vB Easy Archive - AT&T Lay offs?

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AT&T Lay offs?
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Posted by: socosurf4

How do you guys feel about this?

AT&T Layoffs?

Posted by: Skins_kg

1.5% doesn't sound too bad. However 4,600 does. Way to go AT&T public relations!!

Posted by: socosurf4

Heh, yeah thats is a sweet way to word it, 1.5 definetly doesnt seem bad, but 4,600 people gone? sheesh. is this effecting RSCs at all? or just managers primarily? I dont wana lose my job!

Posted by: holaDude

The layoffs are almost all in wireline due to the merger of bell south and at&t, and was to be expected and should have no bearing on CS. Even if it was not spoken, it was well known within the company that the merger was going to produce layoffs.

What do I think of it? Don't take this wrong, but being through two layoffs in the past, it's what companies do to shed top heavy cost. My suggestion is this, if you are told that you will be laid off, don't wait for that date and find another job asap. If that company that you applied for offers a job, see if they would be willing to wait for your severance date (if you are given one), and if not, just jump ship. There is no loyalty in business anymore, so why show it to your company.

Now the one thing that I am looking at down the road is the merger of care markets into the telegence market. I can see that after this is completed and after about a year, more or less, that they could also look there to see about any possible cuts there, but that would be about two years away still.

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/s...14/daily44.html

ADDING Remember that this also takes into count for jobs lost through attrition, or currently vacant jobs.

Posted by: cac67

Quote:

Originally Posted by holaDude

Now the one thing that I am looking at down the road is the merger of care markets into the telegence market. I can see that after this is completed and after about a year, more or less, that they could also look there to see about any possible cuts there, but that would be about two years away still.

I wouldn't worry too much about cs layoffs. The turnover rate is so high, they can just do a hiring freeze for a month or two and get a hefty reduction in cs workforce.

Posted by: holaDude

Quote:

Originally Posted by cac67

I wouldn't worry too much about cs layoffs. The turnover rate is so high, they can just do a hiring freeze for a month or two and get a hefty reduction in cs workforce.

Not really. You have to look at the fact that there will be call centers that overlap in a region and that it will be in these regions that there may be closers. Don't forget that the the NE has mixed markets. I don't know if there are centers that just have care and ones that have telegence. Plus once it is all one billing, then you would be able to balance the calls across all the centers much more efficiently.

It could, I know I am just dreaming and wishing now, allow for there to be 24 hour CS.

Even with low call volume right now in some centers, they are still having training classes to fill seats.

Posted by: Heather1978

They are closing several formally Dobson stores here, mine being one of them. The job that they offered my coworkers and I has an hour commute, so most of us are looking for other jobs and taking our severence.

Posted by: holaDude

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heather1978

They are closing several formally Dobson stores here, mine being one of them. The job that they offered my coworkers and I has an hour commute, so most of us are looking for other jobs and taking our severence.

I forgot about those locations. It will also be the same for the call centers I am sure after they are integrated into the telegence billing system. The same will hold true for any Edge Wireless center I would bet. The older at&t call centers can easily absorb the 1.7 million cellone customers and the the edge wireless customers.

Posted by: JustJoe

I can see the company terminating agreements with several of the 3rd party centers or re-tasking them to a different program.

The 3rd party center I worked at a while back handled Blue BEUC and a portion of Telesales calls in two different call groups. I believe that after the integration of Axys and Siebel to the Orange systems the BEUC queue started handling Telegence calls. The same center also handles (or handled- I haven't worked there in 4 years) First Premier credit cards, Shop NBC, and Video Professor. If they lose some AT&T business they will adapt. Depending on anticipated volume they can designate which seats handle which queues. Reps assigned to AT&T are dedicated to AT&T, but everyone else can handle multiple products and their screens will change depending on the call. On many occasions reps in the cubicle row behind me would be on a different project which was kinda weird hearing discussion about credit card rates while you are dissecting someone's bill.

And if you read the Union Agreement there is a statment from Steve Frost essentially saying they will ditch contractors before laying off employees.