DLBeno

For those of you who have had past issues with your flights on DL, here is the new group of people who will be handling your calls...

Please be reasonably nice to these folks. They are there to help you.



-b-

New Customer Care call center open for business
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September 28, 2009

Richard joined representatives in Delta’s new Corporate Customer Care Call Center in Atlanta as they took their first calls Monday morning.

The center handles primarily past-date travel service recovery issues for Delta and Northwest operations. Calls are received from all customers with special prioritization for high-value customer handling.

Richard emphasized to the team how important their jobs are, particularly when working with high-value customers.

“Customers need to know that we have their back when we’re dealing with their issues,” he told team members during ceremonies marking the center’s opening. “We are getting back to providing the customer service that Delta was known for in the past.”

Jim Cron, s.v.p.-Global Sales, Reservations and Distribution, and Perry Cantarutti, v.p.-Reservation Sales and Customer Care, also were on hand Monday to launch the new call center.

“I’d like to get the revenue team over here so they understand the challenges our Res agents face every day. This job isn’t easy!” Jim told the team after listening to a call with one of the agents.

The call center, located in the Atlanta Reservations Center near World Headquarters, is staffed by three leads and 40 agents.

The operating hours are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Until the single operating certificate is achieved, the number for Delta ops is 404-715-2600, option 8, and the number for Northwest ops is 701-420-6282.

Robert Leach

What would be the typical types of things to call this center for? Who would be more empowered, these reps or the upcoming reps at the Diamond VIP line?

The article suggests they would handle primarily past-date service recovery issues, when it seems to me that what is needed as a priority is real time service recovery assistance.

acjflyer

Awesome. I always glad to see more money being invested in customer service. Just like the reintroduction of the Red Coat Service, this is another sign that DL is trying to resolve costumer issue in a better manner. Personally I have seen their e-mail responses better responding my concerns.

n7371f

This apparently means the end of Northwest's dedicated center in Minot, ND. Always very fair and interested when having to make a few calls over the years...

itsaboutthejourney

Knowing Jim and Perry are behind this, I'm very pleased they are bringing NW's excellent high-value Customer Care to the new Delta. ^

Best of luck to the new agents, as Jim said: their job isn't easy.

hokiekev

I've been very happy with the medallion call center lately... Very friendly... very helpful.

ContinentalFan

Thanks for this news; I'm looking forward to calling them!

secretsea18

I "called" Minot ND yesterday and spoke with a Delta agent regarding an unresolved issue, was surprised to not have a Northwest agent. Interestingly, he was very interested to hear of any other issues other than the specific problem I called about. ^ And my problem was completely resolved during the phone call.

DLBeno

My assumption is that the new call center is going to be given significant lattitude to solve issues and create good will between the customers and DL.

That said, this call center is going to be specifically for issues post-trip/post-flight. So issues like:

1. Equipment downgrades and preferred seating not available

2. Overbooking and correct compensation not given

3. Issues with mechanicals and cancelled flights/flight delays

4. Customer service issues

5. Baggage delays

6. Poor service in-flight/bad food/etc.

So things not associated with in situ day-of-departure issues that are generally handled by the Medallion desk or by the IROP desk or airport-rebook.

-b-

zman

DL thinks this is so important they decided not to assign an 800 number.

TTT

Me too. Have had very good service^

I had originally thought the numbers were internal, but just calling the 404 number it is Delta's general HQ number. An 800 number would have been handy, but quite honestly, most people use a cell phone with free long distance so what does it matter?

Robert Leach

Exactly.

In fact, in this budget-cutting era, I am surprised that someone hasn't figured out that a boatload of money could be saved by eliminating the toll-free number.

First of all, the airline doesn't want you to call and tie up an agent anyway, so it would make sense not to make it easy to call. Secondly, it doesn't cost the vast majority of people any more to call a 404 number than it does an 800 number these days, as many are using cell phones where a call is a call is a call, and even at home many have unlimited long distance plans.

silverthief2

I don't know about that; I assumed from reading this that calling whichever 800 number you use to reach DL (general res, Medallion #, whatever) would then lead you to these folks based on the nature of your call that you identify by selection. The direct line numbers are if you want these folks from the get-go. No idea if I'm right, but that's what I assumed.

SamuelS

And how will guests from Canada, or other countries for that matter, contact this special team? DL is supposedly the new premier GLOBAL airline, not just for the 50 states! I guess only people who live in the mainland US have post travel issues.

ifette

uhm... the same way you would contact anyone? Honestly, 800 numbers are a pain in the butt from overseas. Some phone systems will refuse to connect, others will helpfully tell you that 800 calls are not toll free from overseas and then connect you (at standard international rates). Personally, I prefer not to have to dial an 800 number for exactly this reason (have hit phones before, overseas, where I cannot dial an 800 number). Dialing the US from Canada is cheap enough, and frankly dialing the US from anywhere is pretty cheap (sadly vice versa is not always true).

Unless you are dialing from a hotel phone or a pay phone (in which case you seriously need to get with the times and get something like google voice or skype), this falls squarely in the realm of "oh my god my miles are going to take 24 hours to post." But given this number is for past travel experiences, no idea why you would be calling from a hotel/pay phone. Call when you get home, wherever that is.

Seriously, you're getting something great, and you're going to complain about the fact that it's not an 800 number? please.