What are customers are really looking for from Communication Service Providers (CSPs)?
Today, globally the Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are facing challenges in terms of reduced average revenue per user, stiff competition - due to reduced price and service differentiation, advancement in technology, change in government policy/guidelines, and customer demands, to name a few.
As users of telecom services in our day today life, I have listed down some of the best practices which Customers would look for from the CSP’s during various stages of the life cycle...
I. Marketing & Sales:
1. Offer a wide range of good products/services, for the customers to pick and choose, as per their
specific needs and requirements
2. Offer excellent sales support, by promptly responding to customer queries and helping them to
choose the right product/service most suitable to them
3. Make the offer very attractive, with the combination of, best product, at the best price and along
with the best service support
4. Make every customer interaction a pleasant experience for them, be it at the Point of Sale,
Contact Center or Web Interactions, to name a few
5. Always honor the commitments made during marketing and sales campaigns/interactions
II. Customer Service:
6. Provide prompt update on order status, ensure timely delivery of products and quick activation of
services
7. Present unified view of the customer information across access contact channels (e.g. Web,
IVRS, Mobile, Call Center)
8. Continuously educate the customers on various new features introduced in the service offerings,
to help them to use it to their advantage
9. Always ensure accuracy of billing and quickly resolve any issues related to billing, as it involves
their hard earned money
10. Ensure ‘First Call Resolution’ every time. Provide prompt response/quick resolution to critical
customer service requests like out of service, billing issues
11. Ensure ‘High Availability’ of services by preventing network/service downtime and ‘High Quality
of Service’ by scaling up the network/services proportionately
12. Quickly provide alternative communication service options in case of unexpected
network/service outages (e.g. due to natural/man made disasters)
13. Ensure smooth migration of services, during organizational changes (such as new branding,
mergers and acquisitions), without affecting the end users
14. Proactively guide customers to adapt to new service/tariff plans, by studying their usage
patterns and show them the effective cost savings to their advantage
15. Collect customer feedback periodically and promptly act upon areas of improvement and keep
the customers duly updated on the action taken
III. Retention and Growth:
16. Develop customer retention programs to make existing customers feel their importance and
the benefits of their long term relationship
17. Provide attractive buy back offers and affordable upgrade options for products, to prevent them
from becoming obsolete and to ensure that customers have the latest version of the products
in the market
18. Make Cross/Up Sell of products/services very useful and attractive to existing customers, by
offering it at a very special pricing, to ensure long term relationship
19. Periodically publish the product and service road map for the next 5 years, to encourage
customers to have the confidence to stay with you
20. Finally, continuously and consistently feel the pulse of the customer and make them feel ‘really
proud’, by ensuring all that it takes to ‘Delight the Customer’
If CSPs are able to take care of these best practices, they are sure to retain their customers and grow their business through repeat business and referral business.
I request you to share your thoughts on this subject, as end users of telecom services, in your day today life…
Comments
Hi Shanmugam
I would like to add one more point in this list for CSP providers to be successful.
That is you have to keep innovating & enhancing your products to differentiate from your competitors. Due to increased competition in CSP space, the services are getting commoditized.
Almost all the service providers have similar price points, data & voice qualities, subscription plans and they all vouch for good customer service; but in this crowd you need to differentiate your offerings to entice customers.
Few years back a company launched caller tunes, which became a craze in the market. Missed call alerts, games, navigation help etc are some of the features which helped companies to differentiate their products. So good customer service and innovation would be the key in this hugely competitive market.
Posted by: Vishal Mani | July 13, 2009 05:29 PM