Can anyone with knowledge tell us what is going on with frontline? VTO daily, offering part time, legacy being deactivated, active holds on refunds and replacements that now never get worked. The IBR is still implemented on top agents. Are they trying to make people quit?
14 replies (most recent on top)
Moving away from legacy was always the plan once SH was thought of so not sure why it's a surprise. VTO is never offered for us in digital anymore now that we have been moved to phones so not sure what you are talking about with VTO.
My opinion on VTO, it's a way to prevent layoffs. By getting people to use up all their PTO on Wayfair's schedule rather then ours it can allow Wayfair more flexibility AND control but also allow us needed time to breath when everything is just too much. But I totally understand the idea that it does prove not all of us are needed. So it's a toss up. But again, if everyone were to take the VTO offers, then maybe, just maybe the potential layoff could be avoided. Or it's just a test to see if we aren't needed at all. Honestly, none of us will ever know until we are laid off, and even then we won't truly know if there was something we could have done to prevent it.
The person that bought up the IBR, they are correct. If you’re on the top tier and getting 90% of the contacts it’s pure burn out! There are literally agents waiting for contacts most of the day and those with the top stats are slammed in digital. It’s a barbaric system that feels almost discriminating towards the agents that do better. This affects the stats we already can’t meet. When you get a majority of the damaged items, your high cost resolution becomes impossible to maintain, which I’m sure they do not care. It’s less they pay out in the bonuses. This is made worse by the majority of the Jamaican team avoiding those contacts, by either telling the customer it was taken care of when it wasn’t or letting those contacts drop. And now we are told no one is reprimanded for these issues on that team. No one’s job is safe. This company is sinking fast.
To the comment that “you better be ready to ride the big wave” lose your job it will go overseas…do you think YOUR job couldn’t possibly go overseas or just simply eliminated all together? Are you CEO? I think not. Quit being so hateful to others. We’re all in the same boat here and if everything was so wonderful for this company we’re working for in some capacity, we wouldn’t be commenting on a site about layoffs.
To the comment on using Service Hub. Fix it so it brings up the correct order after you correctly type it in, I may use it more. Also, make the entire screen nothing but the order. That entire left had side of the page that you can kind of make smaller just needs to go. It serves no purpose. Also just trying to add a note after a wrap you have to scroll past more useless info. It’s not user friendly in the least. Doesn’t matter if you were trained on it from the beginning or not. I haven’t spoken to one agent that has any glowing reports about it whatsoever. We get dinged for every last little infarction and Wayfair in turn can’t even provide a program that brings up the correct order for you. Ridiculous waste of everyone’s time including customers.
It’s not so much that VTO is being held directly against you, it’s that the utilization of VTO is directly proving the point that the company can run “leaner and meaner” as Niraj has said for every layoff. Managers got in the habit of encouraging their teams to take VTO when available due to the long gap in time where it wasn’t a thing, and they were excited for the team to actually get an opportunity to leave early. VTO has always had this mindset around it of it being kind of like a reward. The reality is corporate is able to look at WFM stats, see that they ASA, AHT, ART, NRT, whatever efficiency metrics haven’t changed despite all the VTO being taken. This helps corporate believe that Frontline is too big, and is why part time requests are going out, and why VTO is going out more consistently. With so many people taking VTO the point that the company can run on a leaner workforce is directly being proven. Stop looking at VTO as a reward, because it’s really not. Taking it doesn’t effect you short term, but it’ll greatly effect frontline long term.
We are encouraged to take the VTO offered by managers. IBR is crushing us as we constantly get the contacts pushed to us. How can the company hold the VTO taken against us?
Stop taking VTO and proving their point. Do the job. Strive to be on the higher tier. It will give you a fighting chance. It is a business and it seems to be in trouble. Every l company right now is reducing their workforce. Overseas agents or third party agents despite their lack of knowledge save them money. If you are full time and VTOing week over week as a part time. WHAT is the point of them paying benefits for you. Stop shooting youselves on the foot also.
What group got laid off on 3/15? I saw this on another site.
Removing legacy as a tool is intentional and all part of the "level up" plan for service.
Service hub is intended to simply keep call/chat times nice and short so those issues you can't immediately address get pushed to those who have more time to feed out templates and hope it resolves itself.
Metric increases reduce bonus payments and also provide a further layer of target management.
Your role is not traditional service, but simply keep the numbers rolling.
VTO will continue to be offered as if it's taken then it is further proof that the Dept can operate as standard with lower head count.
Better to have you quit than to pay increases through tenure or performance. Simple as that.
Outsourcing and cost saving at L1/L2 are still topics under review as part of ongoing lean management
I think so! Metrics just went up again! IBR makes it impossible to breath, back to back all day long. Why offer VTO, just makes it worse for those that actually work.
To the comment about not using legacy. The OP was not only complaining about legacy. Did you have any answers about the rest of the questions, or were you just coming here to bootlick? It would seem on the whole that was actually the least of the issues brought up. I don’t work in Frontline, but I can assume you do and you’re not very tenured by that stupid answer. I hope you’re holding on for the big wave of, you no longer have a job soon when they wipe out that department to pay someone overseas $1.20 to do your job!
You shouldn't be using legacy page you should be using Service Hub
It is strange for sure! I've never seen anything like this too! Been here 5 years. FL