Whirlpool

Does anyone have experience with working in a Foxtel call center?

I'm just wondering what the conditions are because I'm thinking of applying for a position. It's inbound BTW.

I've heard that a lot of the staff their are backpackers, OS travelers, and people in-between jobs.

Apparently the work is not too bad, but there is a fairly high staff turnover, which may make it a difficult work environment.

Jingletard writes...

I've heard that a lot of the staff their are backpackers, OS travelers, and people in-between jobs.


This is similar to most call centre positions though. It would really depend on the role. Also will you be Outsourcing (working for SalesForce, Stella, UPMS, etc) at Foxtel or will Foxtel be paying your wages. Are you inbound or outbound? What hours... Most call centre people are fairly laid back.

Apparently the work is not too bad, but there is a fairly high staff turnover, which may make it a difficult work environment.

Again similar to most call centres, due to the repetitive nature of Call Centre work and low pay people will move on once they gain sufficient experience.

consumer writes...

Does anyone have experience with working in a Foxtel call center?

Foxtel outsources its call centers to SalesForce/Salmat. They are run by Gonzo (Kevin) Panozza (thats what some people at SalesForce call him). From what I hear from five people I know who have been there its a really weird environment. If you work at SalesForce your contract isn't called a contract - its called "the Rainbow Connection". And the manual for how you respond to customers is called "the Rainbow Book". Every one I have met who has worked there and left is scathingly critical of SalesForce. In the Foxtel inbound sales center you can make up to around 50K, which might make up being intimidated into voting for SalesForce as Australia's best employer. (That actually happened).
It's probably OK if your looking for a short stint as a backpacker or part timer who isn't relying on the money, but not a good idea for a permanent job.

scholesy writes...

his is similar to most call centre positions though.

Again similar to most call centres, due to the repetitive nature of Call Centre work and low pay people will move on once they gain sufficient experience.

I realise this (have done 7 months on an ISP helpdesk myself), but apparently Foxtel are even more so like this.

3 months was the average max employment length, IIRC.

consumer writes...

Does anyone have experience with working in a Foxtel call center?

Yeah, a friend of mine has been working there for about 7 years. In BOH now, but previously in FOH.

Thankfully, I was rejected by them for a CSR job in 2000 :-)

i work in foxtel from telstra, and i use about 15 different systems all up, foxtel use 1, easy as work, decent pay and you get completely free foxtel, what more could you want?

ahhh good to know any tips/

Saaaahm writes...

i work in foxtel from telstra, and i use about 15 different systems all up, foxtel use 1,

So? Its the 15 you use, that gives you variety and makes it interesting.

what more could you want?

You are better off where you are

The Angry Gnome writes...

Foxtel outsources its call centers to SalesForce/Salmat.

AFAIK the large call centre in Moonee Ponds (Melb) is Foxtel and not outsourced - unless this has changed recently?

FOXTEL are apparantly training a large amount of workers in India and are apparantly about to outsource Aussie jobs to India. So definately don't go near anything to do with FOXTEL. They are profit driven only and will bully their way to getting a profit, at the expense of Australian workers.

Bitethebully writes...

FOXTEL are apparantly training a large amount of workers in India and are apparantly about to outsource Aussie jobs to India.

So? Big difference between "apparently" and actual facts. Either Foxtel will give him a job or they won't. Whether they are hiring people in India or not, is irrelevant to the OP.

True. But it is pointless getting a job there when most of the work is constantly outsourced to different companies and no security is offered. Tell him to stay away from call centre work if possible!

Saaaahm writes...

i work in foxtel from telstra, and i use about 15 different systems all up, foxtel use 1, easy as work, decent pay and you get completely free foxtel, what more could you want?

That 1 'system' that Foxtel uses is crap.

How hard should it be to have a service cancelled on a specific date and relocated to a new residence on an agreed date?

When we sold our house we told Foxtel tha we'd like our service cancelled on the day that we move house. This request was made two weeks prior to the moving day. The 'backpacking' Foxtel employee cancelled our service then & there, not on the day we were moving. That meant two weeks without Foxtel because the 'system' wouldn't allow them to reactivate the service?! (personally I couldn't care less but the missus was angry – no next top model... my life was hell for two weeks)

Then on the day we're moving into the new house the Foxtel installer comes and says that we need a satellite installation, not a cable installation and that we'd have to call Foxtel to arrange this. So I call and get told that it will take 3 days to be transitioned from the 'cable' list to the 'satellite' list, because its a limitation of the 'system'. And then once we were on that list we'd need to re-apply for Foxtel connection (due to the system') Eh?

Good Luck calling Foxtel on the weekend if you're billed by Telstra for your Foxtel service.

IVR: "Press 2 if you're billed by Telstra for your Foxtel service"
Me: /press 2
IVR: "The Telstra Customer Support centre is closed on weekends". Click.
Me: /wall punch

Bitethebully writes...

FOXTEL are apparantly training a large amount of workers in India and are apparantly about to outsource Aussie jobs

Got any proof of this?

Yep. Staff at FOXTEL were briefed but told it is a "trial"

JolietJake writes...

Good Luck calling Foxtel on the weekend if you're billed by Telstra for your Foxtel service.

If you are billed by Telstra then you aren't calling Foxtel, you are calling Telstra.

IVR: "Press 2 if you're billed by Telstra for your Foxtel service"

Me: /press 2

IVR: "The Telstra Customer Support centre is closed on weekends". Click.

Me: /wall punch

Thats what you asked for, when you asked to be billed by Telstra for your Foxtel. If you want Foxtel's hours of support instead (are they different?) then get billed by Foxtel.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

JolietJake writes...

This request was made two weeks prior to the moving day.

*NEVER* make requests "in advance" for ANY business or service.

It is impossible to manage this type of request, and it always goes wrong just at the last minute.

Some smart businesses actually tell you up-front – "Sorry, we can't do anything in advance at all. You need to contact us later, on the day and date that you want it."

Always ring up at the point of actually needing the actual product or service.

Not before.

freesugar writes...

Some smart businesses actually tell you up-front – "Sorry, we can't do anything in advance at all. You need to contact us later, on the day and date that you want it."

Smart?

its called "poor customer service"

madamehk writes...

FOXTEL will now have the opportunity to take its bully boy tactics offshore.

can anyone say "disgruntled ex-employee"?

freesugar writes...

It is impossible to manage this type of request, and it always goes wrong just at the last minute.

I doubt that it's impossible.. in fact we organised our power to be turned off two weeks in advance as well, and that all went smoothly.

Maybe our electrical supplier has a hotline to God and asked him to help them out with our impossible request? Either way I'm glad that they could achieve the "impossible".

JolietJake writes...

That 1 'system' that Foxtel uses is crap.

How hard should it be to have a service cancelled on a specific date and relocated to a new residence on an agreed date?

Was this the old system (Wizard) pre February 2008, or the new system (Viva) post February 2008? Wizard was fantastic in terms of responsiveness and its ability to summarize everything relevant (except for billing) so that the CSR could quickly determine exactly what kind of package, set top unit, cable/sat delivery method, what room each box was supposedly assigned to along with the corresponding smartcard number etc. However, that system relied a lot on the operator keying in correct codes for what needed to be done, as it was very easy to make mistakes.

I left before they deployed Viva but was there for the training sessions.

Viva looked like a complete balls up in every sense of the term, with few benefits over Wizard and lots of functionality reductions thrown in for good measure. Given the number of threads in the Television thread at that time about stuff going wrong even more so than usual, it looks like I was right.

I suppose it's settled down by now, but it's not like I plan to go back and work for them anytime soon.

yeah, i work for customer service @ foxtel.. aka salesforce.
have been there for over a year and a half.

i'm quite happy to work there, with the exception of the viva cutover back in february.
but i do a good mixture of caretaking, 2iC and general phone work. (so if do well, theres room for promotion)

we do inbound customer service and it is a pretty cruisy job.
it's not what you'd expect from an office environment.
most the people that we work with are pretty laid back. not too many backpackers / os tourists and such.

we took a few irish / uk types back in feb for the ramp up. but now its mostly aus and nz fulltimers who've been there for a great deal of time

however. if you were to come into the office and walk around the floor you'd find we wear whatever we want... no exaggeration. everything from ravers in reflective phat pants.. emos, goths, metal kids, normal run of the mill people. it's nice and laid back. people are quite friendly, and due to the environment most of us are happy to be there, and are also friends outside of work.

the rumours about an outsource team in india are true.
bangalore outsourced basic technical.
it was introduced earlier this week.

the person who said t

it is being touted as a trial. but it wouldn't be the first time head office have blatantly lied to us....

the hiring is being cut back a fair bit,
it's a good job, good place to work... i don't think you'd find work with us now, we don't have the need. the calls arent really coming in anymore.

pay rate at casual on full commission is about $20.90
on full time its around $18 or so...

take off $2.50 if you can't hit your AHT targets. but its easy enough.

the other downside.. if you're casual.. you pretty much need to be available from as early as 6am til 10pm at night... 7 days a week.
depending on your banding.

but even those of us on full time hours still get rostered on for the occasional weekend. (so i guess this answers the question before if foxtel and telstra foxtel hours are different... yes they are. fox direct work 7 days... 16hrs a day)

theres always suckers wanting to take hours off totalview tho ;) so s'all good