In a recent Consumer Report in which 50,000 cellphone users were polled about their experience with their current service provider, AT&T ranked last among the biggest mobile service carriers in the U.S. So how does AT&T improve customer sentiment and satisfaction? The most obvious solution to this would be of course improve service by building more service towers and increase the network circuit capacity. While this would be the best solution, this would undoubtedly take years to improve upon. So what else can AT&T do to improve upon their current situation? How about by starting with their Twitter account.
We Have Questions, But Can’t Get Answers
If you look at the AT&T’s current Twitter accounts, you will notice that they have multiple Twitter accounts each with a specific purpose. From their small business options Twitter account to their cellphone news Twitter, AT&T has essentially setup accounts that provide little to no consumer value. While AT&T has jumped into the social media landscape, the one area that they failed to address is their customer service. When a customer has a complaint, they will go to the source, which in this case would be AT&T.
If you have ever called customer service for a problem, it seems that even before you get to talk to a real human being, you first have to answer questions regarding your problem. No one likes to do that and even still, it might not get you to the right people. Comcast understood this and was one of the first to combine customer service and social media by creating @ComcastCares .
Through Twitter, users could send out remarks and questions to Frank Eliason , Senior Director Comcast National Customer Service, and get a response in a somewhat timely manner. While it may take a little longer to get a response through Twitter compared to calling in, users haven’t complained. In fact, Comcast has actually seen a increase in customer satisfaction since @ComcastCares launched. Another example of a company that has moved toward using social media for their customer service is Best Buy with their @Twelpforce account. Similar to Comcast, user can tweet in their technology based questions and get answers to them.
Why AT&T Should Take Advantage Of The iPhone While They Can
Perhaps the biggest reason for AT&T still being a big player in mobile service, is their exclusive contract with Apple and their iPhone. Verizon and T-Mobile have consistently been number #1 and #2 in consumer reports and had Apple chosen to go with either, would we still give AT&T much attention? While AT&T still has exclusive rights to the Apple iPhone it is up to them to take full advantage of it. A creative way that AT&T can do this is to begin by pre-installing an application that I would like to call “AT&T Cares Twitter” where in iPhone users can simply click the application and begin Tweeting with the AT&T Twitter team. This is just one solution, but the possibilities are many thanks to the Apple iPhone.
Joseph is the Director of Marketing at Viralogy.com & works in social media & sports consulting. Read more about him at http://JosephAYi.com
