Sprint To Lay Off 2,000 Customer Service Employees

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
Good news! Sprint added over 500,000 post-paid subscribers this quarter! Let's all celebrate by laying off 2,000 customer service employees. Makes sense, add a half a million customers and then immediately cut thousands of customer service jobs. :rolleyes:

Sprint’s recent promotions, including “iPhone for Life” and the promise to cut customers’ bills from other carriers in half have helped the fourth-place carrier, gaining it 500,000 new postpaid subscribers even accounting for customers who have left. The company is responding to the good news by laying off 2,000 customer service representatives in centers across the country, and directing customers to use the self-service app instead.
 
And those 500K people they gain will either leave or they will lose others as their customer service already sucked.
 
But they're not going to cut executive pay or fire off redundant management structure, oh no. I don't know about Sprint, but I used to work for "Large Canadian Telecommunications Company" and they could have safely fired half their office staff without anyone noticing. I knew people who came to work every day and never actually accomplished anything at all!
 
I worked sprint customer care just before the sprint/nextel merger. What a fucking joke. They are horrible company. Support wasn't even from sprint, it was outsourced to ACS in Lexington, MY. Xerox bought ACS. Apple also has iSupport in Lexington, via Xerox.
 
Similar thing happened to the Bank of America drive-thru tellers. They all got replaced by ATMs and apps.
 
alxlwson said:
I worked sprint customer care just before the sprint/nextel merger. What a fucking joke. They are horrible company. Support wasn't even from sprint, it was outsourced to ACS in Lexington, MY. Xerox bought ACS. Apple also has iSupport in Lexington, via Xerox.
Click to expand...

I worked for them during the merger, and Sprint hired ibm who then contracted manpower who then contracted cci. So two different temp agencies. This was in Bremerton, wa
 
scojer said:
I worked for them during the merger, and Sprint hired ibm who then contracted manpower who then contracted cci. So two different temp agencies. This was in Bremerton, wa
Click to expand...

Most, if not all call centers for large corps are outsourced and then outsourced again. Kinda like Inception of outsourcing "Outception".
 
scojer said:
I worked for them during the merger, and Sprint hired ibm who then contracted manpower who then contracted cci. So two different temp agencies. This was in Bremerton, wa
Click to expand...

Manpower huh? ! Over this way they only do industrial stuff.
 
the-one1 said:
Most, if not all call centers for large corps are outsourced and then outsourced again. Kinda like Inception of outsourcing "Outception".
Click to expand...

Now I work the same job for T-Mobile. Not outsourced. It is a lot better of an experience.
 
scojer said:
Now I work the same job for T-Mobile. Not outsourced. It is a lot better of an experience.
Click to expand...

European companies do things like this better I think. I work for one now(HQ in Finland), an industrial crane manufacturer and service company. They treat us very well. I'm a field technician, and we are left to our own devices. The management structure is so much better than US companies. Pay is not as good, but the benefits are amazing.
US companies do everything for bottom dollar.
Japanese companies do it for quality and lean running.
European companies do it for a premium to offer quality of life for employees.
Chinese companies do it for the children.
 
I just switched my phone to Verizon. Man I missed the day when they came to our office to promote their tower upgrades. In one month I went from full bars in my office to having zero reception. Then again they offered me a free box to help with my reception!
 
I find corporate attitudes in the companies I have worked for are mostly delusional. For instance, I have my annual performance review tomorrow with an interview with my manager. Normally it's just a paper drill but this time I am working for a very small company and the owner want's this process to mean more. He is really interested in our goals and where we want to go. The problem is, in the 18 years since I started working as a contractor I have changed companies like seven times.

Let's count them; L3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, CSC, Oberon Associates, Raytheon, SAIC, NCI, and Semper Valens Solutions. Ahh, it's eight now. In the contractor world, contracts come and go, bidders win and loose. It's not personal, just business. I have no idea why these companies want to act like there is any chance that a non-manager type is going to be with the company for any real length of time. The longest stretch I had was the first, L3 for 5 years, that means the other seven account for 13 years and that means the normal run is usually one to two years.

So why do these guys even pretend like a guy like me will be around more then a year or two tops? I'm like an extended temp worker. And every year I have to go through this bullshit drill of listing goals and where I want to take my career but in a year or so I won't even be working for them and they sure won't spend any money on my development if they don't see a short term benefit to it.
 
Quix said:
But they're not going to cut executive pay or fire off redundant management structure, oh no. I don't know about Sprint, but I used to work for "Large Canadian Telecommunications Company" and they could have safely fired half their office staff without anyone noticing. I knew people who came to work every day and never actually accomplished anything at all!
Click to expand...
Sounds like the American dream.
 
I wouldn't be half as bad if the Indian (or Irish, or Canadian, or wherever) call center boiler room employees actually had the ability/power to do anything of use. If there's an actual issue that needs a human, they just keep shuffling you around and hoping that you'll hang up.
It's why I always go to the Comcast storefront shops and use the AT&T chat function. Both have the ability to solve real issues, especially billing related ones.
 
Left them just recently for Google Fi which also uses Sprint and TMobile networks. Couldn't be any happier.
 
I just ask for a supervisor. They can help. Most of the time they eill help you. They get docked if the issue isnt resolved. It was that way when I was still doing support way back anyway.
 
lcpiper said:
I find corporate attitudes in the companies I have worked for are mostly delusional. For instance, I have my annual performance review tomorrow with an interview with my manager. Normally it's just a paper drill but this time I am working for a very small company and the owner want's this process to mean more. He is really interested in our goals and where we want to go. The problem is, in the 18 years since I started working as a contractor I have changed companies like seven times.

Let's count them; L3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, CSC, Oberon Associates, Raytheon, SAIC, NCI, and Semper Valens Solutions. Ahh, it's eight now. In the contractor world, contracts come and go, bidders win and loose. It's not personal, just business. I have no idea why these companies want to act like there is any chance that a non-manager type is going to be with the company for any real length of time. The longest stretch I had was the first, L3 for 5 years, that means the other seven account for 13 years and that means the normal run is usually one to two years.

So why do these guys even pretend like a guy like me will be around more then a year or two tops? I'm like an extended temp worker. And every year I have to go through this bullshit drill of listing goals and where I want to take my career but in a year or so I won't even be working for them and they sure won't spend any money on my development if they don't see a short term benefit to it.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't normally do this, but +1 my friend. Hit the nail on the head. Heck, it feels as though all companies want to have infinite customers and no employees. WHO DO THEY THINK BUY THEIR PRODUCTS? CUSTOMERS WHO WORK! If no one has a job, then no one will be buying anything. /rant
 
lcpiper said:
I find corporate attitudes in the companies I have worked for are mostly delusional. For instance, I have my annual performance review tomorrow with an interview with my manager. Normally it's just a paper drill but this time I am working for a very small company and the owner want's this process to mean more. He is really interested in our goals and where we want to go. The problem is, in the 18 years since I started working as a contractor I have changed companies like seven times.

Let's count them; L3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, CSC, Oberon Associates, Raytheon, SAIC, NCI, and Semper Valens Solutions. Ahh, it's eight now. In the contractor world, contracts come and go, bidders win and loose. It's not personal, just business. I have no idea why these companies want to act like there is any chance that a non-manager type is going to be with the company for any real length of time. The longest stretch I had was the first, L3 for 5 years, that means the other seven account for 13 years and that means the normal run is usually one to two years.

So why do these guys even pretend like a guy like me will be around more then a year or two tops? I'm like an extended temp worker. And every year I have to go through this bullshit drill of listing goals and where I want to take my career but in a year or so I won't even be working for them and they sure won't spend any money on my development if they don't see a short term benefit to it.
Click to expand...
They want you to have "the feels" for the company so you will work harder
 
lcpiper said:
I've seen a shift happening from India to Ireland, anyone else notice more tech support coming out of the Green Isle?
Click to expand...

What the only English speakers that are even harder to understand than Indians?
 
alxlwson said:
European companies do things like this better I think. I work for one now(HQ in Finland), an industrial crane manufacturer and service company. They treat us very well. I'm a field technician, and we are left to our own devices. The management structure is so much better than US companies. Pay is not as good, but the benefits are amazing.
US companies do everything for bottom dollar.
Japanese companies do it for quality and lean running.
European companies do it for a premium to offer quality of life for employees.
Chinese companies do it for the children.
Click to expand...

Replace European with scandinavia are you are probably more accurate.Scandinavian countries are huge focus on the well being of its citizens and general progress for the people not the state.

Last year a new agreement was negotiate between the workers union and the companies union.
The workers didn't really wont more vacation ( 6weeks a year (5 is by law) + holidays + sickdays are paid).
The workers didn't really want more money ( monetarily gains is not as important for ppl there as it is there in the US.
instead the companies are now putting money into a fond where the workers can get an addition 10 works days ( 2 weeks) covered for going to educate themselves so they can improve their skill and abilities for a higher class job.

Yes you pay a higher taxes. but tbh life quality was a lot better living in Scandinavia than in Texas, because you have time for friends family and actually enjoy life. and You don't have to worry about as much with free health care, education for kids, and a payment system that works.
 
SvenBent said:
Replace European with scandinavia are you are probably more accurate.Scandinavian countries are huge focus on the well being of its citizens and general progress for the people not the state.

Last year a new agreement was negotiate between the workers union and the companies union.
The workers didn't really wont more vacation ( 6weeks a year (5 is by law) + holidays + sickdays are paid).
The workers didn't really want more money ( monetarily gains is not as important for ppl there as it is there in the US.
instead the companies are now putting money into a fond where the workers can get an addition 10 works days ( 2 weeks) covered for going to educate themselves so they can improve their skill and abilities for a higher class job.

Yes you pay a higher taxes. but tbh life quality was a lot better living in Scandinavia than in Texas, because you have time for friends family and actually enjoy life. and You don't have to worry about as much with free health care, education for kids, and a payment system that works.
Click to expand...


I agree with changing to Scandanavia.

However, that's were we stop. I hate unions, I despise them. They make my job so incredibly difficult sometimes that it's enough to make me want to quit. If I'm working in a union shop, I'm prohibited from driving the manlift- an equipment operator has to do that for me. I'm prohibited from opening a disconnect- an electrician has to do that. I'm prohibited to clean up my job area- a laborer has to do that. I'm prohibited from welding- an ironworker has to do that. I'm prohibited from working over 8 hours- because that encroaches on someone elses shift.
Basically, it ends up taking 10 different fucking people to do what I need done. I'm more than capable of all of these tasks. I literally had a job yesterday that would have taken me four hours to complete. Done it a hundred times. Instead, it took 8 hours and four additional people, plus a stupid amount of breaks and an hour long lunch. I don't work in an "organized" shop but some of our customers are organized. Unions are bullshit in America. They may be different elsewhere, but all they do here is spur greed, create a hostile environment between management and everyone else, protect lazy/bad workers, and cause companies to spend more money to hire stupid amounts of people, therefore increasing costs and prices to the consumer. There is a reason the unions hate the word "technician". People that are multi-skill keep money out of the union coffers. All done in the name of "that's someone else's job". /rant
 
v6maro said:
I bet they are trying to increase book value for a sale
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone in their right mind would buy Sprint except for their hardware. Their service is shit I'm so glad I got rid of them in December.
 
Ha. Let's do a massive customer expansion push (50% off competitors bill) and then pay for the customer acquisition costs by firing the service agents we'll need to give decent service to new customers.

Sounds like yet another McKinsey/Harvard MBA brilliant business idea to drive the next quarters profits, make everyone's bonuses, then dump the issue on the next CEO/consultant/whoever.
 
SvenBent said:
Replace European with scandinavia are you are probably more accurate.Scandinavian countries are huge focus on the well being of its citizens and general progress for the people not the state.

Last year a new agreement was negotiate between the workers union and the companies union.
The workers didn't really wont more vacation ( 6weeks a year (5 is by law) + holidays + sickdays are paid).
The workers didn't really want more money ( monetarily gains is not as important for ppl there as it is there in the US.
instead the companies are now putting money into a fond where the workers can get an addition 10 works days ( 2 weeks) covered for going to educate themselves so they can improve their skill and abilities for a higher class job.

Yes you pay a higher taxes. but tbh life quality was a lot better living in Scandinavia than in Texas, because you have time for friends family and actually enjoy life. and You don't have to worry about as much with free health care, education for kids, and a payment system that works.
Click to expand...


But, then you can say you are in Texas.:D:rolleyes: You don't have to move to Europe to get the same or better job. It's enough to get a union job in NY, become a cop, fireman, teacher or work for federal, state or local government. Have you ever seen an overworked government worker? Those who work in private sector in the States are idiots and that includes me for the time being. Oh, wait, you want to get rich. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top