If I was in charge of Verizon, the first thing I would do would be to take the large group of people, known collectively on TV as “the network,” — seen following around the “can you hear me now?” guy in the commercials — and reassign them to work in Customer Service. In fact I would make the core focus of the company customer service. I would make going to the Verizon Store something you love to do — not loathe to do.
Note to Verizon. I can hear you. Great job on the network thing. Now that we have established that fact, let me hear you be nice, thoughtful, and helpful. Make me feel like bypassing the iPhone and AT&T (who could also benefit from this) or Sprint, or whomever, was the right choice because you actually care about your customers.
From the billing process, to telephone help desk, to the in store service and sales experience, there is huge opportunity for you to improve what you do, while setting a new industry standard for excellence. Be the first to own this space and make service the cornerstone for your future growth. Can you hear me now?
What would you do first if you were in charge of Verizon?
Unfortunately, it seems that customer service doesn’t make companies profitable. I mean, in a free market, wouldn’t the companies that provide the best service be the number one companies? Don’t get me wrong, customer service is number one to me in my business, but it just doesn’t seem to be a priority to large businesses such as cable, wireless, and telco in general.
Bill,
Yes and no. I am reading Pete Blackshaw’s new book — Satisfied Customers Tell 3 Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000. It talks about this very topic. Many firms talk about service. Typically it is an afterthought. Thus it is either below expectations or marginally better at best. There are companies that focus on making service and the customer experience exponentially better. When this happens, there is huge potential for profit. Cell phones are in large part a commodity. If you could deliver an amazing experience for customers and get people to share that story, you would create value. Nordstrom’s does this masterfully. Zappos is a modern example. Consumers have infinite choices and the ability to voice their pleasure or frustration to the world with easy. Dell learned this the hard way. I would say that marginal improvements in service do little or nothing. However, if companies make customer service a real priority, they can truly differentiate themselves and thus prosper.
I will say however that I LOVED your post — I chuckled that I never considered what they are saying by harping on their network and NEVER talking about service
Bill,
Well, I will say that having worked with you and your company on occasion, you have a deep understanding and appreciation of the importance of great service — as you are able to deliver it regularly. Verizon, and telcos in general, could learn a lot from you. I know I have.
Very good points.
I sometimes have to remind myself that Verizon is my carrier. Only when the service goes down or I need help understanding my bill and want to talk to a human, that’s when I remember.
Every time I make the check out to pay for the service, I find myself asking why we’re keeping it. Most of the time it comes down to the contract they have us locked into.
I might prefer to have a pay-as-you-go plan.