NAJ, thanks for the heads-up on measuredup. I will check it out.

Measuredup.com is a new social networking site where CONSUMERS get the LAST WORD In Customer Service. This is a leading free and independent site where consumers read and write outrageous, funny or complimentary reviews about customer service and brand experiences.

Please check out http://www.measuredup.com and spread the word to your loyal audience.

Hope this helps.

This whole story reeks of some consultant misdiagnosing the problem. Sure it’ll be a band-aid for now, but eventually the root cause of the problem, whatever it is, will probably manifest itself again.

4 out of 5 customers agree… calling a company’s customer service line is a frustrating experience.5 out of 5 companies agree… they don’t care.The last time I helped my parents sign-up for a cell phone plan, we were the lucky

I agree that Sprint call center reps have incentives to get people off the phone as quickly as possible. But it doesn’t seem like a very smart move.

Yes, that reduces time spent talking to customers so more can call in. But does it solve their problem, or will they have to call again? From what I’ve been hearing, Sprint is the worst US cell phone service provider in the US, and their recent “firings” are not helping their image.

It just boggles my mind that companies view poor service as a way to save money. Unhappy, unhelped customers–many of whom are locked in with a service agreement and just trying to get what they signed-up for–will have to keep calling (getting more frustrated every time) and the company will have to keep paying for service reps to speak to them. In the long run, getting customers off the phone ASAP is more costly… especially considering that unhappy customers will not renew their contracts and will warn others.

My major irritant about the whole issue is that no one is even bothering to think of new ideas about how to serve their customers better. 1000 customers calling in over 30 times a month–figure out what makes them call and fix it! Call volume too high at certain periods of the day–figure out ways to encourage people to call at lower-traffic times.

Sprint’s actions are just a result of lazy thinking. There are better solutions than firing customers, and more innovative ways of lowering high costs.

Only problem is, Sprint has no incentive to change. Poor customer service is an industry standard in the US cell phone business. Until they feel threatened, they’ll probably just continue what they’re doing.

Sprint did not value the customers it fired, for whatever reason. I would encourage anyone looking to lose certain customers to do it respectfully, carefully, and in such a way that there aren’t any burned bridges with these customers or with others.

Customers prefer the carrot over the stick. Building customer relationships through great service, great offerings, and customer-focused business strategy will generally work much better than penalties!