Orange / T-Mobile - please deliver the quality of service you have promised

It will also present an opportunity to consolidate resources, helping to save money and allow the new business to focus on winning new business. 

However, as the Communication Workers union warned (reported here), sharing technology and logistics resources is a logical move, but cutting back on customer facing staff presents its own share of problems, and the rest of this article will look at how a service orientated focus could be the best possible starting point for the new business.

Before exploring this idea, it is important to state that the deal hasn’t been finalised yet, and there is no announcement regarding job losses / call centre closures. Orange / T-Mobile have jointly stated that once complete, the new business will focus on improving both the range and the quality of services on offer.  Hopefully, it will come good on its promise.  The prospect of the mobile provider pledging resource to offer the best possible service experience is attractive, and if management is brave enough to forgo the obvious bottom line benefits of workforce cuts, will lead to long term financial gains.

Ultimately, when we get past the marketing, the promise of free minutes, and the street cred of the handset, owning a mobile phone is actually a simple proposition. Customers want a strong signal (what’s the point otherwise?), access to ancillary services (mobile internet, tethering etc) and decent customer support for when something goes wrong or they want to do something differently.  Take Vodafone for example, it may spend a countless millions on TV adverts and sponsoring the England cricket team, but if you talk to its loyal customers, they stay because they believe Vodafone offers the best network coverage and boasts a call centre which doesn’t put you on hold for 45 minutes.

Hopefully, the people busy planning the new Orange / T-Mobile understand that this is what customers want from a provider, and make it a priority to deliver an improved network and quality of service to its existing customer base.  If the venture can make the 22 million customers it inherits happy, it will have found the best possible starting point.  As word of mouth gives the new provider credibility, the next intake of customers will begin to arrive.  The alternative?  Close call centres, offer budget service and spend a fortune over the next few years trying to sell new contracts.  The inevitable outcome of this scenario is a business which has a wonderful first year budget sheet, but then nose dives into year two as customers defect.

Source: