions.  OMGoodness... how many people failed to folllow these instructions and started making additional payments, because the start time was now (and still is) after mindnight, putting the payment onto AutoPay date+1 (early morning).

One AutoPay didn't start for me until 6 am.  The fully completed cycle ended just before noon that day.  Luckily I still had service.

Is this all due to the large influx of customers during that Promo, or has something changed drastically on the back end preparations to do this routine task?

[koimr1]

Direct link to private message the mods should be on every page. If this can't be done within a couple minutes on the PM side then the forum software being used needs to be fixed. Simon the chatbot actually has, on the first thing you see, a "Contact Moderators" link with instructions - this should be front and centre because evidently no one uses poor Simon.

Issues:

1. Stuck ports
2. Failed autopay
3. Password reset not working

Fix those three issues and the need for support in the first place would drop dramatically.

First one - sure, usually gonna be a one-time thing if it happens but it's not a very good first impression.

Second - I and I'm sure others have multitude of accounts for various utilities and games and such that are set to autopay and they've never failed me once going back years. Even will get some kind of advance warning when an upcoming scheduled payment may fail because of an expired card.

Similarly, why isn't PayPal offered?

Luckily the three accounts I've had here did not have any autopay problems but reading the forums it's definitely a major issue for others.

Third - how long has this not worked now? It's pretty much one of the most basic functions any site that requires a login has.

Yes, I'm grumpy. Coffee time now.

[mimmo]

My favorite was once when the last 4 topics where all I can't reset my password.

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@wetcoaster wrote:

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@stonechucker wrote:

@wetcoaster, sort of like the search functionality that is pressent on the first page of the Community.  It's right there... search.

This is honestly what I did, now over 2 years ago, when I startd researching Public Mobile.

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Same here, @stonechucker. However, this forum is filled with posts from people who don't tick like you and me. How many hundred of times a day are we posting the link and information on how to contact the moderators? Just this morning I saw a post "Can someone post a link to pm the mods, please?" (or pretty much along those lines...) It was a new post in an old thread, the information requested was posted several times in that thread...

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[wetcoaster]

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@stonechucker wrote:

@wetcoaster, sort of like the search functionality that is pressent on the first page of the Community.  It's right there... search.

This is honestly what I did, now over 2 years ago, when I startd researching Public Mobile.

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Same here, @stonechucker. However, this forum is filled with posts from people who don't tick like you and me. How many hundred of times a day are we posting the link and information on how to contact the moderators? Just this morning I saw a post "Can someone post a link to pm the mods, please?" (or pretty much along those lines...) It was a new post in an old thread, the information requested was posted several times in that thread...

[stonechucker]

@wetcoaster, sort of like the search functionality that is pressent on the first page of the Community.  It's right there... search.

This is honestly what I did, now over 2 years ago, when I startd researching Public Mobile.

[wetcoaster]

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@mimmo wrote:

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@srlawren wrote:

@jp2, @Korth the problem is that the very demographic that the current incarnation of PM appeals to--and I'm going to generalize here and mean no offense to anyone--in general tend to be less tech-savvy, less likely to notice/understand that there's no call centre (until they have a problem, as noted by you guys), and least able to discover the actual support method and utilize it effectively.  Take the new $10/50/50 plan for example.  It's pretty clearly targetting young children (though I don't know anyone under the age of 60 that uses less tahn 50 outbound texts a month, to be honest) and elderly folks who just need "a phone" for emergencies or the odd call.  

Many of us in the community have long advocated for clearer initiation of the process (maybe a button in the header on every page??) and/or a dialog to guide a user through the process of drafting and sending the support request via pivate message and/or a proper ticketing system.  Sadly, 2+ years later, these requests have gone unfulfilled.  It's very frustrating indeed.

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I always thought a FAQ menu Item would help solve many issues. as simple as a  list of common questions and with links to the answers (even if they are links to KB posts).    what would work well is have some sample examples/templates on how to ask for help in the community and in private messages.  The issue i find with the private messaging and forums is it is all one way communication.  if you dont provide the correct/needed  there is additional back and forth which makes much longer to get results. 

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I think, besides proper FAQs, even a properly layed out contact form for the moderators, linked with the private message and/or e-mail accounts, could make a huge difference.

Highly visible "contact us" button on every page to access the form. A drop down menu for common problems (and a "other"), mandatory input fields for the information necessary for the scenario you are seeking help for, message / description box, a text block that explains how and when (approximate wait time integrated with the background system) to expect a reply, send button. Automated e-mail and pm to confirm receipt of request and the ticket number.

Don't tell me this is impossible in 2018.

[mimmo]

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@srlawren wrote:

@jp2, @Korth the problem is that the very demographic that the current incarnation of PM appeals to--and I'm going to generalize here and mean no offense to anyone--in general tend to be less tech-savvy, less likely to notice/understand that there's no call centre (until they have a problem, as noted by you guys), and least able to discover the actual support method and utilize it effectively.  Take the new $10/50/50 plan for example.  It's pretty clearly targetting young children (though I don't know anyone under the age of 60 that uses less tahn 50 outbound texts a month, to be honest) and elderly folks who just need "a phone" for emergencies or the odd call.  

Many of us in the community have long advocated for clearer initiation of the process (maybe a button in the header on every page??) and/or a dialog to guide a user through the process of drafting and sending the support request via pivate message and/or a proper ticketing system.  Sadly, 2+ years later, these requests have gone unfulfilled.  It's very frustrating indeed.

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I always thought a FAQ menu Item would help solve many issues. as simple as a  list of common questions and with links to the answers (even if they are links to KB posts).    what would work well is have some sample examples/templates on how to ask for help in the community and in private messages.  The issue i find with the private messaging and forums is it is all one way communication.  if you dont provide the correct/needed  there is additional back and forth which makes much longer to get results. 

[srlawren]

@jp2, @Korth the problem is that the very demographic that the current incarnation of PM appeals to--and I'm going to generalize here and mean no offense to anyone--in general tend to be less tech-savvy, less likely to notice/understand that there's no call centre (until they have a problem, as noted by you guys), and least able to discover the actual support method and utilize it effectively.  Take the new $10/50/50 plan for example.  It's pretty clearly targetting young children (though I don't know anyone under the age of 60 that uses less tahn 50 outbound texts a month, to be honest) and elderly folks who just need "a phone" for emergencies or the odd call.  

Many of us in the community have long advocated for clearer initiation of the process (maybe a button in the header on every page??) and/or a dialog to guide a user through the process of drafting and sending the support request via pivate message and/or a proper ticketing system.  Sadly, 2+ years later, these requests have gone unfulfilled.  It's very frustrating indeed.

[jp2]

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@Korth wrote:

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@jp2 wrote:

This makes me think the community lingo and private messaging function isn't clear enough for new customers.

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I don't think the PM Community, all the topics/posts/answers it contains, and forum stuff in general are the greatest problems.  Not for most people, this is 2018, there's not so many tech dinosaurs left who somehow managed to discover PM and configure PM on their phones yet cannot navigate (or figure out the notion of) an internet forum.

I think what isn't clear to new customers is how PM support works.  And I think they don't really care how it works ... until they have a problem, need support, and discover that they've got broken phone service but no way to receive immediate, direct, face-to-face interaction with the support they need.

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I assumed the same as you are saying in paragraph 1 but after being on this community it seems like there are a lot of people that somehow sign up (maybe at walmart) but don't understand a forum.

Paragraph 2, I 100% agree

[Korth]

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@jp2 wrote:

This makes me think the community lingo and private messaging function isn't clear enough for new customers.

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I don't think the PM Community, all the topics/posts/answers it contains, and forum stuff in general are the greatest problems.  Not for most people, this is 2018, there's not so many tech dinosaurs left who somehow managed to discover PM and configure PM on their phones yet cannot navigate (or figure out the notion of) an internet forum.

I think what isn't clear to new customers is how PM support works.  And I think they don't really care how it works ... until they have a problem, need support, and discover that they've got broken phone service but no way to receive immediate, direct, face-to-face interaction with the support they need.

[jp2]

The number of times I've had to explain to people not to post personal info because this is a public forum or what a mod is and how to contact them probably accounts for 40% of my posts  (Thanks to @srlawren I now use macros instead of typing these messages.) This makes me think the community lingo and private messaging function isn't clear enough for new customers.

[Korth]

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@kav2001c wrote:

My only title is "mayor" so does that mean others get these frequently also? 

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Yeah, I get these sorts of PMs from time to time.  Usually closely spaced together when I'm visibly active on the forum, usually none at all when I'm inactive for a while.  It's just the nature of the beast, I just forward them to the mods.

They seem to be people who've never/barely participated in the PM Community.  They have a problem, create an account, sign in, send a private message (full of private info) to the first "knowledgeable" or "authoritative" person they see.  A minority, I think, since some people actually google and read the answers they need, and most people seem to actually post their questions/demands/complaints/rants in public threads instead.

[srlawren]

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@kav2001c wrote:

@srlawrenits usually only 1 or 2 a month its just the idea of it

I wonder why they think I am the one to send personal info to

Esp after I added a disclaimer to my profile

My only title is "mayor" so does that mean others get these frequently also?

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@kav2001c I don't think your disclaimer is visible (nor anybody's).  Try going to your profiel link (https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/2265) in an incognito mode and tell me if you see it? I don't presonally.

And even if it was visible there, people don't even need to visit that page to message you.  They can do it from the hover-over menu on your name on any posting, such as this, which does not show your disclaimer either:

[wetcoaster]

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@kav2001c wrote:

My only title is "mayor" so does that mean others get these frequently also?

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I think the highest frequency of "mod messages", up to 4/week I got when I was a town hero... I only recently hit the 1000 posts mark (and the according "promotion") - while I still get them, it's only occasionally these days. Go figure. 

I usually reply with instructions and a cc to the mods. However, been offline quite a bit recently. I don't see the point replying to 5 day old pm's that don't belong in my inbox to begin with - I assume that that person has figured it out / has been helped by this point....

[stonechucker]

I've only gotten one request for support - no tagline.

I just asked them to contact the mods 🙂  I think I'm a Mayor now... I don't really look at it often.

[kav2001c]

@srlawrenits usually only 1 or 2 a month its just the idea of it

I wonder why they think I am the one to send personal info to

Esp after I added a disclaimer to my profile

My only title is "mayor" so does that mean others get these frequently also?

[srlawren]

@kav2001c if this is an ongoing issue for you, you may want to think about defining a macro for a post signature and manually adding it to all your posts from now on.  It won't be a cure-all, but might help. I know it helped when I was an oracle and had the ability to use a proper signature that was automatically added to all my posts.  It didn't prevent these private messages entirely, but it slowed them down dramatically.

[Korth]

Their official titles on the Telus/PM job postings were "Product Specialist" and "Public Mobile Support Operations" ... I think of them as "Customer Service / Tech Support Reps".

But it seems less confusing to go along with everybody else calling them the PM Mods (and Moderator Team) here.

[Someone_here]

I usually just forward them to the mods...

I think just changing the name from "mods" to "employee" or "CSR" could be a good and easy way to reduce confusion to some people... Anyways...

[kav2001c]

On the other side of the coin, I FREQUENTLY receive support requests from customers

No idea why since I even added a disclaimer to my profile that makes it quite clear I do not work in any capacity for the company

Trust me when I say many of these support requests are absolute gibberish

(I suppose it does make sense; the people sending them to me can not read so why would I expect a clearly thought out email request)

So I am sure mods wade through tons of junk and repeat requests every day which effects productivity levels

As well many complaints are NEVER sent to mods and instead get sent to people such as myself

[Korth]

I don't place the blame for sporadic and delayed customer support onto the mod team.  They generally handle all sorts of routine and special customer problems with commendable patience, professionalism, and competence.

I do place the blame squarely onto the system used to communicate with them.  Meaning this entire website.  "Send a message to the moderators" (along with "read a bunch of threads and/or wait for other forum volunteers to help you out") is a desultory, slapdash, and half-baked workaround.  The primary function of this website is customer support so it should be implemented as a central theme on every level.

Replacing canned responses with "your issue has been received by the system, here's your ticket/queue number, you'll get an sms/msg notification when it's actively being processed" would also be preferable.  The whole idea of replacing fancy service with no-frills service still revolves around providing actual service.

[will13am]

@deweydb, as already mentioned that in the upcoming session on improving customer support with Public Mobile, we can bring up service levels from the moderator team.  In order to be taken seriously, you need to show a little bit of decorum.  Usually if the issue is something the moderator team can do, it is completed right away.  There are issues that need to be passed over to the back office to attend to.  Based on my interactions, a estimated resolution time is provided so expectations can be calibrated. 

With respect to how forum account and self serve account are linked, it is not stupid.  From the time I have spent on this forum, I have seen next to no concerns expressed about how the two accounts are linked.  User errors do occur from time to time, own it and work with others to resolve it in the most expeditious way.  Don't get too hung up too much on the first 3 stages grief. 

[LEGO]

@jp2 Sorry, your post is missing an ending!

[jp2]

@LEGO @@No just the original is shown as rejected so the second one is still up. Without issue 

[LEGO]

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@Someone_here wrote:

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now, it was exactly there that some of my posts ended. Happened less than five times from what I remember, and I could just repost them and they were not taken down again... 

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I have four identical posts sitting in my "My Rejected Items" and I cannot re-post them!

They might appear like they are posted, but they would not have any responses!!!

[Someone_here]

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@LEGO wrote:

@jp2 I was told to go ahead and publish it again, but it was rejected two times again!
Do you see your post in the list of others in category that you post? Do you have any responses to your post? If not, then it is rejected!

Click on this link, see if your post in “My Unmoderated Items > My Rejected Items ”

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I remember now, it was exactly there that some of my posts ended. Happened less than five times from what I remember, and I could just repost them and they were not taken down again... 

[LEGO]

@jp2 I was told to go ahead and publish it again, but it was rejected two times again!
Do you see your post in the list of others in category that you post? Do you have any responses to your post? If not, then it is rejected!

Click on this link, see if your post in “My Unmoderated Items > My Rejected Items ”

[Someone_here]

@deweydb

There are notifications for the community, including posts and private messages. Go in your notification settings and activate them 😉

[Someone_here]

@LEGO I remember having some of my posts disappearing (or, I think, never appearing in fact, I'm not sure anymore it was a while ago). In my case it wasn't mods or anybody, just a glitch in the community, similar to the one that says that you've reach the maximum amount of private message you can send in a day when you haven't even sent one for example.

[jp2]

@LEGO maybe it is some glitch in the system because I started the thread again the next day and said the same things. It is still up as far as I know without any issues?