Magna Nullus

Since the pandemic, I've lamented the decline in service on the Diamond line. Of course, some of this is because there are so many new call agents. But they don't seem trained well, and I end up having to tell them how some Medallion choice benefits/perks work. It's been frustrating to say the least. I have heard from reliable sources that, until recently, all Medallion calls were handled by two dedicated call centers - one in Salt Lake City, the other in Chisholm, MN. However, as of the end of this month (May, 2023), call centers, system wide, will field Medallion calls. Furthermore, the call agents at Chisholm, who have been trained and worked for years (some decades) with Medallion callers, will now be switched to baggage (which until now, had been handle out of Augusta, GA). I wish Delta would explain this bizarre (and terrible) change in policy.

jrl767

you won't like their explanation; while it'll be full of phrases like "improving the customer experience for our valued Medallion members" and similar feel-good marketing-speak, I fully suspect the unspoken rationale is that DL expects to spend less on CSR salaries and benefits

Magna Nullus

I haven't liked most of Delta's explanations in the last few years. It's insulting - as if their customers are half-wits who can't think or read between beyond the lines. Someone at Delta corporate needs to reach out to its customers to find out what we value, and the reality of flying nowadays. They seem to be completely out of touch with their revenue generators.

DLHubber

Delta is a credit card company that flies planes on the side to drive people to get their credit cards.

rylan

SLC and Chisholm certainly haven't handled all calls for a while, especially since the pandemic shutdowns and buyouts/layoffs. Many can report that they've been routed to the Atlanta or other call centers depending on the time. If you call during the week and business hours for the preferred locations, you had a better chance of getting one of them but certainly was not exclusive.

Very unfortunate to hear that Chisholm is being reallocated to baggage handling though. That is a big disappointment and will just result in further dilution of the call center remaining knowledgeable agents.

VFR

The pessimist in me says that redeploying Chisholm to baggage is to attempt to make the longer-tenured, higher-paid agents quit.

Being a good airline call center agent takes a lot of savvy -- you have to be both good with an aging computer system and good with people.

flyerCO

I highly doubt one call center will handle bags exclusively.

Also as another notes, there have been no specific medallion agents in a few years.

At this point this is gossip. Might it pan out? Sure. However it's equally likely not.

FlyingUnderTheRadar

Delta like many companies is going to be utilizing AI with their call centers and chats. That will "help" less experienced agents. So next time there is a IRROP instead of being routed through SLC you might find yourself in SCL or OAK instead of AUK. Happy flying.

silverthief2

I don't believe these "reliable sources" until and unless there's some official word about this.

Exactly, especially from a brand new handle.

spudley007

Does anybody know where the 360 call center is out of?

hi55us

RobertS975

Long time DM and 3MM... my two calls on this past Sunday were both handled by agents in ATL.

Magna Nullus

This is coming from a longtime medallion agent in Chisholm, who is one of the last in that call center being moved to baggage.

My first thought on this is echoed by the pessimist above.

silverthief2

And does this agent have a name?

Magna Nullus

You can choose to believe this or not. I’m not putting a longtime Delta employee on the line (especially without consent) to make a point here. The overall point is being made by the many medallions here who have noticed that Delta has shifted away from medallion-specific call centers, which is lowering the level and quality of service we experience.