[Originally posted on November 27, 2005]
After spending some time in my current position at the call centre where I work -- having been recently promoted -- I have some new observations.
One of my colleagues told me a verifications clerk is really a glorified order taker. There is a ring of truth to that, but keep in mind the main reason there is an intermediate level between order takers and customer service representatives is quality control. I work for a restaurant chain with over 300 locations and the people who run the restaurants want to make sure they are as satisfied as the customers are.
Without going into too much detail, I have to keep an eye on how many orders need to be checked up on vs incoming calls. If no orders require verifying, I'll take a few orders before going to my primary job. Because I still take inbound orders, please review my [last post] to know what order takers do and how some people calling us try to trip us up in a deliberate attempt to get their order for free.
This being said, my teammates and I have some very important additional duties. I'm going to go through what they are, so you have a heads up. If you get a call from us or another business saying they're checking up on an order that you've made, don't be alarmed. There are legitimate reasons why we do this.
1. Unauthorized credit card. This may be the most common reason why you're waiting for your order. Sometimes the order taker has taken the wrong expiry date, other times it's the customer. The system we use is supposed to automatically validate the credit card. If it doesn't, we have to call the merchant division of Visa, MasterCard or American Express (one for each of them) and validate it manually.
If it still doesn't work, we have to call the customer back and tell them of the situation. They'll insist their card is fine. We have to point out that no it isn't and ask for an alternate method of payment. If none is offered, the order will be cancelled. We don't like doing this, but we have no choice. The store owners want their money and they get paid at the close of business. They get their ingredients fresh every day and the commissary wants payment too.
One other point on this: If you get a new credit card in the mail, please activate it before cutting up your old one, then call us. Activation is not automatic! (Also, make sure you activate only from your home phone number -- or your business if it's a commercial account. This protects you against identity theft.)
2. Unauthorized meal card. This applies to university students (both on and off campus) and staffers, all the way up to President, and is similar to the above. The main difference is either insufficient funds or a wrong student number (or in the case of the staff member, the meal plan number). You will get a call back asking for alternate payment.
3. The store insists we check every order. We can't all live in the Annex or Rockcliffe Park or even Levitttown. It's sad but in this crazy world we live in, there are some districts of some major cities that are just a powder keg. These are the neighbourhoods with high concentrations of people, sometimes as many as 30,000 in several high-rises just one city block. Sadly, they also have the highest crime rates. Some locations are in those neighbourhoods simply because people like our food.
Because of security issues, for those few stores (maybe about a half-dozen out of the 300), we check each and every order to make sure they're legitimate. These include even the hotels and / or universities which are a safe distance away but are still served by that location. We'll make one call and one call only. If you don't answer, the order will be cancelled. Period. So keep your phone line clear.
4. Your order is large. Obviously, the store isn't going to make it unless they're sure it's legitimate. We check to make sure and go through every product, every item. Depending on how large it is, we may even refer it to catering (something the order takers should be doing in the first place) or call the store and ask them if they can handle the order or if they have to split it with another location.
If there's no answer, there are two possibilites depending on where you live. For the larger centres, we just leave it to the store to decide whether they want to go through with it or not. For smaller and mid-size communities we give the customer one hour (or until close of business, whichever is less) to call back to reconfirm. If not, we cancel it.
5. First time orders. Usually we won't check it unless it's been kicked into our end or if it's in a neighbourhood unfamiliar to the franchise in question. If you order on the Internet for the first time, we absolutely must confirm it.
6. A child placed the order. I know there are a lot of parents who think it's cute to have their kids place the order for them but it's not. Many of them don't even know what an area code is and we always ask for the 10 digit phone number, not 7. They also take way too long to place the order. So we double check with their parents or their older siblings to make sure. And we never, ever take credit cards from kids -- adults only!
7. English (or French) as a Second Language. French language calls are handled by our sister call centre in Ottawa, but for them the same rules apply as in English for us. We'll go over the order to make sure it's exactly what the customer wanted. If we have to repeat it a few times we will until we're sure.
8. Future orders. We always confirm orders placed for delivery or pickup on another day. No exceptions. Make sure you answer or we may have no choice but to cancel the order, and all your kids or business colleagues will be doing the day of the party is spinning a Dreidel or pinning the tail on the donkey. Maybe Texas Hold 'Em, too.
9. Quality assurance. Finally, every hour, the order taking system automatically selects a few orders to be randomly called back. There's nothing wrong with the order, and it doesn't fall into any of the first eight categories. We just check it for auditing purposes, just as sooner or later we're going to get audited by the IRS or the CRA.
Like the order takers, we're here to help you, not eat you. We're doing our part. Just give us some help when we call back and you can be sure your order will be exactly as you asked for it.
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