Who answers the phones in your store?

[happygoth]

I agree with most of this, but calling out a specific department was just as frustrating, especially if it was domestics, small appliances, sporting goods, seasonal, furniture, etc. Even with Electronics and Toys, more than one page was usually necessary, as well as leaders needing to step in and mention a specific TM to get the call. These people most likely knew that they would have to answer the call eventually, so why wait until a leader has to tell you to get it? So annoying. And then when you page a department and someone responds right away, and you then tell them they have a call after you had paged the department for a phone call twice already? Such a bad look, yet nothing was ever done about it.

So again, zero fucks to give over here.

As far as calling other stores, I have very rarely done so, but it's never easy to get someone on the line except maybe for drugstores and liquor stores, and even then, if they have a line of customers you will wait until they are able to get someone to help. I called a liquor store a few days ago to find out if they still carried a certain line of Scotches and what the price range was and it was like an Abbott and Costello skit getting a straight answer. Thanks anyway, lol.

Sears had an answering machine. Nobody ever answered the phone directly. Sometimes I would come in for my supervisor night shift and there would be 20 or more messages blinking because nobody had listened to them all day. The ones where a customer had called two or three times were always hilarious, as they grew increasingly irate with each call.

 

[Tessa120]

Well, yeah, if you call out for hardlines you would get crickets at my store, because hardlines is fucking huge. Call out a specific department and we'll answer it, but if you called hardlines, you'd get bupkus.

Actually, I always did call for a specific area. I would say "kitchen" or "storage" or "as seen on tv". Same exact reaction, lots of crickets.

 

[IWishIKnew]

My favorite is when they call for domestics. Dudes. Domestics covers about a quarter of the store...can you be more specific? I don't want to pick up the phone in bedding to find they want info on vacuums.

 

[CoolLife24]

This is where you check the floor location and, if it's not there, spend a few minutes zoning that aisle before going back and telling the guest you couldn't find it, sorry. (I'm assuming these are 0 on the floor, 0 in back, but more than zero on hand, which is why the website thinks we have it).



I don't call big stores very often, but whenever I do it's a long wait to get someone. They have the same problem we do--too few people covering too big an area with too much to do to bother with people who aren't standing right in front of them. Target makes it ridiculously easy to see if we have something--order it for OPU. If you can't order it for OPU, odds are good we don't have it. If it lets you order it and we don't have it, you'll get an email. Much faster & easier than calling, for everyone.



Well, yeah, if you call out for hardlines you would get crickets at my store, because hardlines is fucking huge. Call out a specific department and we'll answer it, but if you called hardlines, you'd get bupkus.

Omg lol we have this one team member that still calls out hardlines do you copy lmfao! Or the classic LOD do you copy lmfao my etls stopped saying we don’t have Lods but how can we help they just respond.

 

[jackandcat]

.....for the love of spot, y’all need to sign into your phone apps. Don’t tell me “oh my zebra won’t let me sign in”... seems to work just fine when the SD tells you to after I called 5 times. I know no one wants to answer the phone but especially this week GS is absolutely slammed, we do not have time to answer other people’s calls

Our store doesn't quite have enough zebras for all TMs on duty, although this mainly is noticeable at S&E (GS) where about 2 or 3 zebras are available for the service desk, OPU and DUP and that's about it. That's why our store unofficially "allows" (encourages?) Guest Advocates to use their personal smartphones for the Target App when assisting guests, because there aren't enough zebras to go around.

You are right also that probably many TMs who do have zebras aren't signing into the phone apps. I suspect many of our TMs don't actually understand or realize how important it is to be signed in to the phone app and ready to answer calls. Possibly the heavier workloads and time-driven demands for completion of tasks are weighing on TLs, ETLs and SDs to the point that they don't want to browbeat TMs about answering the store's phone calls. I think if Service & Engagement was actually provided with a backstage desk (away from guests) for answering and transferring the phone calls, along with handling tasks defecting out salvage and CRC and tidying up the bins of collected lane reshop, it would be far more productive for the store and its guests. Maybe this idea is asking too much given the financial aspects of store modernization? 😐

 

[flow4areasonuno]

our store unofficially "allows" (encourages?) Guest Advocates to use their personal smartphones for the Target App when assisting guests, because there aren't enough zebras to go around.

I'm not supposed to do this? I do it all the time, the pictures don't show up 90% of the time on the zebra so I don't know which item to select...so I just end up using the Target app.

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

If the zebra says 0 on floor, 0 in back, why do you spend time looking? Why not just tell them that Target.com uses a different inventory system that doesn't update immediately in response to sales, it only updates overnight?

Exactly!!

 

[IWishIKnew]

Because it's sometimes nice to feel like a goddamn hero, particularly when a guest tells you you saved Christmas. Finding shit for guests is sometimes the best part of this job.

 

[aMonkeyCudoThis]

Since the operator was eliminated, nobody answers the phone.

 

[Tessa120]

Because it's sometimes nice to feel like a goddamn hero, particularly when a guest tells you you saved Christmas. Finding shit for guests is sometimes the best part of this job.

When it says that there is 0 on the floor and 0 in the back, then it is almost certainly not on the floor and not in the back. Of course, if you think that people should look anyway, go ahead and be the one to search the entire backroom with no starting point. Even if there's an error and there is one of the item somewhere, finding it is a crapshoot because it's nowhere near where it should be, otherwise it'd be marked as 1.

 

[hufflepuff]

The on hand number matters more than the on floor number.

 

[SuperTarget]

I’m the DBO for Front of Store at my store but was formally Guest Service so im still knowledgeable with that and frequently help with backup there. I tend to sign into the phone as both General Merch and Guest Service at the same time. Helping Guest Service with the calls when they have guests or drive up orders gets the calls answered much quicker. However on certain days if I’m doing Presentation such as setting Bullseye or CB1/CB2 I don’t sign into the phone as I’m usually too busy to answer any General Merch or GS calls.

 

[seasonaldude]

When it says that there is 0 on the floor and 0 in the back, then it is almost certainly not on the floor and not in the back. Of course, if you think that people should look anyway, go ahead and be the one to search the entire backroom with no starting point. Even if there's an error and there is one of the item somewhere, finding it is a crapshoot because it's nowhere near where it should be, otherwise it'd be marked as 1.

While dealing with a guest in the store or on the phone certainly I understand not spending your time searching for items that are 0 on floor, 0 in back (X on hand). However, it should be pointed out that looking for and finding those items is Fulfillment's job. It's not a crapshoot for someone who knows how to interpret the inventory information available in MyWork and who has good general knowledge about the store. No, don't call your store's fulfillment team because toys misplaced a box of Mini Brands (AGAIN!), a caller is asking about them and your device says 0 on floor, 0 in back (12 on hand). Please just tell that guest we don't have them. Fulfillment is busy. But, please do tell your toys DBO to go search his case stock locations, find the box, and correct his counts because until that happens all Mini Brands related calls will be transferred to him.

 

[Tessa120]

The on hand number matters more than the on floor number.

Until you cause GS to be yelled at a couple times over 0 on floor, 0 in back, 23 on hand and there's none in the entire store, and then leadership gives you a quick but firm lesson on what's right. Further punctuated by the sightings of 1 on floor, 0 in back, 0 on hand as you are staring at the item, and the classic 2 on floor, 1 in back, -1 on hand. And how during Christmas season the hot item always showed as 40+ on hand at all times while Electronics would actually have two left on a good hour, zero in stock and zero arrivals for the last two weeks on a bad hour.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Until you cause GS to be yelled at a couple times over 0 on floor, 0 in back, 23 on hand and there's none in the entire store, and then leadership gives you a quick but firm lesson on what's right. Further punctuated by the sightings of 1 on floor, 0 in back, 0 on hand as you are staring at the item, and the classic 2 on floor, 1 in back, -1 on hand. And how during Christmas season the hot item always showed as 40+ on hand at all times while Electronics would actually have two left on a good hour, zero in stock and zero arrivals for the last two weeks on a bad hour.

The on floor number doesn’t mean crap. It’s just a system generated number based off pulls and truck push. On hands is the only number the really matters. That number is what the DC sent you. If that number is wrong it’s likely your stores fault. Sure there is theft and mispicks buts a difference of 40 is just poor/improper auditing

 

[qmosqueen]

 

[qmosqueen]

 

[dannyy315]

While dealing with a guest in the store or on the phone certainly I understand not spending your time searching for items that are 0 on floor, 0 in back (X on hand). However, it should be pointed out that looking for and finding those items is Fulfillment's job. It's not a crapshoot for someone who knows how to interpret the inventory information available in MyWork and who has good general knowledge about the store. No, don't call your store's fulfillment team because toys misplaced a box of Mini Brands (AGAIN!), a caller is asking about them and your device says 0 on floor, 0 in back (12 on hand). Please just tell that guest we don't have them. Fulfillment is busy. But, please do tell your toys DBO to go search his case stock locations, find the box, and correct his counts because until that happens all Mini Brands related calls will be transferred to him.

I hate those Mini Brands. We sold like 144 of them in one day. What the heck? I've never understood collectables, except maybe I can get into baseball cards.

 

[IWishIKnew]

When it says that there is 0 on the floor and 0 in the back, then it is almost certainly not on the floor and not in the back

LOL. Clearly you've never seen our backroom. There's likely more shit back there unlocated than located. Plus, shippers get stuck back in the BR while the system says there's product on the floor. PITA.

 

[starmaster1000]

Thread title: Who answers the phones in your store?

Answer: nobody. Not a damn soul. If I happen to answer because I'm being nice while on a lane and no Guests, I'll log in and answer Guest Service calls (aka Operator so all unanswered calls that roll over) and Karen be like, "Well thank God you finally answered!!!!!! I've been trying to get someone for 20 minutes!!!!!"

 

[jackandcat]

Our store still struggles with this. Is yours?

Should My Phones Be Answered By a Live Person? - The Modern Firm

Law firms that have their phones answered by a live person completely outperform those that use an auto-attendant or go straight to voicemail.

www.themodernfirm.com

 

[happygoth]

I've had to call the store twice since being on leave and HR answered both times. I think they have stepped up their game out of necessity during this pandemic.

 

[Mikuhl]

There needs to be another operator these days, the phone ringing indefinitely is not a good experience. I wouldn't mind being operator in electronics.

 

[JAShands]

I've had to call the store twice since being on leave and HR answered both times. I think they have stepped up their game out of necessity during this pandemic.

HR is finally getting more hours too! I always try and let each dept get their own calls (I happen to have the landline that is the default operator - GS has a broken wire somewhere in the ceiling that will also require tearing up the floor tiles to fix), but they know they only get three rings. If they can’t grab it by then I will. They appreciate me being on top of helping while also giving them an opportunity to own their workcenter.