T-Mobile US finds a new way to troll AT&T and Verizon

T-Mobile US is testing out a new way to mock AT&T and Verizon by inviting the duo to its own TEX Talks seminars and panels on how to improve customer service.

Taking place on 24-25 October at its Charleston customer experience centre, T-Mobile US will host various companies from around the US, offering advice on how to improve relationships with customers and reduce churn. Of course, never missing a chance to poke fun at AT&T and Verizon, CEO John Legere has made it clear they are invited to the event, even if they are currently ignoring his calls.

“As the Uncarrier, we’ve always been about changing this industry for good…with Team of Experts, we’ve done it again,” said Legere. “And we won’t stop with wireless. Customer service is utterly broken in this country – it’s a mechanized mess. We’ve completely changed the game for customers, and we hope every brand steps up to do the same.”

While Team of Experts might not be the most exciting of Uncarrier moves, it certainly seems to be having a notable impact on the business. T-Mobile US has stated Net Promoter Score (NPS) is up 60% since introducing the new focus on customer service, while asynchronous messaging with care is up 34% and churn of customer service staff is down 48%. It’s not the headline grabbing Uncarrier move of yesteryear, but goods things are happening.

Announced back in August, the aim of the Team of Experts Uncarrier move was to revamp customer services and improve loyalty. The industry has come to expect big things from wild-eyed Legere when launching new Uncarrier moves, though this is not exactly the blockbuster we’ve gotten used to. However, three months on, the ‘rock star treatment’ for customers does seem to be working.

It might not be the venture into the world of content many were expecting, though it is a welcome surprise. The telco industry is traditionally awful at customer services, choosing to lock in customers with long contracts and create a red-tape maze for those who want to leave. Loyalty was enforced by making churn so difficult as opposed to creating a proposition customers want to be a part of. This move seems to be challenging the status quo.

Customer services can be a differentiator moving forward as the price wars seem to have come to a conclusion. There will continue to be undercutting and promotions, though the telcos cannot go much lower on tariffs and maintain the profit margins desired by investors. T-Mobile US has done a great job of disrupting the industry and capturing subscriptions, but momentum will run low if the same message is played on repeat.

There has been signs across the world telcos are starting to care more about their customers, Vodafone is a great example in the UK with its own customer services initiatives, though these are still the exceptions not the rule. More work needs to be done to correct years of wrong-doing.

That said, Legere’s trolling is always a bit of fun.