Covering the wireless industry for the past several years as a reporter has left me a bit jaded when it comes to interacting with the industry on a consumer level. The insight I have gleaned has left me sour on creative licensing in advertising, over-hyped schemes that fail to live up to expectations and techno-babble that is typically used to not answer questions are just some of the reasons for my negative views.
However, a bright spot in the industry was revealed to me last week when I visited my local carrier-owned wireless store seeking to make drastic changes to my current wireless plans.
See, as the “wireless expert” of the family, I have been put in charge of handling the wireless needs of several close relatives. I can’t really complain about the job since I volunteered for the position during what I will call moments of weakness.
Anyway, upon entering the recently remodeled store, I was greeted by an employee who put my name on a list and told me a representative would be with me in about 5 minutes. A quick look around the bustling store had me highly doubting the timeframe, but nonetheless I headed straight for the handsets laid out against the wall.
Sure enough, a few minutes later my name was called. So far I was mildly impressed.
I quickly began to explain to the rep what I was looking at doing, while at the same time not disclosing my profession or history in the wireless industry. After my long-winded diatribe, the representative said “no problem,” and that since it would take some time to make the changes, offered me a bottle of water. Things were still looking good.
As the changes were being made, the rep suggested several changes I could make to my plan that would save me a few bucks each month and that I was also eligible for a customer loyalty discount on my service. I was almost beginning to enjoy my visit.
After signing several contract extensions-enthusiasm diminishing-the store rep handed me a couple of additional mail-in rebates on the new handsets I had picked up that I was not expecting.
Within a half hour I had walked into the store, been greeted and helped promptly, had all of my changes completed, got a bottle of water, received unexpected savings on my new plan and extra rebates on the new handsets. Now if only my job-related interactions with the wireless industry were as pleasant.
