Ok, ok I know I said I'd do self service is no service this week but I've had another experience I want to share with you as it beautifully illustrates the difference good customer service can have on customer retention.
I have spent the last week trying to sort out a new mobile and have had two contrasting conversations with my current provider T-Mobile which illustrate the right way and the wrong way of dealing with customers.
My first conversation was with a charming young man during which I explained that I was exploring possibilities and wished to discuss my pricing plan and phone provision.
I explained that I had been looking around at deals and had found what I considered to be a pretty good deal from 3G being: a brand new Motorola Razor V3x, 200 voice minutes, 100 txts, 25 video minutes, 25 vms/mms and £5 free downloads all for £17:50 pm.
As I currently use below 200 minutes a month and well under 100 txts this would suit me fine, my current tarif is £39pm and this seemed like a very attractive offer.
I then went on to explain that I didn't really care about the video stuff but wanted to reduce my tarif and upgrade my phone.
The gentleman then went on to offer me a very attractive package of 250 minutes, 100 texts, and a Nokia 6131 at £15pm, I hadn't seen the handset discussed so I said I'd take a look over the weekend and asked him to ring me on Monday at 4pm to discuss.
Sadly he failed to do so for some reason so today I rang back and spoke to another colleague at T-Mobile with completely different results.
I told her that I had been discussing my plan with a colleague who had offerred me the above deal but that I had now had a chance to examine the Nokia 6131 and hated it, I asked to negotiate based on the Motorola V3i.
The Dear Lady concerned promptly told me that it would be £30 pm, that there was no room for manouver and that there were no notes on my file about the previous offer, she then asked me what I had been offered elsewhere, something she should have done first I'd have thought but hey what do I know?
I explained what I had been offered and her only comments were are you in a 3G area and if you transfer you won't get the same level of service you've had for the last 5 years, 5 years of line rentals and call charges all paid on time I might add.
I asked her for the PAC code so that I could transfer to 3G and she went off onto an obviously prepared speech about transfers taking 5 working days and being liable for all outstanding charges etc.
She then gave me my PAC code in a very abrubt manner, I'm a funny bugger but the ruder people are to me the nicer I am to them, it drives them wild, and by the time she'd finished I was being very nice indeed.
I then rang 3G and spoke to a charming young lady called Daniella who talked me through the plans available and I ended up with 750 minutes, 150 txts, 50 video mins, 50 vms/mms, £5 worth of downloads and a motorola v3x for £21 pm, £3:50 more than I intended but a hell of a lot more minutes and stuff.
I guess I was influenced by the poor attitude of the Dear Lady at T-Mobile and my good intentions about video crumbled.
So what have we learnt?
Had I spoken to my original guy at T-Mobile I'd probably have signed up with them again for more than £15 pm as it's a more expensive phone but less than the £30 for sure, occaisionally I have heavy months and spend a lot of time on the phone, 2 months ago I spent £129 for instance and that money has been lost to T-Mobile and transferred to 3G.
Over the 12 months I would have spent lets say £20pm on rental with occasional large bills amounting to who knows what? > £600 certainly over the course of the year.
By not offering me a £120 discount T-Mobile have lost £480 in turnover I have no idea what that converts to in profit but I do know that businesses that treat their customers in a cavalier fashion very soon find themselves in trouble.
Like all disgruntled customers I'm telling my friends, sadly for T-Mobile that amounts to a few more than the 7 surveys suggest.
Ok next week, failing something extraordinary Self service is no service...
John Anslow
http://www.service-computers.com
1 comment:
Andy signed up with three, his phone went wrong, they took over three months to fix his broken sim card, their call centre is india and it takes 15 minutes of holding to get through to someone and then they cur you off and then they charged us all the while the sim didn't work for line rental etc: and when we got the new sim they then set there systems to say we had agreed to another 12 months rental - I think not. We had a letter from the debt collectors asking us for the money you need to pay if you break contract. Funily enough when we explained it to the debt collectors they never bothered to pursue the money further.
I think you got away lightly!!
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