Customer Service Decline
Apr 17, 2017, 9:29 pm
#16
Join Date: Aug 2013
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 917
How they handled the project is totally opaque to anyone on the outside, so very little is truly obvious, and not much can even be inferred. As long as it's fixed, I'm not gonna worry about who to blame.
Apr 17, 2017, 9:43 pm
#17
Moderator: Alaska Mileage Plan
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,316
Apr 18, 2017, 1:55 am
#18
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
Wow, explains a bit when I was on hold for hours earlier in the year... 
Thanks for the insight as always ^
Thanks for the insight as always ^
Apr 18, 2017, 6:09 am
#19
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,837
I'm really sorry to hear you experienced an issue when calling the MVP/Gold line; this was an unintended problem that occurred when AS implemented the 'virtual hold' feature, allowing the system to "wait in line" for the caller when hold times were excessive.
Inbound calls were previously handled in this priority:
1. MVP/Gold line callers
2. Non-elite callers
When the "virtual hold" feature was turned on, here's how the system began prioritizing calls:
1. MVP/Gold callers who had asked for a callback
2. Non-elite callers who had asked for a callback
3. MVP/Gold callers
4. Non-elite callers
Unfortunately, this was only discovered after seeing all these non-elite customers suddenly, inexplicably, leapfrogging in the queue ahead of new calls from MVP/Gold callers, resulting in much longer holds for elite-level customers than was intended. The problem was identified and reported to our telecom provider, and the addition of dozens of new agents each week has already seen the wait times for elite and non-elite customers alike drop significantly.
Inbound calls were previously handled in this priority:
1. MVP/Gold line callers
2. Non-elite callers
When the "virtual hold" feature was turned on, here's how the system began prioritizing calls:
1. MVP/Gold callers who had asked for a callback
2. Non-elite callers who had asked for a callback
3. MVP/Gold callers
4. Non-elite callers
Unfortunately, this was only discovered after seeing all these non-elite customers suddenly, inexplicably, leapfrogging in the queue ahead of new calls from MVP/Gold callers, resulting in much longer holds for elite-level customers than was intended. The problem was identified and reported to our telecom provider, and the addition of dozens of new agents each week has already seen the wait times for elite and non-elite customers alike drop significantly.
Apr 18, 2017, 8:23 am
#20
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
Apr 18, 2017, 9:50 am
#21
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 702
I'm really sorry for the inconvenience! Your experience was definitely not consistent with the service we try to provide each day. During some previous periods of extreme weather irregularities resulting in cancellations, the phone lines were swamped. In addition, that same "virtual hold" system had a different glitch that resulted in some callers getting called back multiple times, even after their problem had been resolved. That glitch has since been identified and corrected, and I'm hopeful you're being connected with an agent after little to no wait at this point.