No, I don’t get a kick out of using the revered Captain’s expletives. And this article is not about the Captain either. This is about how to increase sales revenues if you are a mobile service operator. It would certainly not make a good title to the blog!
Nevertheless I have come up with a brilliant set of strategies to increase revenues of a mobile service operator. So if you are one, keep reading. If not, keep reading, just in case you become one in the future.
1. Increase call-drop rates. Thus, say, I intended to speak to someone for 5 minutes. Assume the rates are 1 Re per minute. If there are no call drops, then the billed amount is Rs. 5. If there is one drop, and there are 2 calls of 2 minutes 30 seconds each, then the billed amount is Rs. 6. Simple yet brilliant.
2. Single-way calls. Introduce calls in which only one way communication happens. This would mean the caller would have to reconnect. But then a computer can connect the caller through a 2-way call after a preset number of attempts.
3. Loop-back call-centers. Have automated call-centers which loops you back to the original menu ("Welcome to the helpline...") after a set of long painful menu choices and cumbersome entries. Save on your call-center wage bill.
4. A variation of this strategy would be to preset the choice of help-line language to something that the customer is not familiar with. Thus a Punjabi user could have a Tamil help-line.
5. False billing. Slip in a few charges here and there. Something as innocuous as a few ring-tone downloads or special sms-es will almost always be overlooked.
6. Sell the phone numbers of customers to banks selling credit cards. Boy they would lap it up.
7. Complicate the process for the customer. For example, to have roaming deactivated ask the customer to go to the sales office in Timbuktu and submit a hand written application to the tribal chieftain.
8. Decrease connection quality. The caller therefore, will have to repeat what he is saying, increasing call times.
Now I only need to wait for some mobile operator to read my blog. I can sell this to him and make a bunch out of it.
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5 comments:
I would have just shouted at the helpdesk and poured out my frustration but alas! the Hutch customer Care number never connects!!
I know, most of these experiences have been taken from real life. Same happens with Airtel. I am surprised to know Hutch too had the same policy. Interesting!
You can't sell this info.. u just gave it out for free....
And I think they know it already. In fact I think ICICI and Hutch have combined forces, coz ICICI does this to me everytime (all of the above) :(
Oh great ... looks like the rot has spread beyond the mobile operators ...
I agree, as a matter of fact I am shifting all my banking from ICICI to HSBC. ICICI call centre is probably manned by just 2 overworked guys. My average wait time has been 25 mins.
I would like to add more on to your strategies!
Sing to your callers that the CSRs are busy with other customers, but the one who is calling is also precious and keep the person on hold till the waiting time reduces to 15 secs. - until he feels its worth holding for 10 mins and than cut off the line :D - remember Citibank... if anybody has experienced this on Saturdays!!!
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