I recently purchased an iPad 2 and I wanted to set up a data plan for it prior to embarking on a trip. I had no choice but to set up a data plan through Verizon since that was the only option offered by the retailer I purchased the device from. I use AT&T for my mobile service and while I didn't have any initial qualms about signing up for an iPad data plan with Verizon, the byzantine set-up process I endured has shattered my confidence in the company's abilities to meet my needs and provide me with the type of experience I would expect.
Most consumers like me who have purchased products from companies such as Apple or Amazon are impressed with the simplicity of the set-up process and how it's designed to make things easier for the customer. For instance, setting up my iPad with my email, Facebook, and iTunes accounts, along with entering my credit card information and my phone book literally took just 10 minutes. When consumers are treated to this kind of effortless experience, they come to expect other companies to deliver the same way.
I wasn't so fortunate when it came to setting up my data plan with Verizon. After I entered my contact information, I received an email confirmation that my account was activated. Unfortunately, it was not. When I called the number indicated in the email for help, a Verizon contact center agent requested my mobile phone number in order to confirm and activate the service.
Because I'm an AT&T customer, my mobile phone number didn't match their records. After notifying Verizon that I didn't have mobile phone service with them, they were completely puzzled. I then discovered another email that had been sent to me with a dummy mobile number to enter to confirm and activate the account. The Verizon agent was unaware this email about the dummy number had been sent to me.
To make matters worse, I also received a notification that I had been charged to have the service activated only to discover that it didn't work.
Why as a customer do I have to go through this process? Why can't this be made easier for me?
Disjointed interactions
This was just the beginning of my bad customer experience. When my record was finally retrieved, I had to talk to three different people for support. The other contact center agents did not have any background on my experience and what I'd had to suffer through, nor were they in a position to pick up the conversation from there and advance the discussion to resolve the situation. Instead, I had to repeat myself and provide them with all of this background information about myself, my mobile phone number, and the email threads. This is information they should be looking at on one of their screens while they're trying to resolve my problems.
The entire experience was very frustrating. I'm one of millions of people who have purchased an iPad. There should be a simple way to set up data service for the device. It's obviously something that Verizon didn't pay enough attention to before they began offering the service. But Apple does approach this from a customer standpoint. Before they introduce a new product like an iPad or an iPhone, they carefully consider how a customer is going to use one of their devices and the steps they must take to set it up. Apple then makes the set-up process as painless as possible.
Lessons for mobile operators
This isn't just an issue for Verizon. Mobile operators around the world offer their customers similar products, services, and pricing terms. It's difficult to differentiate regional mobile operators from one another based on these characteristics. However, telecom companies can distinguish themselves from their competitors by providing customers with exceptional experiences -- the types of experiences that "wow" customers and convince them that this is the mobile operator they want to give their business to because they understand my needs and make it easy to do business with the company.
Customers are more demanding and more fickle than ever. Mobile operators and other companies that create customer-centric experiences like Apple will be better positioned to increase customer satisfaction, decrease churn, and create opportunities for driving higher customer lifetime value.
About the Author: Orkun Oguz is a Partner of Peppers & Rogers Group. Contact him at ooguz@1to1.com.