3 Ways Telecommunications Companies Can Improve The Customer Experience

What's On This Page?

• The downside of being essential
• Continuously engage
• Prioritize human interaction
• Offer a range of engagement options

Introduction

This ever-increasing demand for telecom services is good news for the industry, but it hasn't translated into better customer experiences. In fact, the telecom industry still lags behind other industries when it comes to customer satisfaction.

If you're a telecom customer, there are some things you can do to improve your experience. For starters, make sure you're aware of all the options and services available to you. And if you're not happy with a particular service, don't be afraid to switch providers. There are plenty of choices out there, so shop around until you find the perfect fit for your needs.

The Downside Of Being Essential

People often take their internet access for granted - that is, until it's not working right. Unsatisfactory experiences with service can be magnified when it's something people rely on so heavily. And even when customers are satisfied, they might not be very vocal about it or show much loyalty to the company.

It's no secret that customer satisfaction tends to dip after the first year of service. According to our recent research, this downward spiral starts early in the customer lifecycle. In Moment's report, Customer Experience in the Telecom Industry, found that satisfaction plummets at the one-year mark - across all lines of service (TV, internet, mobile, etc.).

During the initial honeymoon phase, the technology is still shiny and new, and introductory customer deals are still in place. But as service failures happen and introductory pricing is replaced by sometimes shockingly higher bills, deep frustration sets in. And while satisfaction does bounce back, it never fully recovers.

There are a few things that telecom companies can do to prevent this decline in satisfaction. First and foremost, they need to be more proactive in addressing customer service issues. Secondly, they need to be more transparent about pricing changes, so customers are not caught off guard by higher bills. Finally, they need to continue to innovate and offer new features and benefits that keep customers engaged and excited about their service.

Telecoms use a lot of resources to get new customers from competitors. And while a high number of new customers is good for shareholders, the study found that most of the time, these new customers are less satisfied with their new provider. It may be because their expectations were too high, or because the new provider didn't live up to their promises. Either way, these new, unhappy customers can be more difficult and more expensive to keep.

Continuously Engage

Telecoms that regularly engage with their customers and ask for feedback can avoid unpleasant surprises and find new ways to improve customer relationships. A significant increase in a subscription fee or changes to an offering should never be a surprise. Concerted efforts to communicate changes and ensure customers fully understand and are enjoying the full value of their service can ease the transition.

Another big challenge that telecoms face are service interruptions. Some of these are out of their control, but regardless, the best policy is to always communicate transparently and honestly

The Metropolitan Transport Authority in New York recently started being transparent with customers about train delays, and customers were reported to act less hostile, especially when they understood delays were not the train’s fault. Another key to successful regular and proactive communication is offering multiple, connected contact channels to alleviate customer frustration of having to restart the resolution process or have to re-enter information like their name and account number.

Telecom companies need to have a diverse array of channels in order to provide consumers with the most convenient and seamless experience possible. This way, consumers can contact their telecom in the way that is most natural and convenient for them, and they won't have any trouble switching to another company if they choose to do so.

Prioritize Human Interaction

Although AI and automated chatbot usage are on the rise, they can actually cause more problems than they solve if used improperly. easy access to human representatives is one of the best things companies can do to effectively solve complex issues.

Interacting with a real, live human being makes customers happier across nearly every service line, according to a new study. In fact, 67 percent of customers have hung up the phone if they weren’t able to talk to a real person. And a bad phone experience would send three quarters of consumers to a competitor, another report found.

That’s why it’s vital to both provide live human channels, and conduct comprehensive training for those in client-facing roles to ensure they’re well-prepared to thoroughly address each customer issue.

Technology investments should help people work faster and more effectively by providing them with relevant information and context. However, this won't work unless customer queries and user information can be easily shared between intelligent systems and people.

Offer A Range Of Engagement Options

Because customers’ needs are varying, they should have access to varying channels for customer support as well. After all, different situations call for different paths to customer service.

For example. landline phone issues aren’t conveniently solved at a physical location—the device can’t even be brought into the store, so perhaps an online chat portal is a better fit. But when it it comes to issues surrounding mobile connectivity, in-store could be the perfect opportunity to bring in the actual device and dialogue face-to-face with a representative for a troubleshooting session.

The challenge to this upgrade in contact channel options means more experiences for telecoms to manage, though no matter where the telecom and customer interact, the experience should remain consistent. As telecom technology moves forward and a fast, quality internet connection becomes all-the-more a necessity, the investment will prove itself more than worth it in due time.

The most important piece of counsel any brand can receive is to invest generous resources in really listening to customers. Listening is more that doling out surveys, providing comment forms on your website, and even offering a real human to hear a complaint. With today’s technologies, customer listening can be always-on, multifaceted, and feel a lot more like a reciprocal conversation than an interrogation. Listening also consists of letting the customer know you’ve heard them, and taking their advice. Just like any human relationship, it’s not nice to ask if you have no intention of responding with integrity.  The logistics in doing this may be infinitely complex, but the rules of good human relationships remain pretty simple.

If telecoms will let them, customers can serve as valued consultants in helping these organizations focus resources in the right places to have an impact that matters to both customers and the bottom line.

A Little Bit About Fieldproxy

Fieldproxy is an all-in-one field service management software, especially for a dispatch software solution that provides everything you need to manage your field team no matter where they are working from and even while on the go.

As businesses expand and operations grow more complex, managing field teams can be a daunting task. From managing tickets to scheduling jobs and everything in between, keeping track of everything can be time-consuming and inefficient. That's where Fieldproxy comes in - an end-to-end field team management solution that aims to simplify these tasks and streamline operations.

Ticket Management Solutions

One of the key features of Fieldproxy is its ticket management system. With this feature, businesses can create, assign, and manage tickets, ensuring that issues are resolved quickly and efficiently. This means that customers get the service they need, and businesses can maintain their reputation for quality customer support.

Schedule Jobs For Field Agents

Another important aspect of Fieldproxy is its job scheduling feature. With this tool, businesses can schedule jobs and assign them to field teams in real-time. This helps ensure that the right team is on the job at the right time, which can save businesses time and money.

Generate Quotes And Estimates

Fieldproxy also offers a mobile application that allows field teams to generate quotes and estimates on the go. This feature is particularly useful for businesses that operate in industries where quotes and estimates are necessary, such as construction or landscaping. With this feature, businesses can provide accurate quotes to their customers quickly and easily.

Raise Invoices And Collect Payments

In addition to generating quotes and estimates, the Fieldproxy mobile application also allows businesses to raise invoices and facilitate payment collections through integrations with popular payment gateways. This can help businesses get paid faster and with less hassle.

Collect Valuable Customer Feedback

With features like customer happiness index, and historical customer data, ensure your customers are always satisfied with your products and services. Know exactly how your customers operate and provide better quality services.

Dashboards And Reports

Fieldproxy’s easily-presentable data dashboards and reports allow managers to make sense of all the data their field teams collect, in real time.

Create, curate, and manage different dashboards and reports to help make better data-backed decisions for your service teams.

Make a data-backed decision today. Fieldproxy is trusted by 170+ clients and used by over 50,000+ agents all over the globe Click Here To Get Free Demo

Closing Thoughts

So why should businesses consider Fieldproxy? With its comprehensive set of features, Fieldproxy can help businesses save time, streamline operations, and improve customer satisfaction. And with a free demo available, there's no reason not to give it a try.

If you're looking for an end-to-end field team management solution that can help you manage tickets, schedule jobs, generate quotes and estimates, raise invoices, and collect payments while also providing customer feedback support, then Fieldproxy might be the solution for you. Book a free demo today to see how Fieldproxy can help your business improve its operations and customer satisfaction.

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