Lowering Your Cable Bill Through the Call Center

In order to lower your cable bill you have to make the call. Why does the call center put us on hold for such long periods when we call the customer service number to our cable company? There are more calls coming in than what they can handle so we have to hold until they can get to us or we just hang up and try again another time. Time Warner, Cox, Com cast and the like will be referred to as the cable company, and Dish Network and the like will be referred to as satellite providers. They all provide the same channels that we watch and compete for our business.

When we call in our call is routed to the cable companies customer service call center for our area. Most states are separated into many regions, for there is a separate call center to service a specific geographic region. Each region may have their own rates, services and promotions. So it is very likely you may know someone in a different region who pays a different rate for the same service with the same company.

The individual who answers our call will be referred to as the CSR ( customer service rep ). The job of the CSR is to make the cable company money, after all, they pay their wages so it only makes sense. They do this by selling you additional services and retaining you as a customer by satisfying your needs. They are trained extensively as to what to say to most every objection we may have. They are not allowed to take no the first time they make an offer. They must second request us to try to sell or add services to us. No matter what you call in for they will almost always try to sell you more services or upgrades, it is their job. These folks are regular people just like you and I trying to earn a paycheck, their job is to talk to us on the phone representing the cable company on their behalf.

When the call is routed to the cable companies call center and the lines are backed up due to a high call volume , the call is then sent to a third party call center that handles overflow call volume. One way to determine the difference is to politely ask, do you work for Time Warner, or what ever the cable companies name is. The third party call center is going to be much more eager to please you as they are representing the cable company and get paid to retain business and will not keep working for them if they fail to do so. The actual cable company CSR's may be a little less likely to snap at your request so easily. Remember it is not their main goal to lower our cable bill, it is to make the cable company money.

The cable company is there to make money, and they want you to pay as much as they can get you to pay for their services. Unless you make the call and begin to negotiate they will not just decide to lower your cable bill because you are paying too much. Do not assume you are paying the best possible rate, do your homework and see what the competition has to offer you. Be an informed consumer, then begin the negotiating with all your facts and figures. Keep records of your calls, whom you spoke with, the topics discussed and the outcome of your conversation. Try to get the full name of the CSR you speak with, make certain they spell their name. They know all your information , so don't allow them to be at all vague as to who they are. Be polite, yet firm when negotiating lowering your cable bill.

The cable companies call center is dedicated the one specific purpose, where as the third party call center may have a variety of companies they represent. Either can get the job done, but the third party call center may be quicker to throw you a lower rate to achieve customer satisfaction and retention to get a bonus or promotion. They refer to our calls as saves when we mention switching to their competitor and they lower our cable bill and stay with them. A save can be worth as much as fifty dollars to the CSR, be polite but firm as knowledge of how things really work is the key to keeping the upper hand in negotiating a lower cable bill

Remaining polite and respectful will enable you to keep an edge while you negotiate with the CSR. They could always accidentally disconnect the call. Then we have to start the process all over again with the long period on hold so keep these things in mind when you start to anger. Anger is an emotion and it is our choice as to how we react to it. I know a CSR personally and they have to cope constantly with cussing, screaming and yelling, so a bit of sunshine from us can make their day easier and they will be more eager to help lower your cable bill.

Lets make the call and begin the journey of lowering the cable bill. Begin by calling customer service and just state that you are pleased with the service but just feel you have to cut some spending and feel you can't afford the rate you are paying. Can you help at all or should I plan to cut out my service? Boy my kids, or spouse are really going to be sad, but we have to make cuts somewhere. Just play it up and make it sound sincere. After all the need to save money should be pretty easy for most of us the express and relate to. If you get no results, say thank you and hang up.

You may see a lower cable bill after the initial call, but chances are it will require further effort to get the job done.Take time to cool down before calling back Get all the facts and figures from the other cable and satellite providers in order before hand.Know what you are going to say and how you plan to negotiate a lower cable bill. evenings and weekends may yield better results as call volume is higher and it is likely you will get a CSR from a third party call center. Just mention that Dish Network is offering you the exact same service at the lower rate, see what they have to say. Throw out the figures and let them go to work. It is at this point most will yield a lower cable bill and some may even pick up additional services for less money. However, some may have to take it to the next level.

Ask to speak with their supervisor, the supervisor has been empowered more thus has the ability to do more to retain you as a customer. If still no results say thank you and hang up. By this time you may need a break and some time to re group your thoughts. Don't give up, you are so close and have all this time and effort invested in this endeavor.

Your objective is to lower your cable bill and the CSR's objective is to make the cable company money. With that in mind we must further negotiate to get the results we desire. Now we must plan the next call, timing is critical for this to unfold properly. Keep track of your calls and what was discussed and the out come, they log it all in your account info so you should have all your information just the same. Before placing the next call know when your billing cycle starts and ends.

Place the call at the beginning of your billing cycle. Select the option to disconnect your service. Now your call will be routed directly to a CSR who is dealing with customer retention. These folks get a bonus for saving customers for the cable company. They will be eager to help lower your cable bill if they can do anything to earn that bonus. They can save you a few dollars and put a few more in their pocket. It is now a win, win situation. Negotiations should now be smooth as silk. Unfortunately, this is not always how things pan out. If you don't get a lower cable bill at this point be prepared to set up a date for termination at the end of your billing cycle. This is the reason for making this call at the beginning of your billing cycle. Now there is ample time for the cable company to call you with an offer to save you as a valued customer. If by chance you don't get a call and yield no results from your efforts, you then must decide to stay with the company you are with , or switch to another at a lower rate. Either way you will end up saving money if you choose. Most will yield results and end up with a lower cable bill.

Please be polite and respectful to the CSR's. Kindness will get you more than anger and rage. If you are upset, express it in a polite manner. I hope that you find this helpful and yield great results.