This is a really good idea.  I know it has been discussed on this board in the past.  I think some of the concern of not having this option was that the associates are often too busy to answer the phone, and, have customers frustrated when there is no one picking up.

Other associate members, chime in-do some of you have this option at your store? 

They "removed" the office answering machine for people calling in reporting being "late".

It's live now, or nothing.

Callign stores is near impossible if they have a poor phone system set up, with the headache of robot woman asking what u want, I usually just shout MANAGER until i get my issue resolved

I think it is really amusing to work in a cash register stand with 4 machines (3 working) and two telephones, with Internet questions often coming from the telephones.

Service level?

At most, there are two associates around the station (only 1 gets to stay inside most of the time).

When calling mall stores, I usually have about a 40% success rate at getting through to someone. Not because of the call centers, because I know how to work through them to get to the store. It's because nobody picks up the phone. The call centers have their place, it's just knowing how to get put through to the store when necessary.

In all honesty, I cannot say I have had the same experience. Many a time our phone hardly rings on the floor, Yet we will have half a dozen messages for appliances. I have been told by some customer, that the call center actually offered to ring their prequalified sales.

i experienced the actual phone interception by the call center trying to prequalify me for a sale, when i just wanted to  speak to a specific salesperson..i guess this is another one of those sears vs. sears situation... the good old fashioned in-store phone operator directing calls  to the right party is still the most sensible, more cost effective, and the more personalized way of handling incoming calls.

I work in the SHIPs call center for home improvements and I get customers calling in to the local store #'s and comming directly to our department when they wanted applicances, or electronics. I then have to explain to them that I'm in a different state than they are and ask them to call back to the local # they dialed and press 0 to speak with the store support center to ask for an actual person in the store in the department they needed.

The store has a support center?

Maybe that's Human Resources?

AdamO said…

The store has a support center?

Maybe that's Human Resources?

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Not human resources its a call center that assists customers with transfers to departments within the store and answers general store questions.

What recourse does an honest associate have when the call center snatches his or her sale? I had an instance that a customer called, thinking he called the store. The call center processed the sale by having the customer read the item numbers off the tearaway I gave him. I only found out when the customer called back complaining to me that the sale was incorrectly processed. In this case an electric vs gas issue.

WOW, ouch. Didnt sears get ( i remember in one of the old guys post) that s/a are only to get commission when they work DIRECTLY involved with the sale? shouldnt you get the commission and have it taken away from that call center rep? Its a shame to think that sears would punish one of their honest sales associates :(

I would recommend taking this up with your manager or his manager if he gives u push back

For contacting a store's department, all you need to do is take the Internet provided telephone number, strip away the last two zeroes and add the desired department number extension.

For example;

Tools is 09.

right, what are the department phone lists? is it online somewhere or on google?

Not true Adam0, if you call our appliance dept directly, you are forced to a call support center, Tuscon AZ., or some other remote location.

I always ask for fine jewelry, because some one is always there, and then they can xfer me.

Nope. I've done that, and it goes to the call centers. It does work at Sears Essentials, though, because we aren't hooked up to the call center system (we have people answer the phones during all store hours no matter what).

Really?

A remote Support Center?

Well, then there's always the call an internal department number, like MPU and having THEM transfer you to the actual store department...

The trick is to find a "golden" internal number, that is not automatically routed to a remote Support Center.

We still have a regular store number, and a live person who answers it, and directs calls.

I like it better that way.

Frankly, VRS is the worst invention yet.

It takes the humanity out of customer service.

When faced with the challenge, I usually press 0 until the electronic voice shuts up.

I have also heard stories of sales lost to the phone system, and no commision for the associates.

Maybe that's just an urban legend, though...

Hello, I've had a call center employee contact our store, not indentifying herself, asking if a particular item was in stock. Then hanging up and ringing up that item from a commission only salaried dept. If that is not the height of unethical behaivior by the management of this company. I do not know what is?

Sneaky--Did you challenge this incident sale with your store mgr or supervisor?, got to be a way to know who this person is by some type of employee number on the sales ticket, right? sounds like a transfer sale but these transactions it's a store floor sales person contacting the another local store to confirm item is in stock for a customer to pickup after they make the sale their store. Of course, this works both ways - always get a name even though it could be a false one..caller i.d helps.

The department numbers can be found on the price tags of the merchandise you've already purchased.

No joke.

Tool is 09.

Electrical is 34.

Paint is 30.

Fitness is 06.

There are a whole bunch of other numbers.

But, they're way over to the other end of the store, or upstairs.

Perfume?

I have no IDEA what that extension number is.

We have men's cologne, right here.

It's right over yonder - called WD-40.

Thanks for the info. When the customer came in the store to pick-up the product, naturally she had some questions about its features. She stated that when she called the store, "the person who answers the phone rang it up". The only call we recieved was the call center confirming stock. I looked it up on Local, it was rung under the ambiguous 75 key. I spoke to our dept. manager, she is afraid to do anything. I will file an ethics complaint. However, poetic justice, the person brought back the product the very next day, said it did not suit her needs and upgraded. The upgraded model, I prompltly rung on my key. In the future myself and fellow associates will ask for IDs and associate numbers of outside callers checking stock.