I'm not very happy with my current internet provider, so I'm thinking about changing to AT&T. I've had an account with AT&T for my mobile phone service for over a decade, so I figure why not bundle in-home internet and see if I can get a deal. At the very least it won't hurt to check, and given how much my internet provider upped its prices this year it can't be more. Usually, I call the company on its 1-800 number, but someone told me that I can just use 611 to call them directly if I use my cell phone.
To my surprise, this handy little shortcut worked. Which was great because I can always remember 611 versus the actual sales line number. Plus, it was very quick to get to a representative. I don't know if calling direct helped since they know I'm already a customer or not, but I do know that AT&T has millions of customers so the fact I got to talk to someone in less than a minute was a win no matter what.
After I dialed 611, it was only a second before I heard the AT&T trademark chimes and then a voice assistant said, "Welcome to AT&T. Calls recorded for quality. What’s the issue you’re calling about? How can I assist you today?" I kept it simple, and just responded back, "Add internet service." Then the voice assistant asked me, "Are you calling to add service to an existing AT&T account? I see the number you're calling from and used it to look at your account, is that the account you're calling about?" After I said yes, it said, "Please wait, 1 minute please while I handle your request."
I heard some dialing in the background and then it sent me to a hold line. What was remarkable is that I barely had time to listen to the canned hold messages before a representative picked up. They had sort of a thick accent, so the one thing that could have been improved was the clarity of the agent's advice. However, they were still helpful and told me about several promotions that my account was eligible for. They just had to repeat themselves often because I couldn't always make out what they were saying. In the end, I'd still rather speak to an agent who's trying than wait on hold for hours. I just think that maybe AT&T could be a little more aware of how fluent their employees are when dealing with customers — especially when it comes to potential sales.