Disney phone CMs contract workers?

[Dashzap]

There is a recent interesting podcast about gig workers. Their example was Disney phone CMs.

The podcast is on NPR - Planet Money "Call Center Call Out"
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/29/918195277/call-center-call-out

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

I listen to this podcast as well, apparently employees are all required to sign NDA's and lie about their location being just outside Orlando. The Companies that hire these "independent contractors" and consistently violate labor laws and sometimes pay less than minimum wage. Unfortunately nearly every customer service number you call is staffed by these Companies, Disney included because it saves them so much money. Big business in this country has unfortunately gotten out of control.

 

[skeeter31]

There has been a thread about this in the community board as well. As someone who has worked at the Tampa Disney call center, I can assure you that it is not the case with Disney. That call center is huge and there are thousands of CMs that work there to man the phone lines. What this article is pointing out is that Disney May have contracted with a third party to handle dining calls once they moved away from having people call for dining reservations. A year or so ago Disney moved all dining reservations to online and put out numerous warnings on MDE and the website saying not to call and to do everything online. At that time, the moved most of the dining phone staff to other areas in the call center here in Tampa (to resort reservations, IT support, or enhancement reservations). They left a small number of CMs in the dining area, but they may have also contracted with a third party to assist in some of the remaining dining calls that came in after that announcement went out.

But I can assure you, the vast majority of calls to Disney are handled by CMs in the Tampa call center. When you’re in your room and call the front desk, the Tampa call center is answering your call. If you’re home and want to change a reservation or buy tickets over the phone, it’s the Tampa call center.

 

[Marthasor]

I don't know what the current situation is, but Disney used to use Arise to outsource customer service calls.

 

[sweetpea904]

There is a large Disney Call Center in Celebration that handles hotel reservations and all travel calls.

 

[TonyaG83]

Many phone CMs are pulling double/triple duty as well. I know someone who, because of all the furloughs, floats between fielding calls for MDE support, Disney+, and shopDisney

 

[Marthasor]

Many phone CMs are pulling double/triple duty as well. I know someone who, because of all the furloughs, floats between fielding calls for MDE support, Disney+, and shopDisney

This makes total sense to me now! I was on the phone with shopDisney customer service last week and, at the end of the call, the CM began asking me to take her survey at the end of the call only to stop herself, I guess, when she realized she was manning the phones for shopDisney and not another department.