When I read an article about customer service in telecom, I approach it as a consumer first and as someone “in the industry” second.  An interesting one, “Customer Care and Three Dog Night,” appeared in Tim McElligott’s Billing and OSS World blog and really hit the nail on the head.  As amazing as we have been at developing new communications services and applications for handsets, as an industry we still struggle to effectively leverage technology in a way that successfully adapts the customer care experience for the Web.[Read More]

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm late to the whole social networking phenomenon. Frankly, I was always a bit jealous when people talked about their Facebook pages. I didn't have the time to make a Facebook page, let alone keep it up to date with clever and witty observations from my extraordinarily exciting day washing clothes and playing Candyland with my three-year-old son. Although I do appreciate getting stuck in the Chocolate Swamp as much as the next person, it didn't seem like the kind of information I would share with the world.[Read More]

In a recent trip across the border to Canada, I used a significant amount of roaming voice and data on my handset. At the time I believed this might have amounted to a small roaming charge, but certainly not the $400+ I was later informed about. Remarkably, I did not experience the gut-wrenching grief of receiving such a shocking invoice, nor did I have to make a painful call to customer service pleading for mercy! In the midst of my trip, my carrier noticed this usage, added a $29.95 Canada Roaming to my plan, and left a voicemail with an explanation and phone number to call when I returned. Brilliant![Read More]