One of the most common complaints about wireless service providers is the poor customer service delivered by some sales associates and tech support workers. Fortunately, several companies are improving customer service for people who need assistance buying mobile phones, selecting wireless plans, and dealing with technical issues. Pay attention to what these wireless service providers are doing to get ideas for your own customer service initiatives.
Larry Dignan of ZDNet says Sprint has worked on improving customer service during the past few years. As a result, the company ranked second for overall customer satisfaction among all the major carriers on the Consumer Reports annual list of cell phone service ratings. Sprint also performed well in the customer service category of the 2013 American Customer Satisfaction Index. It was given the recognition of most improved company in this category. This demonstrates the importance of taking customer feedback seriously and working to address the most common complaints.
Many wireless customers complained about the lengthy service contracts required by some carriers, so T-Mobile decided to work on improving customer service and attracting new subscribers by getting rid of these long contract periods. Sam Sindha, vice president for the Southwest region, says the number of subscribers has increased since T-Mobile made this move. When asked about customers who complained about being charged for services they did not request, Sindha acknowledged it was a problem. He said customers will not be billed for such services if they call T-Mobile customer service and let someone know about the problem. Your company should follow T-Mobile's lead by giving customers a way to report problems without having to jump through hoops.
Improving customer service is not always so easy. Lifehacker's Alan Henry called Verizon one of the worst wireless carriers in the country due to lax customer service. Henry says Verizon has "stonewalling" customer service representatives who will apologize for any inconvenience to customers without doing much to resolve their problems. AT&T also needs to work on improving customer service for its many subscribers, especially since many of those subscribers have complained about inconsistent service. Some AT&T representatives are very knowledgeable about the company's products and services, while others are unable to provide the assistance customers need. This shows how important it is to train customer service employees properly and ensure they receive regular updates about your company's products or services.
If improving customer service is at the top of your to-do list, there are some important lessons to be found in the wireless industry. The major carriers have struggled to provide top-notch service to their customers, prompting some subscribers to switch to no-contract carriers like Straight Talk and Consumer Cellular. If you do not address service issues promptly and train your customer service employees properly, you will have a hard time improving customer service in your company.
(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)
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