AndroidGuys

It seems like ages ago that we used to see Sprint commercials dominating the airwaves. “So clear you can hear a pin drop,” was the wireless carrier’s tag line. Today Verizon and AT&T dominate the television screens and the US wireless market with their own tag lines, as they continue to chip away at the customer base of Sprint.

Now Sprint begins the long and arduous journey to rebuilding it’s reputation as one of the premier wireless service providers in the US. Is it possible? Sure it is, but they will have to do much more to win over their existing customers’ trust than offer an all you can eat rate plan. Don’t get me wrong, this rate plan is a great idea and is sure to attract new customers and will even convince a few of your existing customers to give them another chance. Then what? You can put lipstick and eyeliner on a pig, but at the end of the day it’s still a pig. Sprint’s problems didn’t begin with a price war, as their rate plans seemed very competitive. I spoke to several customers that left the company for other carriers and very few if any cited pricing as one of their reasons for leaving.

Most cited “customer service” as their primary reason for leaving Sprint, and this is where they need to place most if not all of their attention in the next 12 to 18 months. Aside from the most budget conscious of customers very few will stick around regardless of price if they feel they are treated poorly either in stores or over the phone. For instance consider T-Mobile and Sprint. There is very little doubt that Sprint has a superior calling network and more diverse data plans, yet when customer’s are asked why they are leaving Sprint to come to T-Mobile, poor customer service is almost always brought up, in spite of better network coverage.

To borrow an overused cliche from the political scene, it’s going to take a “grass roots” effort on the part of Sprint to infuse within their employees a willingness to “serve” their customers. Dan Hesse, Sprint’s new CEO will have to develop a passion for customer service, and surround himself with like minded individuals. I suspect we will begin to see some restructuring, hirings and firings over the next few months because not everyone is suited for the kind of service expectations Sprint needs to incorporate within their organization. Only then will this movement begin to trickle down through the ranks of their call centers and front line employees in their stores. There needs to be an understanding that the customer is king. You don’t own a monopoly on wireless service, so don’t treat your customer as though you do. You need them more than they will ever need you!

Sprint’s current line up of handsets and services is quite intriguing. Add to that their membership in the Open Handset Alliance, the fact that they will be offering a phone that runs Google’s Android, and their budding interest in expanding upon their WiMax network with cable companies. However, it was never their lack of products that caused their most recent failings. It’s the service, stupid! Only after they figure this out will things begin to turn around. The new rate plan is great, but it’s akin to a doctor using a band-aid when what they really needed was a tourniquet.