Anyone training for this skill. I'm 1/2 way thru and finding it just a bit confussing. Does it get any better.
My skill is not D*minion but when I went through training it was terrible. I have learned more from the people on these boards. My first week of actually taking calls was horrible but I can say that it does get better and you will learn more when you actually start working in the system and taking calls. The things that having you going hmmmmm will actually make sense later on. Good luck!
Thanks ShawnFl for the support ya the training is tough particulary since it appears that they adapted from a classroom enviorment. Every few slides it says "Ask your Instructor" LoL. PALs are there to help and they seem to be trying but like some of the other skills I hear of tey (Pals) are not completely up to speed on the system. Anyway just wondering it takes 22 scripted steps just to turn on someones power and the pay appears to be about 1/2 what the companies employees are making.
LOL, yes they(w*st) are big on following the scripts or in my particular skill they call it the call flow. There is a lot to remember and but after a while it gets easier and you just go like your on auto pilot. I had a hard time with dead air, now I just ask silly stuff like how is your day going or how's the weather where you are. Sometimes they answer and sometimes they act like I'm crazy. Yes, the pay is not that great and from what I hear it used to be twice the amount we make now years ago. Oh well at least I get to work from home and sometime in my pj's
Hey Richy, I'm new to the forum and yes, I'm training for DOM also. It seems to me that the training is very glitchy on the computer, and yes, it is confusing at times. A lot of things to remember! I'm probably going to panic on my first live call, lol. Good luck, let me know how it's going for you.
Thanks Callie_d for the info. I was begining to think that I was the only one doing the Domini*n training. I have two modules to finish and it gets even more confussing when you get to the credit sections. Waaaaaaay to many accronims for me but I understand its a bit easier with the live system. Webinar was not to informative and even the Pal's had a hard time with the screens and navigation. Oh well I'll give it a try since I've spent this much time on it. I'll spent 4 or 5 hours today and hopefully get it done. Good luck and keep in touch. Richy
Yeah, the credit modules were tough. I had to go back and keep reading over and over. I made notes and stuck them on the office walls right near my computer, lol. From what I understand, there is an end of training webinar you have to attend also before you can start going live. Like I said, that's gonna be panic time! I'll be done with the training mods today too. Hang in there!
I finished my training for DOM. I've even had a couple of shifts taking calls. Maybe it's just me but in spite of the Pals assurances that it will get easier, it just seems to get more confusing. The training in no way prepared me for what I would be doing and a lot of the stuff that has happened has not been covered at all. The Pals assigned to this skill don't seem to know from one to the next what is going on - if you can reach them. I scheduled 2 hours this morning and spent most of it trying to get the applications to unfreeze - even had to reboot my computer once because the whole thing froze up. They finally admitted they'd been having technical difficulties but neglected to send out any notices to that effect. The DOM screens are SO confusing - way too many acronyms. It takes forever to look something up in SAM. Instead of proceeding to the next step of a process, you have to click "back" and then click on the next step. It is NOT user friendly and is very complicated and detailed. Perhaps somebody else won't have this problem but I am very unhappy. I hate this.
EYE hear ya Carrie. It seems veeeery confusing and I agree the Pals don't even know whats going on. 22 steps and how many screens just to report lights out.... give me a break. And some of the things the ask you to do like "tell the customer to may sure the circuit brakers are off! or is the meter accessable like a new customer is really going to know that. Anyway I finished my training ,was going to take the finale webanar and the they cancelled it. Haven't checked mail yet to reschedual or see if they are still going to have it. keep you r chin up maybe something better will come along.
Hey guys, I was supposed to attend the webinar that got cancelled, too. Richy, call the pals because they have one scheduled for today (Thurs) and one for Friday morning. I'll be at the one Friday morning. They said they cancelled due to technical difficulties. Carri, apparently you were not the only one with problems. Pals said many agents were having trouble. So, hang in there, everyone says it gets easier as you go along.
Carri, I forgot to ask in the previous post, how does the schedule look for DOM? Are there alot of hours available? Thanks in advance.
No hours. I've been lucky to get 11.5 this week and next week I have around 11 - all on Monday and Tuesday. Nothing else has been posted. I check it at least 3 times a day but nothing so far except a 30 minute block late in the afternoon. I've been having to schedule most of mine first thing in the morning to get even 2 hours at the same time. I wish I'd known that the hours would be so few before I started all this. I was told all along that I could work 40 hours a week if I wanted. What I wasn't told until Monday was that sure, I could work 40 hours - IF the hours were available. Guys, make sure you check your group news page. They always post the webinars there, too.
Wow, that doesn't sound so good. I wish I had known that too before I trained for this. I was also told there would be enough hours to work a full time week. Thanks for the info.
Hey again I attempted to take your advise callie_d, I tried calling Pals twice waited on hold for 30 minutes each time, I got so piss*d, I mean frustrated that I just ended the call. I've been checking my email and my message in group but still no sign of a end of training webanar. This is the only skill I've been offered and like you and carri895 I was hoping to get some real hours doesn't look like that is going to happen. keep me up to date with what you know.
Hey Richy, keep trying to get a hold of the pals. I had the end of training webinar this morning and someone brought up the fact that getting thru to the pals was taking 30 min or more. The pal we had was unaware of this but said she would report it to management, because that's way too long to be waiting for them. She said DOM has 9 pals and there is no reason for the long wait. As for the hours, I guess we'll see. You have to check spectrum frequently, and pal stated 1st week or 2 could be iffy with the hours. She also said that sometimes DOM posts premium hours that pay $12 an hour. So just wait and see for yourself, I'm not jumping to any conclusions just yet, and I'm hoping it will be good. Let me know what happens with you.
Thanks for that update. Since I'm brand new and technically haven't finished training (final webanar), and since this is my only skill, I don't have access to spectrum yet. Or I have not been told how to access it yet. Maybe they'll have another end of training meeting next week. Again thanks for the reply.
No problem, I'll let you know what I find out Monday. I don't have access to spectrum yet either, but hopefully by Monday I will. Have a good weekend!
I was told by one of the Pals this morning that there seems to be a glitch in the system when we call in. For some reason, we're sitting there on hold and they don't know we've even called, according to her. THEN I was told by another one that agents and customers alike all call in on the same line and we have to wait in que just like everyone else. I don't know which one, if either, even knows what's really going on. I do know this, though: If Dominion's customers are holding as long as we are to reach an agent, West won't have this contract very long. And this is so not good if you're sitting there with a customer on the line and waiting to reach a Pal. I was at the end of training seminar last Saturday. I don't remember the name of the Pal who was the instructor and I didn't write it down. Now I'm wishing I had. When several of us were complaining about being shorted hours because the training timed us out, she told us all that we would be paid 40 hours for training, regardless, so don't worry about it. Now they're backpedaling and nobody will tell me who that person was. I have asked several times for her name and nobody will tell me. And of course, I don't have 40 hours in training in my pay history, either. I have gotten to the point that when I talk to a Pal, I make sure I write down her name and what we talked about. Might not be a bad idea for you guys to do the same. That's a sad thing to have to do after less than 1 week on the job. I do have access to Spectrum and right now, there's absolutely nothing posted farther than next Friday or Saturday. I check it several times a day and finally managed to pick up around 15 hours for next week, mostly in 1.5 to 2 hour blocks very early in the morning. And that's all there is. I tried to ask another Pal about that this evening and she just ignored my question. Then we got cut off. I guess I'll be looking at Cloud 10 and a couple others this weekend. Hopefully, I can find something else I can do when I'm not working for West to help add some hours. I realize that I sound pretty negative. I'm not happy. Maybe you guys will have better luck than I have but honestly, it sounds like you have pretty much been through the same thing I did. I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt since this is a brand new thing for them but really....didn't they bother to even train their people before hiring new ones like us?
Richy, when you check the new groups, make sure you check the items under "Dominion Elec Svc Ord News". They're having end of training webinars tomorrow (Saturday), next Monday and next Wednesday. They're all posted there.
Thanks again for the reply. I've been checking e-mail and my Dominion notices and still haven't seen any posts for end of session webanar. Maybe they just don't want me to go any further. I aced all the tests and finished the training in 40 hours so it's not like I'm the dumbest french fry in this happy meal but it's really got me wondering now. As for this being a new skill I do recall taking to one pal early on who said she was working in a Wst call center for to years for Domini*n. Of coarse this was the same pal who said we would have no problems getting 40 hrs a week. Anyway still haven't heard anything but I'll try calling again Monday. It seems like we're the only three willing to talk about this skill.
