#23 - July 4, 2010, 2:34 p.m.
Good question, Syllara. To be perfectly honest, we're pretty open-minded when it comes to developing solutions that would allow us to provide faster, higher-quality service, so I wouldn't say we've ruled out the idea of opening offices elsewhere. Please be aware, however, that doing so would be no small undertaking; it's easy to imagine, but there are several logistical hurdles surrounding opening a new office, hiring new employees, and training them. While it may seem like a logical "next step," it may not be the most practical or speedy resolution.
Currently, our In-Game Support department is open 24/7/365. In other words, Game Masters, Account Investigators, and Account Administrators are staffed around the clock to assist you with various issues. Our Technical Support and Billing & Account Services department are available 7 days a week between the hours of 7 AM to 8 PM PDT after recently expanding their hours to provide weekend support. We'll definitely consider expanding our hours of support; however, we need to first make sure that we do not stretch ourselves too thin.
We do have a few plans in store for improving the quality of timeliness of our support department, but I do not have many details to provide. To be brief, we're looking to continue to develop new tools for our employees to allow them to complete the necessary tasks quicker; we're looking to develop new "self-help" resources to reduce the need to contact our support staff; we're looking to develop new ways to help players avoid compromises; and we're looking to increase the size of our Customer Service department. These things can take some time, but these are all things we've been actively working on. We hope you all begin to see the fruits of our labor soon.
Blizzard is dedicated to bringing its players epic entertainment experiences, and the Customer Service department is no different in that regard. We truly strive to provide each and every player with the highest quality support. Unfortunately, that may not be evident as a result of the lengthy wait times and difficulty associated with receiving a response; however, I assure you it is something we are constantly thinking about. We'll continue to do whatever we can to improve the quality of our interactions and the timeliness of our responses in our efforts to provide you with an epic customer service experience you would expect to be provided with a Blizzard product. I thank you for your patience and understanding in the meantime.
