[Hands0n]

We all love our technology these days. Those lovely shiny new Smartphones grab our attention. The style of the modern day handset has to be seen to be believed. Network coverage across the UK, and mostly everywhere else is unbelievably high - so much so that we take it entirely for granted. Almost everyone has a mobile handset these days, and some have two or more. Voice tariffs are at an all-time low - bundling of minutes and texts remove the need to think about how/when to use the handset. Data tariffs are beginning to become affordable, moreso now than at any time before. All in all, things mobile have never been so good.

So what tends to raise the most complaint? What raises the hackles of most people who have a problem with their mobile facility? At what point does it all tend to go a bit Pete Tong?

Customer Service (CS), or the distinct lack of what we'd perceive as it, is guaranteed to make folk leave or stay away in droves. Nothing annoys more when calling for help - only to receive anything but. A disinterested Customer Service Rep (CSR) can do more damage to a company's reputation than the product itself. Or so it seems.

What is your vote on this? Do you feel that the CS experience is the make or break of a mutually beneficial relationship with your mobile service provider? Or does it matter not?

Cast your vote and tell us your thoughts and/or experiences.

[3GScottishUser]

Customer Service is the key component linking the network with the person paying for the product/service.

One look at the TV in the UK now tells it's own story with company after company stressing they use only UK based call centres,

I have had my fair share of contact with mobile customer services over the years and a well handled enquiry can transform a dissatisfied customer into a very loyal one.

I have had experience of 4 of the 5 UK customer contact services and would rate 02, Orange and Vodafone highly. They all try their best to solve problems and call customers back when they can't resolve issues. 3 is the worst customer service I have had the misfortune of coming into contact with. The Indian customer service agents can be abrupt at best and downright rude and nasty sometimes providing little accurate information (I have been told downright lies) and whilst they have the same CLI information as others they don't call back unless it's a retention issue.

Customer service is of paramount importance. The only problem is that some companies seem to appreciate that fact more than others!!

[Ben]

CS is only important to me if I actually need them.

I agree that it's essential that proper support must be available in the case of a fault or cockup, but the networks should provide a service that is so excellent, so efficient and so reliable that customers simply don't need to call in the first place in most cases - unlike the droves of unhappy punters who queue on the phone today.

I would never pick a network just because of customer service ops, and I would never discount a network for this reason either. I look for the network that's going to work for me, doing what I need it to when I need it to, and everything else comes further down the priority list.

That network used to be Orange for me, with their tremendous website, excellent coverage, good range of phones, good CS and strong brand. I don't think anyone will argue with me when I say that their exemplary attitude towards mobile has decayed since those days. What with the phone software branders moving in, coverage not being so strong since I moved (and 3G being faulty up to whenever it was I gave up trying) they were no longer a 'what I need when I need it' network for me.

Currently the network is Vodafone. Again, excellent coverage, strong brand, good CS. The CS isn't quite what Orange's was, back in the day, but then I've called it a handful of times compared to my many many times to Orange, so does it really matter? They were on the software branding train long before Orange, hence my love of SIM Free these days, and they certainly don't have Orange's old innovative zest for doing mobile 'a different way', but, once I've shaken the pound signs out of my eyes, Vodafone just works.

Forward thinking, careful planning and, most importantly, a great product will do more for customer satisfaction than anyone in a call centre will ever be able to do and for a fraction of the cost.

[gorilla]

I was initially going to say no, then I decided that it was a maybe. Essentially I coudn't care less about CS, I rarely use them and prefer to email queries that I may have. The reason I say maybe is when it's time to renew your contract. At this time CS are quite unhelpful and don't seem interested in keeping your custom. I think I've only renewed a contract once.
I'm not that picky either and I spend at least £30 per month and indeed last year it was closer to £50 and yet O2 were dismissive of my custom.
Saying that, CS will never prevent me from joining a network (assuming that they are not so incompentent when trying to get my business in the first place!).
Having said that I've yet to experience a real problem with either a handset or network i.e. broken handset, sim not working etc.

I do believe that CS should be a quality driven service (as all walks of life should be!!) but if CS is poor, I'll walk away faster than if its good.

[whatleydude]

I voted Yes.

Customer service is paramount.
In EVERYTHING that you do.

If on the off chance that your product isn't performing and your user/customer has to contact you - then that experience needs to be as pain-free as possible.

IMO - Poor CS is pretty much unforgiveable. I'm from a Customer First background and it extends into everything that I do...
Good CS is an integral part of any business that has a D2C focus.
Without it you will lose custom, users and reputation.

Apologies if I've gone off on one - I'm very passionate about it!

[Nero]

From an operators perspective they really don’t want to have people phoning into the call centres. It’s not that they don’t want to hear from you, it’s just that call centres and their supporting infrastructure/software/agents are very expensive. So the priority is focused around providing a service that works so well that you’ll never need to call in.

However, the real world is never perfect so, when a call centre call is required the operators are desperate to satisfy the call first time, with minimal hassle for all concerned. Call-backs and hand-overs to back office functions, whilst they cannot always be entirely avoided are far from ideal, eating up resources, time and money.

One of the things that can be implemented with relatively little cost, is a positive attitude from the call agent. But without the supporting systems to satisfy the inbound call then even this can seem hollow, and ultimately frustrating to the customer.

With the plethora of more complex products being rolled out, some actually managed and owned by the network operators some being ran by other third parties, it can become really difficult to ensure agents have the tools and training to service customer calls. Multiple disparate systems some in-house, some out-house, cross network security, single-view of the customer, multiple authentication layers and levels……….(The list is endless).

The roll out of new products is often dictated by marketing, and getting all the supporting subsystems and processes in place can in many instances take a back seat.

I could go on, but I won’t.

[whatleydude]

The roll out of new products is often dictated by marketing, and getting all the supporting subsystems and processes in place can in many instances take a back seat.

Hence the need for decent Product/Project Management...
I could go on, but I won’t.

;)

[Nero]

Hence the need for decent Product/Project Management...
I could go on, but I won’t.

;)

But the problem is that project managment is usually domain constrained, and product management is single domain driven.

Let's go on.........

[Hands0n]

Interesting perspectives, gentlemen. It does rather grate to find that a company puts little-to-nothing behind post-sales support though. It gives the impression of "We've got your money so why do we need to care?". Why, indeed, if repeat sales are nothing to be bothered about.

Perhaps, then, in the modern Mobile Network business someone has actually sold the FD the line that Churn is entirely to be lived with and to hell with Customer retention. We'll get them at end-of-contract with some tantalising little goodie bag of bits. There may be something in all of that - despite their class-breaking atrociousness [of their CS team in Mumbai] 3 have managed to survive over four years. While many will never return to 3 ever again, they still win business. And now the likes of O2 and Orange follow suit with their low-quality CS.

Debate on ....

[Nero]

My apologies for the last post, too brief to be of use. Let me expand.

New product development is driven by a number of criteria, the first and most basic of these is can it be delivered, the second is can it marketed and sold, and the third is can it be supported.

Without a shadow of a doubt, all of these criteria can be met, but can they be met simultaneously for a product release. The answer is often no, but in a hard driven commercial environment products and services will be released before the full support capability is in place.

Again I am in summary mode.

[getti]

Customer service is importaint but also so is the same in the store you purchased from or in the high street.

I have had many a customer on 3 come in to see me (some asking for me by name!) and i have managed to sort a problem out for them.

It was no hassle for me and the customer left happy knowing everything was in working order so although i was not customer services, i did give a customer good service.

Im sure others will agree you can get great service 99% of the time but it is that 1% bad service which you remember over everything

[whatleydude]

New product development is driven by a number of criteria, the first and most basic of these is can it be delivered, the second is can it marketed and sold, and the third is can it be supported.


Y'see - maybe it's just where I'm coming from... (and I may be missing the point entirely)

(and to use further brackets - we're clearly going off piste somewhat here - but I'm enjoying the conversation)

NPD for me is driven by a need to solve a problem.
First question full stop is: What problem are you solving?
If you're not solving a problem then your product will be hard to market and difficult to sell.
Support comes way after!

But.
If you're a customer-centric company. If you believe that NO MATTER WHAT the user experience should come first... then good CS should be in your very lifeblood.

I'm not entirely sure what point I'm making - it's late and I'm tired..
But yes - Good CS is paramount to all aspects of CRM.

There is no better evangelist than a happy customer.

[whatleydude]

Customer service is importaint but also so is the same in the store you purchased from or in the high street.


..and as a quick double post to pick up on this point.

Yes. I agree. High Street Stores too.
Unilateral CS dudes!
eg:

Vodafone - you can get help on the phone, in store or on the web.
Orange - you can get the same but only if that is the place where you bought your phone...
(I think it's orange anyway - might be someone else - will have to dig out the user case I read recently)

Either way - You should expect the same level of service whatever your point of contact...
Not: "Sorry, can't help you. You bought your phone online..."

RUBBISH!

[Hands0n]

Either way - You should expect the same level of service whatever your point of contact...
Not: "Sorry, can't help you. You bought your phone online..."

RUBBISH!

Ah, that will definitely be O2 then - as my direct experience relates. You even have to phone the correct "Online" Customer Services number!!! Yes, there is one for Online-bought and another for their other channels. WTFs that all about other than pi55 the Customer (that's me!) right from the off? I can fully accept different numbers for Retail and Business Customers, but not this situation. I know of no other Mobile op that behaves like that. Which, among other reasons, they lost all of this particular family's business and get negative recommendations when we are asked.

[Nero]

But yes - Good CS is paramount to all aspects of CRM.

I think I’m about to be slightly controversial here. Where do we draw the distinction between CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and CM (Customer Management)?

CRM became a real buzz in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, I don’t have the numbers to hand, but industry figures showed that large CRM projects failed to deliver on the expected business benefits circa 70% if the time. Whilst it’s easy to define CM requirements and business benefits, CRM is a much more slippery fish.

Early CRM projects where often seen to be largely IT initiatives, but to deliver true CRM capabilities requires a huge commitment from the business. But that’s only half the story, because with CRM, rather than with traditional CM, many more parts of the business want to have their finger in the pie, Marketing, Service Operations, Call Centre Management, Security and Fraud etc…Making the end result much more complex.

I’m not sure that anyone is interested in my twittering so I’ll stop now.

(PS Sorry for derailing the tread)

[gorilla]

As a mobile phone network subscriber, customers should expect a good level of service and support. The key for me is that we are continually paying for the service as part of our contract.
How many stories have you read on the web, where some poor person has had a horrid experience of any one of the networks? People are sometimes continually charged after they've cancelled their contract & direct debit, then debt collectors start calling etc.
The point is, all of the networks are quilty at some point and with a customer base of millions, there will always be these exceptional cases.
My experience of 3 is now very positive. My expereince of O2 was anything but.
Swings and roundabouts gentlemen.

[Hands0n]

Don't forget to cast your vote as well as commenting :)