Where are the call centers?

sbkline

sbkline

Well-Known Member
Just a random thought that popped into my mind the other day. But with all the CMs who man the phone lines at the call centers, I wondered just where they are located? I don't recall every seeing any call center buildings when driving through the WDW Resort Complex. I wondered if they might be in some office building in Atlanta, GA, seeing as how that's where our payments are to be mailed to. However, it is an Orlando area code (407) so I figure the call centers must be located in the area. So where are they at? Underground in the Utilidors? The city of Celebration? Somewhere in Orlando? Somewhere else on WDW property?
 
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Monty

Monty

Brilliant...and Canadian
In the Parks
No
I think there are Disney call centers in Tampa and Memphis as well. [and I'm not sure about Memphis]
 
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sbkline

sbkline

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Monty said:
I think there are Disney call centers in Tampa and Memphis as well. [and I'm not sure about Memphis]
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Nick_A said:
The largest one is definitely in Tampa. I'm sure there are others, but Tampa is the only one I know of.
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Like I said, I wondered if they were out of the Orlando area, but the fact that the phone number for the WDW Resort is a 407 area code led me to conclude that they must be in the Orlando area. I guess they must have the calls automatically forwarded to these other areas.
 
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SweetMagic

SweetMagic

Oh Meyla Weyla
Yep, the Orlando DRC is actually closer to Universal. Aside from Tampa there is also one in Salt Lake City. I *think* there may be another one, too. They all receive the calls from the 407 area code, that's the base for the calls, then they are routed randomly to open phone lines. The explanation given for the various locations was simply to have centers available that are not all going to be affected by the same weather. If one went down due to a hurricane, they want others that will still be up and running.
 
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CRO-Magnum

CRO-Magnum

Active Member
It's actually a very complex answer...

sbkline said:
Just a random thought that popped into my mind the other day. But with all the CMs who man the phone lines at the call centers, I wondered just where they are located?
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...because of overflow. The primary call center used to be in a non-descript office building near Wet and Wild called Republic Plaza in 1990 when I worked as a reservationist with ~450 agents. When the Team Disney building was being planned the intent was to relocate reservations there however CRO (Central Reservations Office) outgrew the space set aside for 250 agents before the building was even started.

In the 2000's there were a number of business decisions and changes. The primary two changes were the integration of the Disney Travel Company and the relocation of the call center to Tampa.

You'd think location is important, however since the 1970's the call center has been off property, and even with free entry I knew several people who had worked as reservationists for years (some since the beginning) who had never stepped foot on Disney property - hard to believe but true. However I do think it's a mistake. Since working at WDW I have done a significant amount of consulting in the call center industry and there is no replacement for hands on experience with a product. Back in 1990 we were given the chance to stay at the Yacht & Beach club before they opened, I also got freebies including rooms, meals and shows at the various other resorts by becoming friendly with management and explaining I was with CRO. We often had the opportunity to steer guests toward or away from a hotel so the management wanted us on their side.

So Tampa is the primary call center today. Disney has overflows handled by a 3rd party outsourcer which has routed calls to Colorado Springs, CO; Phoenix, AZ; the LA area, CA; and even somewhere in Vermont (I always ask). You can often tell because the scripting of the call isn't quite a fresh and they fumble through the system.
 
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CRO-Magnum

CRO-Magnum

Active Member
The primary driver...

SweetMagic said:
The explanation given for the various locations was simply to have centers available that are not all going to be affected by the same weather. If one went down due to a hurricane, they want others that will still be up and running.
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...having been part of the discussions at one point, was to lower labor costs by getting out of the competitive Orlando market. Engaging a 3rd party outsourcer also helped drive the relocation.

Salt Lake City, UT has been a more recent event and one I forgot in my post. My understanding is that the UT call center is owned and operated by an outsourcer. They handle a percentage of inbound calls to keep current as well as overflow. I've been out of the call center loop for several years so this arrangement may have changed.
 
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SweetMagic

SweetMagic

Oh Meyla Weyla
CRO-Magnum said:
...having been part of the discussions at one point, was to lower labor costs by getting out of the competitive Orlando market. Engaging a 3rd party outsourcer also helped drive the relocation.

Salt Lake City, UT has been a more recent event and one I forgot in my post. My understanding is that the UT call center is owned and operated by an outsourcer. They handle a percentage of inbound calls to keep current as well as overflow. I've been out of the call center loop for several years so this arrangement may have changed.
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I was told when hired at the Tampa DRC that it was a weather/disaster decision, but that doesn't mean there aren't other factors as well. It all makes sense.
 
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Rob562

Rob562

Well-Known Member
Devin36 said:
According to wikimapia there is a call center just north or Port Orleans Resort...
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=28.3903244&lon=-81.5332639&z=17&l=0&m=b&search=disney%20world
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AFAIK, that's the central telecom building for the WDW property, not the actual Central Reservations call center, which has been mentioned is elsewhere. But, I believe that the operators of the Main Switchboard *are* there (or somewhere on property). They get anything going to the Main Switchboard number (407-824-2222), calls to the resorts' "direct" numbers, calls to the "front desk" from resort phones, "operator" calls (dial 0) from on-property phones, etc. The people who man those phones *do* know what they're talking about when it comes to what's going on on-property, as opposed to the off-site call center CMs.

And in a related note, I believe the RCID 911 Call Center is at the firehouse north of CBR. Any 911 calls from an on-property phone will go there, and 911 cell phone calls will (eventually) be routed there once the state police determine that the caller needs to talk to someone at RCID. (For the back of your mind, if you ever have to call 911 from your cell while at WDW, tell the first person who answers that you need to be transferred to Reedy Creek Dispatch. It'll speed up response time)

-Rob
 
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erstwo

erstwo

Well-Known Member
There is also a call center in Epcot. That might be dining though? :shrug: (Not sure if you were talking about all centers, or just reservations.)

I only know because I called one day last fall (I believe it was for dining) and the computer system was running very slowly. We chatted for a while and the lady on the phone told me she was in Epcot. She even mentioned that they couldn't go 'upstairs' or 'outside' (I forget which) that day because someone was doing some 'fly over' video work and they didn't want any people in the shots of the park.
 
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