Posts belonging to Category 'customer service Tips'
June 29, 2010 | Posted by admin
Just a few years ago VoIP broadband phone service was the biggest thing to hit the home communications market with its ability to save consumers substantial amounts of money on their phone bill, effectively reducing one’s overall cost for elective utilities. It made having unlimited phone service, and high speed Internet affordable at a time when most people had neither due to the high cost associated with these services. There were a small number of companies that would bundle phone, TV, and Internet service on the same bill, but not as many as today.
The new battleground for communications in the home today is package deals with all of your phone, TV, and Internet services bundled on the same bill. The major players in this epic battle of the bundles are phone and cable companies. The appeal for consumers being lower cost, and just the convenience of having everything on one bill. Both companies offer a choice high speed Internet plans, home phone service plans, and digital television programming packages. Currently, only the telephone companies provide cellular service, but that will be changing soon. Comcast is rumored to be looking into providing cellular service to its customer base in the near future.
Even with bundled packages being so popular right now, consumer demand has caused some of the big telcos to unbundle some of their services. AT&T and Verizon now offer naked DSL, or DSL without phone service, whereas in the past you needed to have at least local phone service to get their DSL package. So, what are the advantages of having all of your services on one bill compared to going A la carte? There are pros and cons in both scenarios, and it ultimately comes down to your personal usage habits, and how much you’re willing to spend, or even customer loyalty.
As discussed earlier, one of the biggest advantages and most common reason for bundled services is convenience. Why deal with the hassle of three or four different bills each month, all coming in at different times, all due on different dates when you can get one bill at the same time every month, and pay it all at the same time? It’s a no brainer. It just makes life a lot easier. Not to mention, you’ll likely get a bit of a discount by having more than one service on the same bill, even after any promotional period has expired. I would also venture to say convenience plays a bigger role as to why these plans are so popular more than price.
Having made the case for bundled packages, what are the advantages of unbundled phone, TV, and Internet services? The answer is cost. Some people just like to pick and choose their services in order to maximize cost effectiveness regardless of having to pay separate bills. To these people cheaper is better, and is worth a little inconvenience. I’m one of these people. Like myself, many broadband phone users find it hard to make a case for bundled packages since a really cheap phone bill can reduce the cost overall, and for me it does, but I have a confession.
I use broadband phone service for both my home, and business phone, but I do have a bundled plan with my cable provider. You see, a bundle simply means more than one service on the same bill. You don’t necessarily have to get everything they offer, or choose a preconfigured package for it to qualify as a bundle. I have my cable TV and Internet through the same company, and because I have cable television, I get a discount on their high speed Internet. I also pay only one residential phone bill of $200 a year which gives me unlimited calling all of the time. This configuration makes my elective utilities super cheap.
With competition being what it is, there are lots of ways to get any of these services in your home. For TV there is cable, satellite, fiber optic, or IPTV delivered over fiber from AT&T. For Internet service you can choose from ordinary dialup, to high speed like cable, DSL, fiber optic, or even wireless. Phone service comes in a plethora of flavors as well, including cable phone, landline, VoIP or broadband phone, or cellular. The possibilities, and combinations are almost limitless.
Categories: customer service Tips | 
Tags: Bundled, internet, Phone, Service, Unbundled | 
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June 26, 2010 | Posted by admin
I fell behind recently on my Sprint bill. I figured I owed them about $50 so on payday last Wednesday, I made the payment online. Friday, I got a recorded call stating my service was in danger of being cut off. I called immediately and asked for an extension as I wasn’t sure I still owed as much as they said. The representative I spoke with offered to give me two weeks to review my phone bill but I said one was fine. He promised my phone would stay on for the next week. I didn’t take notes of the conversation. That was my first mistake.
There always comes a point where you have to adjust what bills you’re going to pay and how much. Usually, the only bills that were given guarantees of payments were for cars or homes. But, in today’s world, even cellular service requires immediate attention. We’ve become so convenient on the necessity that we feel naked if we don’t have our phone tucked away in our pocket. Hell, I didn’t even own a cell phone until a year ago. Now, it’s the only phone I have.
The main thing that amazes me is how much we all complain about the customer service. Having worked as a Verizon Wireless customer service representative for six months, I feel I have enough experience to make the next statement: They complain as much about you, the customer, as you do about them!
First off, how many times do we contact customer service and end up getting frustrated that we use certain words that we wouldn’t even say to our worst enemy? We may not think we do or realize when we’re doing it. But when we dial that number we put up a shield. . . a front. We expect results because we are, after all, the customer. When we don’t get them, we feel violated. And we unleash the anger. What’s the big deal, after all? They don’t know you. You’ll never speak to them again. So it makes it a little easier.
Back to my story, I called Sprint immediately when I realized my phone had been cut off. I explained to the lady the conversation I had less than a week earlier where the gentleman said my service would remain active for a week. Her response: “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t see that notated in the account. ” Of course, you don’t.
Every time you call your cellular provider the customer service rep, of course, must access the account. As soon as they access that account, it is recorded in the system. It is up to the rep to notate why you called and what the solution was. Of course, they don’t always do that.
The rep continued: “Sir, I cannot reinstate the service until we receive your past-due payment. “
“Let me speak to a supervisor!” (I promise, I used no vulgarity!)
“Sir, they will tell you the same thing I’m telling you now. “
STOP!
Don’t fall for this junk. Let me explain the four types of customer service representatives:
THE BEGINNER
This individual just started working for the company not too long ago. Chances are, this is the first day on the job. This market has such a high turnover rate that call centers go out of their way to offer prizes for best monitored call, best attendance, most kudos (will explain in a moment), etc. They’ve more than likely gone through some training course (Verizon requires six to 12 weeks training). But, a majority of them are scared. They’ve listened in on previous calls with a more experienced rep. They remember the rep bouncing back and forth between screens on the computer looking at various information. They remember the rep having a solution, or at least some kind of answer, for every question the customer through. Most importantly, they remember that BEEP! That beep that signals, ACTION! Speak! And the beginner, when they hear that first beep, panic! They want to do good, but are afraid they won’t.
Identify the beginner:
They hesitate. They get quiet. They mumble. They sound unsure. Most, and probably all, reps for each company are told not to allow more than five seconds of silence. Keep the conversation going while you research whatever you need to research. The beginner doesn’t realize how fast those five seconds go, or they forget. Either way, numerous long periods of silence are sure signs you have reached a beginner.
Dealing with the beginner:
Or, better yet, don’t. If you just need a text message package added to your account or want to know your minute usage, go ahead and stay on the line with the beginner. Otherwise, either ask for a supervisor or call back. If you ask for a supervisor, explain to the beginner that it’s nothing personal. Explain you just want to make sure you take care of your needs in one call. I won’t hesitate to call back at all. I’ll let the beginner take care of my needs. But, you better believe I’ll call back and make sure they were taken care of (if possible, I’ll just access my account online. Most information is posted online and you can save yourself time AND hassle). Don’t be afraid to double-check. In fact, not double-checking is the worst mistake you can make. Imagine the phone call you’ll have in a month when you realize you were NOT moved from that 450-minute-plan to the 900 minutes and you have 400 minutes in overages at $0. 45/minute. That’s $180. I’ve seen it too much. It’s much easier to call back than it is to fight for that credit!
The Statistician:
This person is concerned about the length of the call. This person is concerned about how long they keep you on hold. This person is primarily in a rush. They want to move on to the next call. Believe it or not, reps are judged more by how long their average call lasts than anything else, including hold time (though that is heavily stressed, as well). This person wants you to move on so they can move on. They want that Playstation 3 the call center is prizing off!
Identify the Statistician:
Again, they’ll rush you but do it in a way that you don’t seem rushed. If you think to yourself, “Man, this kid’s quick,” you have a statistician. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. They feel confident in themselves, in the system, and in the product that they can move quickly. It’s almost second-nature for them to change that price plan or your text message package. Most importantly, these kids won’t try to upsell too much. They might offer you more minutes, but only if it appears you may go over. They want you off that phone. They care about results. That can work in your favor.
Dealing with the Statistician:
Let them be! Tell them immediately what you want and let them do the rest. As with the beginner, though, double-check at a later time that the changes you requested were made. It’s pretty simple to click on the 100 text message package when they should have clicked 1000! After a few hours on the job, staring at the screen can become quite numbing!
The Quitter:
The Quitter doesn’t care about results. They’re one call away from turning in their badge and walking out the door for good. You’ve reached the Call Center Slum!
Identify the Quitter:
Sarcasm, laziness, mumbling, unpoliteness; you name it! This person doesn’t say, “Yes,” “Ma’am”, “Sir. ” This person says, “Yeah,” “Sure,” “Uh-Huh. ” This person won’t call you by your name.
Dealing with the Quitter:
Just hang up. It’s not worth it. You’ll accomplish nothing. Chances are, they won’t even make the changes you’re requesting. You can try to ask for a supervisor. But don’t be surprised if while you’re on hold he’s already headed towards the door!
The Carer:
The Carer is the opposite of the Satistician. . . to an extent. The Carer is more concerned with making sure you get what you asked for. The Carer is more concerned with assuring you end the call with a smile or at least a sense of satisfaction. The Carer understands they…
Categories: customer service Tips | Tags: Carrier, Cellular, Dealing, Part | Comments Off
June 23, 2010 | Posted by admin
In the fast-paced lifestyle, the need to connect to a range of individual is an essential must. With the development in the field of technology, communicating with other even over a large span of distance isn’t a difficult task to achieve. This is possible by means of conference calling that has emerged as one of the convenient and fast way to get in touch with others. One of the vendors offering conference calling services with several options to choose from is Verizon. It is one of the most popular wireless networks in the America that caters to the diverse requirements of connectivity.
Its contribution in the field of conference calling is also commendable as reflected by the statistics of consumers. In fact, the convenient and diverse range of options accessible through this vendor for conference calling has won over several customers. But these benefits can only be taken advantage of after you have set up the conference calling apparatus. Wondering how to set up the conference calling apparatus? It is simple and can be achieved without much hassle. The information on how to set up Verizon conference calling can be accessed by means of internet. This is owing to the emergence of several online services providers for this particular wireless network.
The most preferred wireless network vendor, Verizon is well-known to provide easy-to-use conference calling services at very reasonable rates. To set up a Verizon conference call, is not a hassle as it offers approaches that seem to be consumer-friendly. In order to indulge in set you are required to contact Telephone Services 24 hours which precede your conference call at x4870. For completion of this transaction, you would be asked to provide a name and budget center number, this is because you would be billed directly. In case, you prefer to indulge in conference calling on an ongoing basis, you could even set up an account to enjoy this benefit. In addition to this, the wireless network provider offers more enhanced conferencing services as well like call records, late comer’s announcement which are available upon request.
In accordance to your convenience you can opt for either audio based plans or web-based plans. The tariff pans for these plans may vary, usually segmented into several options of minutes. To accessibility to the various plans offered by this vendor, you can scan through the internet. The internet encompasses a wide range of options that you could choose from. In fact, with the emergence of online conference callings services providers, you can get access to this conference calling vendor.
Categories: customer service Tips | Tags: calling, Conference, Verizon, verizon prepaid "conference calling" | Comments Off
June 21, 2010 | Posted by admin
Are you about to take on a new cell phone contract? Or perhaps you are looking to move your number from your existing cell phone provider as the agreement has expired or because you are not happy with the service. If one of these holds true for you, then you have indeed come to the right place. Here you will learn how to get a free phone for T-mobile or AT&T. You can also get a free phone for Verizon. In fact, you might already be aware of some of the free phone offers that Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T have been providing.
A lot of cell phone service providers give you a free phone when you renew or take on a new contract. If you decide to begin a new contract, you can easily get a free phone for T-mobile. If T-Mobile doesn’t offer what you need, remember that you can get a free phone for Verizon as well as for AT&T (formerly Cingular). Getting a free phone with your new contract is a great thing, the least of it being you don’t even have to bother about having to pay for it. Most companies have ongoing promotions that include free ground shipping, too.
No doubt, you have heard of the much coveted Blackberry line of phones (the Curve, Pearl, and Verizon’s Storm and AT&T Bold, the latest among them). You can get a Blackberry free phone for Verizon customers and you don’t even have to shell out any money for the free FedEx shipping, let alone pay for the phone itself. The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 Titanium is a more popular option with the free phone for T-mobile plans. You can check out the hundreds of makes and models that come free, as well as the calling plans – just pick the one that suits your requirements best. You can even choose a free USB PC Broadband card with your Verizon 3G data connection.
You can find quite a few websites on the Internet today dealing with the free phone for Verizon specials as well as the free phone for T-mobile connections. There is no longer any need to go to your local retail wireless store, where the deals are not as good and the wait is great. One can get better deals on the Internet nowadays as compared to your local store. This is because overhead online is much less; there is no showroom space required nor do they have to pay sales people to show you the various models, etc. Online, the commissions paid to the sales people in your phone’s price are also eliminated.
And, we all know that sometimes it can be quite annoying at the local stores when there are too many customers and too few sales people. Plus, you never know how current the phone selection is. But, if you shop at a store online, you can do it at any time of the night or day, peruse the best cell phone selection out there, and do it all from the comfort of your own home. So it would be worth your while to look at the various specials and models offered with the free phone for Verizon calling plans, as well as the free phone for T-mobile connections before you buy yourself a new cell phone.
Categories: customer service Tips | Tags: AT&T, Cell, Free, Phone, TMobile, Verizon | Comments Off
June 17, 2010 | Posted by admin
This report enumerates the subscriber base and estimates subscriber growth in five classes of telecommunication services providers through a quantitative analysis of the major players in each of the following market segments: wireless carriers, CLECs, dominant incumbent carriers, regional incumbent carriers, and cable providers. In addition to enumerating subscriber totals, both by the number of subscribers and by percentage of subscribers held by each class of service provider, the report discusses the impacts that data services will have on wireless growth, the adoption of Telco-TV on the wireline carriers, and how continuing competition between wireline carriers and cable operators is being played out in the plant upgrades. This study’s main thesis is that the future of any segment is highly dependant upon the actions taken by the competitive service providers.
Report Excerpt
Chapter I
The purpose of this report is to quantify the number of subscribers by carrier for various telecommunications and media services. This report contains a section on each of the following categories:
• Wireless
• CLEC
• Dominant Carriers
• Regional Carriers
• Cable Companies
INSIGHT’s forecasts of the future number of subscribers to the various telecommunications services presented in this report were developed using a model. On the demand side of the model, we assume that six customer clusters or segments drive the telecommunications market:
Wireless Business
Wireless Residential
Landline Business
Landline Residential
Residential High Speed Internet
Residential Video
The traffic loads generated by these six segments and their evolution from one technology to the next has been fairly consistent and therefore predictable over the intermediate term. On the supply side of our model, however, we assume that five types of telecommunications providers noted above will compete for the business among these segments.
The model and resulting forecasts cover the major players in each segment, which account for at least 80 percent of the subscribers within that segment. The moves that these players make will drive the segment. Our model can also be run assuming each major player in a provider group follows a different strategy, although that level of detail was not used for this analysis. The model can handle any number of industry players.
The underlying premise is that once a certain standard has been achieved, the industry behaves much like a commodity market with changes in share driven by differences in price. In the past, customers churned between IXC and RBOC for long distance service and a bundle of local and LD. Today customers churn between DSL and cable, and in the future the churn will be between video service from the cable company versus telco versus satellite provider. Similarly, market shares between ILEC and cable companies will change as they compete for the same customer. Distribution of revenue among industry groups will also be affected; for example, wireless substitution shifts revenue from wireline to wireless.
Furthermore, the model assumes that these industry groups will behave in a manner that will increase their revenue stream over time. Telco’s may offer triple play service at a lower price point than the cable companies, but only to the point that it drives incremental revenue and margin. The cable company response to this may be to increase their share among business customers or to partner with a wireless provider to offer the quadruple play.
Another premise of the model is substitution. In addition to changing vendors, customers can change services such as migrating from a fixed line to wireless or DSL to wireless data. The model is set up to allow each provider group to offer different services, and depending on the growth rate of these services, the player may be a winner or loser. This model can also be used to estimate how changes in price will impact the overall industry. Questions arise along the lines of the following: “How far can your competitor reduce price before it will cause deterioration in their financial condition?”
1. 2 Subscriber Growth Summary
Consolidation of the telecommunications industry, combined with new technologies, and some regulatory rulings have created a number of winners and losers among the categories mentioned above.
Wireless is perhaps the clearest winner, with 15 percent annual growth in subscribers over the past two and one half years. Although subscriber growth may slow in the coming years, revenues from data services will likely drive overall revenue at a healthy pace.
Market Segmentation
Wireless
Subscibers
Wireline
Subscribers
CLECs
Business
Residential
Dominent Carriers
By Line type
Video
ISP
Residential
Business
Regional Carriers
By Line type
Video
ISP
Residential
Business
Cable Companies
TV
Cable Internet
Cable Telephony
Table of Contents :
Chapter I
Executive Summary
1. 1 Report Overview
1. 2 1. 2 Subscriber Growth Summary
Chapter II
Wireless
2. 1 Wireless Overview
2. 2 Market Size
2. 3 Trends in the Wireless Segment
Chapter III
CLEC
3. 1 CLEC Overview
3. 2 CLEC Market Size
3. 3 Trends in the CLEC Market
Chapter IV
Dominant Carriers
4. 1 Overview (AT&T, Verizon, Qwest)
4. 2 Market Size
4. 3 Trends in the Dominant Carriers Market
Chapter V
Regional Players
5. 1 Overview Regional Players
5. 2 Regional Market Size
5. 3 Trends in the Regional Market
Chapter VI
Cable Companies
6. 1 Cable Companies Overview
6. 2 Cable Market Size
6. 3 Trends in the Cable Market
Chapter VII
Subscriber Totals
7. 1 Subscriber Totals Overview
Chapter VIII
Subscriber Forecasts
8. 1 Telecommunications Subscriber Forecasting Model
8. 2 Wireless Subscribers
8. 3 CLEC Subscribers
8. 4 Dominant Carrier Subscribers
8. 5 Regional Subscribers
8. 6 Cable Subscribers
8. 7 Summary
Appendix
ILEC Details
Table of Figures
Chapter II
II-1 Wireless Subscriber Distribution (Percent) June 2007
Chapter III
III-1 CLEC Business Access Line Distribution (Percent) June 2007
III-2 Number of UNEs
Chapter IV
IV-1 Dominant Players Access Line Distribution June 2007
Chapter V
V-1 Regional Carrier Subscriber Distribution (Percent)
Chapter VI
VI-1 High Speed Data over Cable Distribution (Percent)
Chapter VII
VII-1 Subscribers by Category (Percent)
Table of Tables
Chapter II
II-1 Number of Wireless Subscribers By Company (Millions)
Chapter III
III-1 CLEC Access Lines By Company (Millions)
III-2 Mergers and Acquisitions
Chapter IV
IV-1 Access Lines For Dominant Carriers (Millions)
IV-2 Broadband and TV Service For Dominant Carriers
Chapter V
V-1 Regional Access Lines By Company (Millions)
Chapter VI
VI-1 Cable Subscribers By Company (Millions)
Chapter VII
VII-1 Subscribers by Category (Millions)
Chapter VIII
VIII-1 Growth in Subscribers All Segments (Millions) 2007-2012
VIII-2 Growth in Wireless Subscriber (Millions) 2007-2012
VIII-3 Growth in CLEC Subscribers (Millions) 2007-2012
VIII-4 Growth in Dominant Carrier Subscribers by Line Type
VIII-5 Growth in Regional Carriers Subscribers (Millions) 2007-2012
VIII-6 Growth in Cable Subscribers by Service Type
For more information kindly visit:
http://www. bharatbook. com/detail. asp?id=57130
Categories: customer service Tips | Tags: 20072012, clec access lines, Growth, Provider, Service, Subscriber, Telecommunications | Comments Off