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candlesms
Member
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
Posts: 29
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2008 10:14
Daphnels,
Sorry it took me so long to answer. PA is one of the states that WEST will not hire in. I have many friends there in PA and I am constantly checking for them. They will hire you at a call center, but not from home. LIVEOPS, however, will hire from home in PA. The difference of course being that LIVEOPS are IC versus WEST being an Employer.
Hope that helps.
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skosha
Anonymous
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2008 12:22
ladyathome, thanks for sharing your experience. The thing that really bothers me is I was hired within a week of starting the application process. But it's been 3 weeks almost since I was hired and went out and spent a lot of money getting a home phone installed and a headset, etc. and no word!! It seems like they hire people before they actually have a position so that when one does open they have people ready. It's very unprofessional not to communication with your new employees AT ALL! I was counting on west as a full time job and now 3 weeks with no pay hurts!!
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candlesms
Member
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
Posts: 29
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2008 13:50
Quoting: tweb For everyone that is doing DR, it seems that during training if you do all the upsells you will be on the phone with one order for quite some time. Is this an accurate perception or do the calls happen a lot quicker?
Tweb,
No worries! Not every call has an APO attached to it. And keep in mind that the calls last longer with APO's however you must read them all. If someone threatens to cancel or two times says they do not want to hear any more offers, then just do the bypass statement. "Okay thak you, no problem. I'll just process your order for the original offer". Then you are not coached on this as long as you do that. If you have questions, I'll be happy to help. I actually just started another skill but it is within DR. Epiq. We are doing the government issued digital boxes. It is still DR just another division of it. Keep your head up!!
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MissRaine
Member
Joined: 5 Feb 2008
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2008 03:32
I'm just frustrated because I got that initial e-mail stating that I was hired - then the e-mail came saying that I needed to fill out the forms. They gave me the authorization code and the link. This was almost a week ago. I have tried repeatedly since the day I got the e-mail to access those forms and it won't work. I keep getting this message stating that the page is "no longer available" for each form, not to mention the page that lists all the forms is completely messed up. Type written over type, etc... What a mess. I sent them an e-mail inquiring about the problem and I asked if there was another way to obtain these forms, but.... surprise! No response. Very disappointing.
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stacy6681
Member
Joined: 2 Feb 2008
Posts: 4
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2008 09:45
MissRaine - I had the same problem with the browser. I was using Firefox at first which didn't work, then I tried Internet Explorer & it worked fine. I believe they only recommend IE browser.
I have another question for anyone who already works there, how does one get hired NOT for DR. I know there are other job offerings & wanted to know how would someone get to those. I worked in Tech Support for almost 10 years in a call center, so could I have a better chance on something other than DR?
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ladyathome
Member
Joined: 8 Feb 2008
Posts: 32
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2008 11:00
The initial email doesn't state that you are hired, just that you completed the application process...the next email with the forms, when you go to the link has a whole page on how it is not an employment contract etc. At this point if you check your application status it should say that you have completed all the necessary forms (if you have) and that HR needs to process and update your status. You are not "officially" hired until they process your paperwork and you application status is "in Hired status". At which point they will send you an email saying so, but even this is dependent on your paperwork/forms being in. It is quite a process until you are officially in hired status. Just wanted to clear that up.
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tweb
Member
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Posts: 26
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2008 18:35
Candlesms, I actually started DR on Thursday. I did 2 30 minute shifts with 30 min in between. It really wasn't that bad for my first night. I picked up more hours for early Sat morning and late Sat night. The early morning shift 2:00-4:00 am, I had A LOT of ghost/prank calls. How do they handle that in terms of it counting for or against you? Do all new DR reps start at a ranking of 3? I see that this is what my ranking is now and I wonder if that is why I didn't get many calls this morning (1:30-3:30 am) I only got a total of 6 calls for 2 hours. I was also wondering do you get any extra pay for the upsells/APO's?
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candlesms
Member
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
Posts: 29
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2008 03:31
Hi Tweb.
Actually, most start as a 2 for 2 weeks to get you in the swing of things. However to bring that up to a 2. 3's do get the least amount of calls, but keep in mind that at night there are not as many calls. I would suggest working a mid morning shift where you get more productive calls. Meaning calls that will effect your goal rates. I work strange shifts and I am finally a 1 again. But I figure since we are pretty much stuck in the famine mode right now, I'd rather get paid for ghosts with logged time then with no time. But be careful, the freaks come out at night! I work like I said, strange shifts. I work Midnight to 3 am. then 10 am to noon. then 1 pm to 3 30 then 10-midnight. so I get a variety, I get my goal counting calls in the day and the logged time calls at night. Unfortunately they do not pay extra for APO's. But they do pay a commission on some products such as the TOBI. Hope that helps!
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tweb
Member
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Posts: 26
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2008 09:28 · Edited by: tweb
Hi Candlesms thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I would only be able to work the mid morning thing on Saturdays. And really I probably wouldn't work then because the kids would be up. I have already had experience with the freaks. It was when I was on Saturday am. After waisting about 3 minutes on the phone with him I asked him to hold and clicked on 'Call a pal' but he hung up. I was going to ask the pal how long I have to keep him on the phone. I also got a lot of the calls that came in and said 'Probe caller .......' and they were mostly ghost calls or wrong numbers. Also, what's going on with the hours? Is it always like this? There are no hours out there. By the way, I checked my rank and it was a 2 today.
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skosha
Anonymous
Joined:
Posts:
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2008 12:01
OK SOOOO HERE'S THE HIRING DOWNLOW....AND YES I USE CAPS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE SHOUTING!!
I contacted a REAL person with west.
I read to them exactly what their communications have told me:
We are excited to have you as a West At Home employee and look forward to your contributions. Please reference your email often with further instructions regarding your next step in the process (expect this communication within 3 business days).
Application Date: PositionTitle:
01/19/2008 MI WAH
Our records indicate that you have completed all necessary paperwork. The next action will be for HR to complete the hire process in our systems.
They told me I actually am NOT hired yet as all the positions are currently full. I am at a ready to hire state and will be contacted when positions do open up which could be a couple of months away. They were unaware of the misleading communications I was sent and promised to correct this communications so that in the future people do not have the same experience as I did.
Soooo....3 weeks no pay later, $10 notary fee, over $100 to charter to start internet and phone service, $50 to purchase a headset and phone....I'm a little ticked to find out I don't even have a job yet. Now what am I supposed to do!?
I recommend you don't waste your time unless you have a LOT to waste trying to get hired for this company.
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skosha
Anonymous
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2008 12:04
p.s. the reason you WON'T get a response to your email or voicemail regarding the hiring process is because they get 1,000's a day for the same reason.
So we really are all needles in a haystack. Congrats if your needle gets found. Mine hasn't 
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ladyathome
Member
Joined: 8 Feb 2008
Posts: 32
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2008 12:21
Finally got my email/info and get to start training! I'm excited! Good luck out there for everyone else that applied, I am sure yours will come too, it just takes some time.
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tweb
Member
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Posts: 26
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2008 13:00
Skosha, I understand your frustration! I was in the same boat. I would say keep checking because if you've waited 3 weeks already I think it is just a matter of time before you are really hired.
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candlesms
Member
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
Posts: 29
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2008 16:45
Quoting: tweb I have already had experience with the freaks.
Not telling you what to do, but I know from past experience it does get better. Good Luck and good job bringing your rank up!
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tweb
Member
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Posts: 26
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2008 16:56 · Edited by: tweb
Quoting: candlesms do you get the guy who wants you to read for "finishing touch"
No, I got some guy who called in on some girls video. I can't remember exactly what the name of the video was. I was kinda of suspicious of the call from the beginning because he was breathing soo heavy I could hardly understand him. When I kept trying to get CC info from him he kept saying, "Can't I just keep you company for a few minutes". I really was about to lose it laughing. It was quite comical.
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WorkingAtHomeTX
Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2008
Posts: 11
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# Posted: 12 Feb 2008 01:11 · Edited by: WorkingAtHomeTX
Quoting: skosha Application Date: PositionTitle: 01/19/2008 MI WAH Our records indicate that you have completed all...
Hello Skosha. I applied 1/22/08, so this Wednesday will begin my 4th week waiting for the next step. It's very discouraging to hear that it may take 2 months, at this point. I can't wait much longer. Guess I need to look for other work until West finds a need for new people.
WorkingAtHomeTX
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ladyathome
Member
Joined: 8 Feb 2008
Posts: 32
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# Posted: 12 Feb 2008 08:45
Haha they hired me but there are no skills to train for right now, so I have to check daily for a skill to open up....yay
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Pugmom58
Member
Joined: 31 Jan 2008
Posts: 13
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# Posted: 12 Feb 2008 08:50
Hello WorkingAtHomeTX, I applied 01/21/08 and did all my paperwork on 01/23/08. I likewise am in the waiting mode. I have the time to wait. I am looking for something just part time. I love the idea of choosing my own hours and working from home. I know from working in the grocery industry for 15 years this is a slow time of the year. I will post wne I hear from West I hope you do also. Good Luck.
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candlesms
Member
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
Posts: 29
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# Posted: 12 Feb 2008 09:25 · Edited by: candlesms
Quoting: ladyathome Haha they hired me but there are no skills to train for right now, so I have to check daily for a skill to open up....yay
Congrats!
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mkidd6
Member
Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 17
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# Posted: 12 Feb 2008 12:23
I worked for West from May to August. The up sells were horrible, the customers would get angry and time was always an issue. My average time as 6-13 minutes and they fired me in August for going over my time limit. I had wonderful customer responses and sold a lot for the company - Working for this company was not a pleasant experience. I'm not trying to bring anyone down . . . but really watch your tim ALC. I have since started my own business and I LOVE IT!
Blessings to all!
Michelle
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tweb
Member
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Posts: 26
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# Posted: 12 Feb 2008 14:42
Quoting: mkidd6 My average time as 6-13 minutes and they fired me in August for going over my time limit
Candlesms, I was looking in the support documentation and remember seeing that the ALC goal for direct response is 240. I remember thinking that that's pretty short (like 4 minutes). My fist night I took 4 calls in 30 minutes and my ALC was double that. I have gotten better and I think because I have had soo many ghost calls that my ALC has gone down to the 260 range but I guess my question to you is, can you honestly complete calls that quickly if you go through all the upsells? And I know that you don't have upsells everytime maybe that's why it kind of equals out. Also, do you know when the hours come out for DR. I can't quite pinpoint it. Sometimes I'll see a whole bunch and then by the time I get to the hours I want, there gone.
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georgiagin
Member
Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Posts: 14
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2008 07:37
i have to disagree with something someone posted earlier on here. She said if your rank is a "3" you'll hardly get any calls.....soooo not true. I'm still new and that's my rank. I get calls BACK TO BACK....so you just never know.
Gina in GA
__________________
If you think you can you will, it's all in your state of mind
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candlesms
Member
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
Posts: 29
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2008 08:28
Quoting: georgiagin i have to disagree with something someone posted earlier on here. She said if your rank is a "3" you'll hardly get any calls.....soooo not true. I'm still new and that's my rank. I get calls BACK TO BACK....so you just never know.
Was it something I said? What I stated was that 3's get the LEAST amount of calls. "Hardly" wasn't the word I used. And that statement is 100% fact. 3's get the LEAST amount of calls. If there are 3 people logged on and all 3 people hang up on a caller at the exact same time, and 2 new calls come in, the 1 and the 2 will get the calls and the 3 will wait for another call. If the 3 hasn't gotten a call, and the 1 hangs up and another call comes in, the 1 will get the next call b4 the 2 and the 3. A PAL can explain it to you better. But I assure you and everyone that I will not lead anyone deliberately down a wrong path. I would have clearly not made that statement if it were not true. That statement in no way states that it is not possible for a 3 to get back to back to back calls either. Depends what time the commercials are on and also sometimes it depends on the Eden Pure Heater calls too Those will come to us all back to back to back regardless of rank. And it also depends what skill you are on. The same principal does apply as I have stated, BUT some skills are busier then others that if there are only a few agents on compared to call volume then that could and will happen. That statement was also in no way degrading to anyone who was not a 1 or a 2. It was advice to get her rank back up to where it started.
Everyone have a great day! Good luck Georgia!
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georgiagin
Member
Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Posts: 14
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2008 09:44
oh goodness on the ALCs...i hadn't known there was a goal on these although it should have occured to me. Some of these calls last 20 minutes!! Good things some hang up on you quick. Where do i look to see what my ALC is???
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If you think you can you will, it's all in your state of mind
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georgiagin
Member
Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Posts: 14
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2008 09:51
Got a question for yall....A week after I started, My mom took a bad turn for the worse in her health and was hospitalized & hospiced. Because of this I missed 2 back to back shifts that I was unable to get posted to be traded. Now, my adherence is 80..UGH I know. Is there anyway extenuating circumstances can be explained? or should I just work a lot of shifts to try and bring my adherence back up? will i be fired? What do yall think is going to happen to me?
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If you think you can you will, it's all in your state of mind
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candlesms
Member
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
Posts: 29
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2008 11:20
Quoting: georgiagin should I just work a lot of shifts to try and bring my adherence back up? will i be fired?
georgiagin...
What I would do is work half hour shifts and try to sign on early. If you sign on even 1 minute early, and stay 4-5 minutes late then your adherence is over 100%. then skip a half hour in your schedule and schedule another half hour and do the same, then again and so on to get some 100% SU and over 100% SA. also the ALC is located on your performance tab. Next time something terrible like that happens call your PAL to post the shifts for you, then you can at least alleviate some of those shifts if someone picks them up for you. Let's hope there isn't a next time and that your Mother is well. My prayers with you and yours.
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mlhatl
Member
Joined: 15 Jan 2008
Posts: 23
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2008 11:44
Hey, is anyone having any problems logging onto the West employee site. I tried and I'm getting that its down.
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ladyathome
Member
Joined: 8 Feb 2008
Posts: 32
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2008 17:32
MsMoeNa, did you ever get an available skill? I am still waiting and checking for them to become available too.
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WorkingAtHomeTX
Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2008
Posts: 11
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2008 18:14
Quoting: Pugmom58 Hello WorkingAtHomeTX, I applied 01/21/08 and did all my paperwork on 01/23/08. I likewise am in the waiting mode. I have the time to wait. I am looking for something just part time. I love the idea of choosing my own hours and working from home. I know from working in the grocery industry for 15 years this is a slow time of the year. I will post wne I hear from West I hope you do also. Good Luck.
Hey PugMom58. I will be sure to let everyone know anything I find out about a position with WestAtHome, including when I actually get one, or not.
I've heard other people mention this is a slow time of year, but I don't see why that is, because people are beginning to get their tax refunds and should therefore be spending more. I went to look for a new car this past weekend and all the dealers I went to were complaining that their lots were bare from all the sales to tax refunders. And that spending phase should reflect in phone sales and related customer service calls too! I don't know. Seems like whatever line I get in, it turns into the waiting lane!
I'm going to apply to other companies, and if West rolls around then I'll take that as it comes. Good luck everyone!
WorkingAtHomeTX
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tweb
Member
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Posts: 26
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2008 00:43
Candlesms, I have a question for you. I know that ranking plays a factor in how many calls you get. Is there something that plays a factor in which calls you get? I seem to get A LOT of calls for a specific product (probably about 60 % of my calls).
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