Service & Engagement Can I speak to a manager?: A front end thread

[happygoth]

You are kidding me. That sucks.

OMG please let this be an ASANTS thing! Please! I tell you, working GS is a huge lesson in prioritization of tasks. multi-tasking, and time management. If you can rock the desk then you are amazing!!

Sadly according to my PMT all stores are getting it when the mydevice phone update rolls out to your store (sign in to specific workcenter in phone app)

Our store has had GS as main operator since last holiday season. If HR is around they'll take calls first, often, but GS is the primary operator these days.

It's stupid.

If it were to happen in my store a lot of those calls would not be picked up. Often there is only one person multi-tasking and we don't have time to answer a phone call when we have a line of people returning and doing OPU's. It would make more sense for the person covering OPU to handle the calls than the SD.

Explain to me why this does not make sense, and why the constantly busy and overworked SOFTLINES members should have to answer the phone for the entire store? Especially when calls are almost always for Guest Services, followed by Electronics and management? Do you all realize how freaking annoying it is to answer calls for other departments all shift, and have to call at least twice (often more) to get someone to pick up a call for their area?

Everyone SHOULD be logged into the phone system designated for their area and should answer calls for their department - if this is truly happening, I will be hard-pressed to not do a very public happy dance during the announcement!

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Explain to me why this does not make sense, and why the constantly busy and overworked SOFTLINES members should have to answer the phone for the entire store? Especially when calls are almost always for Guest Services, followed by Electronics and management? Do you all realize how freaking annoying it is to answer calls for other departments all shift, and have to call at least twice (often more) to get someone to pick up a call for their area?

Everyone SHOULD be logged into the phone system designated for their area and should answer calls for their department - if this is truly happening, I will be hard-pressed to not do a very public happy dance during the announcement!

Because while softlines is busy so is GS. The difference is it’s easier to walk away from reshop than the guest right in front of you. I understand there are still stores that have fitting room attendants and don’t use the mydevice which 1.) is stupid because well mydevice and 2.) it’s still more guest friendly to allow someone into the fitting room without interacting with a TM than having a guest stand there waiting at GS waiting for the TM to get off the phone. Everyone is busy but GS/front end in general have the most guest centric work center and answering the phones with guests in line waiting doesn’t scream “guest centric”. That being said it shouldn’t matter who has the phone now because stores should be using zebras and it theoretically shouldn’t get to the operator

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

Softlines is not the best place for it, but GS certainly ain’t either.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Softlines is not the best place for it, but GS certainly ain’t either.

Exactly. Operator should be it’s own position like other major retailers do.

 

[happygoth]

Because while softlines is busy so is GS. The difference is it’s easier to walk away from reshop than the guest right in front of you. I understand there are still stores that have fitting room attendants and don’t use the mydevice which 1.) is stupid because well mydevice and 2.) it’s still more guest friendly to allow someone into the fitting room without interacting with a TM than having a guest stand there waiting at GS waiting for the TM to get off the phone. Everyone is busy but GS/front end in general have the most guest centric work center and answering the phones with guests in line waiting doesn’t scream “guest centric”. That being said it shouldn’t matter who has the phone now because stores should be using zebras and it theoretically shouldn’t get to the operator

Here's the problem in my store: we DO answer the phones on the zebra, but it is ONLY softlines that is designated to answer them. You are absolutely right that very few calls go to operator - because it is EXPECTED that Softlines will be logged into the zebra and answer ALL calls. If we aren't, we are called out ON THE RADIO, "Softlines, will you please answer the phones?". So, despite the zebra phone app, it still 100% falls on us.

So, will this new system allow people to log in under different departments? So that when someone selects electronics or GS, then that zebra will ring? Because the way it is now, you just log into the app and it rings, no matter what department the caller selects. I have people every day say "Oh I thought I selected that department" when I say "Let me transfer you to guest services" or electronics or what have you. Right now, our phone system is stupid. Please tell me we are talking about an upgrade!

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Here's the problem in my store: we DO answer the phones on the zebra, but it is ONLY softlines that is designated to answer them. You are absolutely right that very few calls go to operator - because it is EXPECTED that Softlines will be logged into the zebra and answer ALL calls. If we aren't, we are called out ON THE RADIO, "Softlines, will you please answer the phones?". So, despite the zebra phone app, it still 100% falls on us.

So, will this new system allow people to log in under different departments? So that when someone selects electronics or GS, then that zebra will ring? Because the way it is now, you just log into the app and it rings, no matter what department the caller selects. I have people every day say "Oh I thought I selected that department" when I say "Let me transfer you to guest services" or electronics or what have you. Right now, our phone system is stupid. Please tell me we are talking about an upgrade!

My understanding is you log in as your department and the phone will ring to you when someone selects your department and will go to the operator if said department doesn’t pick up. The front side of our phones are already set up as of months ago when they got rid of the operator option when calling in. Right now if they select any department except electronics it just rings normally but will work for every department when it is updated. I agree expecting softlines to be the sole department to answer even the zebras is unfair. I always make sure there are a ton of people logged in

 

[REDcardJJ]

i think the idea is that the guest services phone should never be ringing because it should always be answered before it ever gets to the operator. at the very least, i (as the SETL) am also logged into the phone so i'll take calls so that my service desk doesn't have to if it's clear that nobody is picking it up

 

[Tai]

My store has been using the Zebras as phones for probably at least around 1 month if not longer now. Everyone who is on the floor in a specific department has to sign in under their specific department and that connects their Zebra to an extension. For the most part it's been working, whenever the guest who is calling selects a certain department, they mostly get that department.

I guess the only downside is that it seems like most of the calls where the guest chooses to speak to the operator actually get redirected to GM, this one GM kid kept getting calls for HR one day. And that's the other downside, there's actually no button for HR when the guest calls, so most of the calls will still be redirected to them. I do get a couple of stray calls I have to redirect when I'm at GS, like someone calling about a specific toy or brand of sunscreen or something, but it's not bad otherwise. But when opening the store in the morning, whoever the first person in there is, either the STL or the ETL have to log on the phone and when calling out before the store opens, you have to hit like #9 or something or else it'll tell you that the store is closed or something similar.

 

[daemon]

I..cant remember the last time a softlines call button went off, or when the last time a guest needed to be called over to softlines. I also know which department has the most people in it on the floor. Aside from a dedicated phone person which there is not, softline has the most give. Also most calls to electronics or GS go through the respective phones now that the phone menu needs to be gone through everytime. Every now and then I get a call for electronics, probably because it is one of the departments near me that is not electronics.

 

[DBZ]

Explain to me why this does not make sense, and why the constantly busy and overworked SOFTLINES members should have to answer the phone for the entire store? Especially when calls are almost always for Guest Services, followed by Electronics and management? Do you all realize how freaking annoying it is to answer calls for other departments all shift, and have to call at least twice (often more) to get someone to pick up a call for their area?

Everyone SHOULD be logged into the phone system designated for their area and should answer calls for their department - if this is truly happening, I will be hard-pressed to not do a very public happy dance during the announcement!

Ok, I'll trade with you. I'll answer the phone if you rehang all the reshop that comes to GS

 

[happygoth]

Ok, I'll trade with you. I'll answer the phone if you rehang all the reshop that comes to GS

Our GS does neither, and I do both. Our reshop is always a mess. The concept that Softlines reshop should be able to be put back on the floor straight from Guest Services is laughable.

 

[happygoth]

I..cant remember the last time a softlines call button went off, or when the last time a guest needed to be called over to softlines. I also know which department has the most people in it on the floor. Aside from a dedicated phone person which there is not, softline has the most give. Also most calls to electronics or GS go through the respective phones now that the phone menu needs to be gone through everytime. Every now and then I get a call for electronics, probably because it is one of the departments near me that is not electronics.

Nope, like I said, doesn't happen here. Electronics never answers the phone, and all store calls go to the zebra and only softlines answers.

 

[daemon]

Nope, like I said, doesn't happen here. Electronics never answers the phone, and all store calls go to the zebra and only softlines answers.

You just have bad team members.

 

[happygoth]

You just have bad team members.

Make that bad team LEADERS...Softlines has to answer the phone, per Leadership. No one else is held accountable. That's why if they actually take the phone away from the fitting room and make everyone sign into their departments on the zebra, I will be thrilled.

 

[flow4areasonuno]

You just have bad team members.

I've never answered a phone myself, and I never plan to. I don't talk to people on the phone outside of work and I'm definitely not doing it at work.

Besides, no one's ever trained me for it.

 

[happygoth]

I've never answered a phone myself, and I never plan to. I don't talk to people on the phone outside of work and I'm definitely not doing it at work.

Besides, no one's ever trained me for it.

Well, as much as I'm bitching about it, I would still rather answer the phones all day than answer one backup call.

 

[DBZ]

Our GS does neither, and I do both. Our reshop is always a mess. The concept that Softlines reshop should be able to be put back on the floor straight from Guest Services is laughable.

At my store, the softlines TMs are told to bring back things that are not hung right, although the TMs usually have to fix something I'm sure.

 

[REDcardJJ]

unpopular opinion but i don’t mind having the operator phone at the service desk

 

[Llamanatee]

At my store, the softlines TMs are told to bring back things that are not hung right, although the TMs usually have to fix something I'm sure.

Isn’t that a waste of time to bring back something that isn’t hung right? Fix it and put it up. The end. Talk about a waste of payroll.

 

[GoodyNN]

Isn’t that a waste of time to bring back something that isn’t hung right? Fix it and put it up. The end. Talk about a waste of payroll.

I'm reasonably sure that the point of bringing it back up front is for the softlines TM to teach the SDTM the "brand" way to hang so they don't have to keep bringing items back up or fixing it themselves. Whether that's actually happening is an entirely different issue.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

unpopular opinion but i don’t mind having the operator phone at the service desk

I also don’t mind it when we’re slower. But I do mind when we have a line and the phones off the hook

 

[Leo47]

Nothing like the feeling of pure panic when you’re alone at the service desk, on the phone, with a line full of people, and the drive ups are going off like crazy

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

Nothing like the feeling of pure panic when you’re alone at the service desk, on the phone, with a line full of people, and the drive ups are going off like crazy

And the drive up is 7 sterlite bins and 3 opalhouse woven baskets and they didn’t hit “I’m on my way”

 

[happygoth]

At my store, the softlines TMs are told to bring back things that are not hung right, although the TMs usually have to fix something I'm sure.

We've been told so many things that haven't happened yet: that GS is supposed to process our reshop properly, and that we should bring it back if it isn't; that GM was taking over Baby Hardlines; that we would be getting more hours and longer shifts; that there would be no more signing and pricing TMs; that LOD was going away; and now this phone thing. Our store seems to be fighting hard to keep the status quo. The only changes in place so far are that we are now called "Style", and the PMT is now called PML. That's it.

 

[Llamanatee]

We've been told so many things that haven't happened yet: that GS is supposed to process our reshop properly, and that we should bring it back if it isn't; that GM was taking over Baby Hardlines; that we would be getting more hours and longer shifts; that there would be no more signing and pricing TMs; that LOD was going away; and now this phone thing. Our store seems to be fighting hard to keep the status quo. The only changes in place so far are that we are now called "Style", and the PMT is now called PML. That's it.

Deadline for changes is September. Maybe they are waiting until the last minute?