The next time you contact Microsoft Xbox Support, you may not be able to speak with a Microsoft employee or any employee. Microsoft has replaced most of its paid social workers with unpaid Xbox ambassadors, according to a new report. In some cases, redundant aides spent the last few weeks of their jobs training new unpaid volunteers.
The Xbox Ambassador program existed until this step, but
they did not take on the role of direct customer service representatives.
Ambassadors took an active part in the Xbox forums, essentially acting as
moderators, answering questions, and keeping order. These are full volunteer
roles in the Xbox community, but Microsoft has decided to replace the dozens of
paid employees who ran the popular @Xboxsupport Twitter account with
ambassadors. When you use the Xbox support website, you get an AI chat bot that
will eventually redirect you to your Twitter account or forums.
Microsoft has refused to directly confirm the circumstances
of the firing, but the former support workers say they have been assigned to
train ambassadors. Most of these representatives worked for Affirma Consulting,
but not for Microsoft.
At least one former support spokesperson says Microsoft's
spending cuts will reduce player support. This claim is currently supported by
evidence. A few weeks before the layoffs, my @Xbox Support
account was the subject of many customer inquiries every day. It now features
the most republished Xbox news, and Twitter ambassadors randomly reply to some
tweets with #XboxAmbassador. Ambassadors may know more about gaming than your
average day-to-day support rep, but they are reported to lack the in-depth
knowledge that comes from a team of professionals working full-time on customer
issues.
Microsoft's only comment is that it still has "many
well-trained customer service agents" as well as community ambassadors who
turn to customer service. However, turning volunteers into a customer service
base seems short-sighted. It is difficult to ensure that a volunteer is
committed to a task or is responsible for mistakes.
Microsoft doesn't pay Xbox ambassadors; technically, they
pay Microsoft for the privilege. You can only be an ambassador if you pay for
your Xbox Live Gold subscription. You must also have a player score of at least
1500 and not damage your account for at least 12 months. In exchange for their
volunteer efforts, Microsoft awards XP Ambassadors free games and prizes.
