Fascinating, although very long article about Airbnb CS and how it all works.
https://www.propublica.org/article/meet-the-customer-service-reps-for-disney-and-airbnb-who-have-to-...
A few takeaways of many:
- There are 4 different companies between Airbnb and most of the CS reps. Here’s a handy diagram:

- CS reps, ** have to meet the following guidelines:
Her Average Handle Time, the industry term for average length of call, had to fall between 6 minutes, 40 seconds and 12 minutes, 20 seconds. Commitments to get back to a customer to resolve a particularly complicated issue had to be kept at or below 0.5% of the calls. If she put a customer on hold, the average hold time had to remain below 30 seconds. She could offer a credit on a customer’s bill no more than once per 15 calls, and if she determined a customer was indeed owed money, any refunds or deductions had to average less than $2.50 per call.
Failure to meet any one of these 25 requirements “shall be deemed a breach,” the contract said, allowing Arise to terminate her job.
There are more requirements in the article.
- The agents have NO access to anyone at Airbnb (or any of the other companies they work for), neither by phone, email, nor text.
I have a much clearer picture now of the widened gap in today’s CS world between a company and the end agents - not just at Airbnb, but at most large companies. Between the pay, the requirements they have to meet, and their isolation from the actual companies they support, it’s no wonder it’s so difficult for them to help us in any meaningful way.
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