Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 18 February 2008 09:58
Opinion and Analysis
Page 3 of 4
Goldsworthy continued that: “The purpose of this retail accreditation program is to enable customers to go in to a Telstra shop or dealer, confident they will receive a high standard of information and product advice. The retail accreditation program is yet another example of Telstra's commitment to make sure CDMA customers have an easy transition to the Next G network”.
Goldsworthy then said that: “This material, which is being rolled out from today, has been produced to give customers practical advice on how to migrate from CDMA, as well as how to get the right Next G phone and accessories to meet individual coverage needs”.
Then Goldsworthy said something which made me much happier given my recent Telstra retail store misadventures which I have already linked to on pages 1 and 2.
He said that: “In addition to making sure customers have the correct information, there will be a certification program for shop staff consisting of learning modules and skill assessments. This is about putting the customer first, making sure they get the help they need, first time round”.
Telstra’s statement ended by saying that: “Staff briefings have now commenced in stores, and training begins from this week. Telstra plans to conduct regular audits from mid-March to ensure Telstra shops and dealers are maintaining the new standards of excellence”.
Well, Telstra, let us certainly hope so, for a high level customer service is what keeps customers happy, alongside competitive pricing and competitive data offerings – for the long term, and not just for the initial purchase.
Consumers don’t traditionally “hate” telecommunications companies, banks and other huge companies for no reason – it’s usually because of poor service and/or higher prices. So any efforts you are making to improve, or even dramatically improve, your levels of service is to be applauded, and I hope, for the sake of your current and future customers, that you live up to your claims and really put the customer first, so that they become your willing advocates, and not unwilling customers, especially in rural and regional areas, who likely have no other company to turn to (as yet).
Just because you are the only supplier in certain regions doesn’t mean that you can take your customers patronage for granted, and putting in this kind of ‘retail accreditation program’ and then following through with it is of vital importance.
I can only hope that, as time goes on, prices for phone calls and download limits on data services also find themselves becoming more affordable, as Telstra transitions from making a larger profit from a smaller number of people to making a smaller individual profit from a larger number of people while growing your profit overall. At least, that’s how it should work.
So, onto the final page where we investigate some of Telstra’s examples of happy new Next G customers who were previous CDMA customers, now getting better coverage than they did before – please read onto page 4.
