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Posts with tag customer service

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon goaded into customer service showdown


It doesn't matter who your carrier is, you're gonna have some complaints. But is the grass always greener somewhere else? To answer that question, the kids at Laptop Magazine have conducted a test of the customer service practices of the big four (Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T) to ascertain each company's friendliness, knowledge, and timeliness. The publication placed customer service calls twice during a week (once at midday and once during rush hour), visited two stores per carrier in New York City, and tried to find solutions to its problems using each carrier's online knowledge base. Apparently, T-Mobile takes the prize for in-store assistance and web support, and Sprint, while not always able to answer questions, at least had taken steps to streamline the support process (and the fact that its employees were friendly didn't hurt). Apparently Verizon Wireless offered solid in-store support (albeit with grumpy employees), "quick and accurate phone support" and "solid" online help. AT&T, sadly, was the loser here -- Laptop says it left the store "shocked" that one representative couldn't figure out how to get email up and running on its Blackberry. Shocking! Hit the read link to see for yourself.

T-Mobile provides support, good vibes to its iPhone-using clientele

Despite not being its official US carrier, T-Mobile still seems to wanna maintain an amicable relationship with all those who came over with an iPhone in tow. According to a report by The Consumerist, a recent update to the carrier's voicemail system caused some of the smartphones, including Apple's touchscreens, became unusable, with a volley of blank text messages dated from the future arriving instead. Those who contacted customer service were called later to acknowledge the issue and offered an one month service credit. Said the rep, "T-Mobile, though they do not offer the iPhone, and that they are committed to supporting users on their network who have them" -- not too surprising a stance, but a kind gesture for sure. The problem has since been fixed, and everyone lived happily ever after.

[Via iLounge]

Verizon notches gold in retail satisfaction study


While Sprint recently saw its CSR response times skyrocket, Verizon's doing a happy dance of its own after pulling down a gold medal from a recent J.D. Power and Associates survey. Curiously enough, it's not one we see as being particularly awesome -- call us crazy, but we tend to care about amazing coverage more than how spiffy a sales associate looks -- but the carrier is apparently numero uno in retail satisfaction. What's that mean, you ask? It takes into account four factors: sales staff, store display, store facility and price / promotion. Evidently, Verizon has the whole B&M experience thing locked down, and these days, we reckon you take every chance you get to celebrate. Party on, in that case.

[Via RCRWireless, image courtesy of DayLife]

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Sprint's CSR response time skyrockets to first in recent survey

Last summer, Sprint was the laughing stock of the major US carriers in terms of customer service. Fast forward 15 months, and the very same carrier is now sitting atop the pile. A recent report compiled by Pali Research has found that Sprint's wireless customer care response times were best in class, and just 2.5 years ago in its first survey, Sprint was dead last. The carrier answered a whopping 91% of calls that researchers placed to the care center in under 30 seconds, while 99% of calls were answered within 2 minutes. If you're curious how the other guys did, try this: Verizon grabbed the silver with 85%, T-Mobile followed with 43% and AT&T took home the award of shame with just 33% of test calls answered within half a minute. So, the real question is: have you Sprint customers noticed an uptick in service levels? And are you AT&T subscribers growing increasingly impatient?

[Via phoneArena]

T-Mobile attempts to mitigate customer service costs with Nuance Mobile Care

In a growing effort to keep costly CSRs from spending entirely too much time trying to explain how to activate a speakerphone over the, um, phone, T-Mobile has inked a deal with Nuance Communications to bring an on-device application to select mobiles. Essentially, the Mobile Care software will rear its head whenever someone with one of the aforementioned handsets dials up customer service; from there, an "intuitive, user-friendly" guide attempts to walk users through "issues such as diagnosing and repairing configuration problems as well as with making account and billing inquiries." T-Mobile asserts that trials of the service have shown that customers actually prefer this over a live human, which probably has everything to do with the wait times that invariably come with calling a fellow Earthling. Still, we can imagine quite a few smashed phones deriving from frustrations with this computerized service, at least one of which we hope to get captured on video for posting.

[Via RCR Wireless News]

New study finds average purchase price of handsets on the rise, uptick in smartphone demand to thank


We suppose the uptick in smartphone demand could be to blame, depending on your perspective, but regardless of semantics, a new study put out by J.D. Power and Associates has found that surging interest in high-end handsets is causing the average purchase price of mobiles to shoot upward. Compared to 2007, consumers are currently paying around $9 more on average per phone. The average price rose to $101, up from $92 just six months prior, and it also marks the highest figure found since the study's inception in 2003. Analysts are pegging recent demand in RIM, Palm (saywha?) and Apple devices as the primary culprit, and it's noted that the average price paid for a smartphone these days is $208. Not surprisingly, these folks also found that the percentage of customers who receive free phones on contract has sank from 36% to 33% in the past six months. If you're the number loving type, be sure and hit the read link for lots, lots more where this came from.

[Via RCRWirelessNews]

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Cellular South wants you so bad, it'll pay your early termination fee


Cellular South, which is headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi and provides service to around 5 million folks in its home state, coastal Alabama, the Florida panhandle and portions of Memphis, really wants your business. So much so, in fact, that it's willing to pay your early termination fee that'll undoubtedly bite you in the wallet as you attempt to port your number over from your current carrier. Of course, there are some strings attached: it will only pay up to $200, and that cash will be applied as credits towards your bill rather than bills towards your pocket. Still, the premise alone here is extraordinarily fantastic, and we'll go ahead and wish that more mainstream carriers would get the notion that they too should adopt such a consumer-friendly policy (and fast).

[Via Phone Scoop]

Alltel snags lots of gold in recent call quality survey

While Verizon and T-Mobile shared honors in a customer service survey just two months back, it was regional carrier Alltel snagging most of the gold in a recent J.D. Power and Associates survey of wireless call quality. Reportedly, said carrier was able to take the "sole or partial top spot in three of the report's six regions," while Verizon stood on top in two regions, US Cellular in one and T-Mobile (along with Alltel) in another. The data was gathered from 24,570 respondents that were questioned about dropped calls, static / interference, failed connection on the first try, voice distortion, echoes, no immediate voicemail notification, and no immediate text message notification. Interestingly, the study also found that "customers using 3G handsets experienced fewer call quality issues," and while call quality problems reported by folks using CDMA happened around 14 times out of every 100 calls, nearly a quarter of calls from those on the iDEN network were primarily about problems with call quality. Check out the full spill in the read below, we won't tell anyone you're a number lover.

On-device self service for Vodafone: chew out your phone, not a live rep


Likely in an effort to reduce customer service costs and keep the tools for resolving the most basic, common phone problems in the hands of the users themselves, Vodafone has inked a deal with SNAPin Software to bring its SelfService software to handsets. Available initially on smartphones, the app will let folks keep tabs on their accounts, diagnose common configuration issues, and fix them all without having to interact with a pesky (read: expensive) human. Trials conducted by the carrier indicated that the app was well-received, and interestingly could actually boost revenue by making previously timid users more willing to branch out and try new offerings, knowing that they can be bailed out by the software if they find themselves in some sort of quagmire.

[Via Slashphone]

Verizon, T-Mobile share top honors in customer service survey

Another day, another award; yep, it's business as usual for the folks over at T-Mobile and Verizon. Vocal Laboratories' most recent quarterly "SectorPulse" survey has found that the US' second and fourth largest carriers take top honors for quality of customer service, receiving "A" grades in both caller satisfaction and call completion. What's "call completion," you ask? Nope, it's not a measure of a customer service agent's ability to quickly and efficiently hang up on you, it indicates the frequency with which callers' issues are resolved on the first call. For some of us, it really doesn't matter how many awards T-Mobile wins in this department, it's 3G or bust. Maybe that really is just us, though.

HTC opens 'HTC Care' customer service center in Taiwan


While AT&T went and hired an extra 2,000 or so customer care representatives in preparation for the iPhone launch and Sprint gave its CSRs a rest by nixing some 1,200 customers, HTC is hoping that a new support facility in Taipei will boost awareness and trust in the brand. Reportedly, the center will provide customers in Taiwan with a comprehensive range of services including "personalized consultations on new and existing HTC products, warranty repairs, and other valuable after-sales support." Notably, the HTC Care facility promises "speedy turn-around times" for all items sent in for repair, and unlike Apple's $29 rental fee, HTC customers can look forward to a free loaner should their handset fall ill. Click on through for more snapshots of the sparklin' facility.

Sprint lambasted for disconnecting whiners, notorious roamers

Recently, Sprint decided to cut its losses and give a number of CSRs a break from the nagging when it pulled the plug on nearly 1,200 of its mobile customers. Apparently, these whiners were dialing in "40 to 50 times as often" as the "average customer," and after failing to appease them, the firm chose to "terminate the relationship with those customers to allow them to pursue other options." As you'd imagine, some of these bicker-prone individuals are less than pleased with the outcome, and to make matters worse, the firm has also cut the cord with habitual roamers -- including some that are actually enlisted in our military. Can't a soldier (or sniveller) catch a break?

[Thanks, John F.]
Read - Sprint cancels 1,200 contracts over excessive complaining
Read - Sprint cancels traveling soldiers' cellphone

AppleCare for iPhone details unearthed


Don't worry, you're not the only paranoid one out there who has yet to grace his / her iPhone screen without squeaky clean fingertips, and thankfully for those who have been losing sleep over how they'd protect their recent purchase, Apple has the answer. As with most other Apple hardware, an AppleCare Protection Plan will indeed be made available for the iPhone, and "will extend the hardware repair coverage to up to two years from the original purchase date." Per usual, the plan must be procured sometime within the first year of ownership, but unique to this one is the "service phone" available for those who've sent their mobile in for repair. This theoretical loaner will run users $29 while their device is being mended, and Apple spells out all the details surrounding data transfers in a handy FAQ. Strangely enough, no definitive price has been announced just yet, but the plan will be available for purchase sometime this month.

[Via TUAW]

Sprint opens, closes data leak on customer service line

It sure feels like Sprint usually just can't buy a break when it comes to quality customer service. This time around, JD Power's sometimes basement-dwellers have been called out for an automated line that was just a little too ready and willing to dish out customer data to anyone who called in. Basically, you'd call the line, enter any Sprint customer's number of your choosing, and promptly be asked to verify the customer's compu-spoken name and home address --among other juicy details -- while calling another number would spit out their bill balance. Understandably, this raised a ruckus in the user community; to their credit, Sprint patched the system rather quickly and issued a statement to that effect -- but not without going into full CYA mode, pointing out that "this process operated well within the bounds of applicable federal and state privacy laws."





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