A Better Three

[Ben]

If you could change one thing about Three while still keeping the same great contract, what would it be?

Go nuts!

[Ben]

I wanted to vote for removing the Walled Garden, but at the end of the day I just couldn't go with Three while their customer service operation is as it is. It'd drive me mental! So that's where my vote had to go in the end I do want open data access though, that's the dealbreaker for me, but having tasted Mumbai's offerings I just don't want to sit down for a main course.

[Hands0n]

Having been a several-times victim of the Mumbai CS operation I have to agree with Ben. I, too, would have the walled garden dispensed with as it is going to be the key factor in my renewal in Jan 2006. But the prospect of an unchanged CS does my head in, the very notion that H3 could continue with that shambles indefinitely is terrifying.

That said - I did read somewhere that H3 have ambitious plans for a full-on Self-Care system driven by the Web. If that comes about and the need to call Mumbai is removed then I would be very pleased and somewhat tempted to await reason to establish itself vis a vis the Walled Garden.

[Jon3G]

The walled garden.

It would tempt people that are after high speed date with a good 3G coverage

[3GScottishUser]

It really has to work as well as previous GSM networks. Fact is - its still lacking and at best 'unreliable' for normal use let alone for those who's mobile is mission critical.

Ask anyone who has had experience of 3's UK network 'Would you like your doctor to have nothing but a 3 phone when you needed him in an emergency?' - answer no way!

The walled garden is an issue but providing the basic service should be the first priority. Time to deliver what customers were promised in the first place.

[maven]

Remove the walled garden - although from a business viewpoint I can see why they have it, after all if you're going to download ringtones etc, they want it to be from them.

Secondly they need to get rid of the Indian callcentre - I have always been dead against these. Some of the time I can understand them, some of the time they can understand me. If I'm calling to complain I do not feel they empathise with me as cultural differences mean the emphasis on certain words and phrases is not in evidence. I once wrote to Three complaining about this, I merely had an infuriating response telling me the workers there were going on more and more course to understand British culture - I mean come on, as if that will alieviate the problem.

Also when I call them, I do not want to be referred to as "Mr Russ" (Russ is my first name) - that might be the way they speak in India but they are servicing UK customers so they should adapt to our ways and not vice-versa. Often when I ask them to do something they respond with things like "certainly please" - that's not even correct grammar. Who taught them ettiquette, Avid Merion?

In all seriousness though, I also have a problem with the accent and certainly don't feel as if my issues as a customer are being dealt with confidently.

Give us a UK callcentre (and NO offence intended here....) with accents we can understand, remove the mobile internet restrictions and I'll be a happy customer.

[Jon3G]

It seems the UK based CS is leading the way, that is very interesting.

i would love been able to check my CURRENT bill online

[3GScottishUser]

You get deatils of remaining inclusive minutes and texts in your price plan using the services 'My 3'.

[Jon3G]

Sorry

You didnt give the option

"close down 3UK"

Sorry too tempting

[3g-g]

I don't think open internet access is what 3 needs, first things first sort out the network, improve your coverage, move away from the use of O2 as a back up ASAP. Nothing against O2, more a point for 3, it makes them look very unreliable. I'd also sort out the CS side, if O2 can create thousands of jobs in the UK for CS staff why can't Three? I'm sure HTL has a lot more money behind it, in fact, HTL is spewing money from every hole possible, it's reports loss on every continent it has a network. If they sorted out the simple things then maybe more people would come on board as their reputation changed, thus more money for them?

[Hands0n]

Improve Customer Services by bringing it back to the UK - NOW!

A recent anecdote
A few days ago I tried to report by phone my daughter's NEC E338 handset that has a damaged hinge. The first call to CS found a pleasant rep who took my problem and started collecting the details. Before he could get to the end of the call (we'd been on the go for some 15 mins by now) the inevitable "call disconnect syndrome" struck. Never mind, I'll call back and they can retrieve the record from the CRM. How naieve of me!

I called back - the next CS rep started asking the same questions.
Me - "Please retrieve the CRM record on the call I made a few mins ago to save going through this all over again".
CS - "Sorry sir, I cannot do that, you have to give me the information again"
Me - "Well, what is the point of having a CRM then? Surely you have a record of my previous call"
CS - "Yes sir, we do. But I need you to give me all the information to process your call"

It was like trying to have a discussion with an Ansaphone. So, very reluctantly, I started off again .... repeating all that I had previously given. Some little way through the call ........... yup, it happened again. Disconnected.

Third call is duly placed .....
CS - "Hello sir, how may I help you?".
Me - "Well, you can start by retrieving any of the two previous call records from your CRM of the phone calls I made in the last 40 minutes"
CS - "I'm sorry sir, I cannot do that, you have to give me your details again"
Me - "Don't bother I'll find another way" (my pizza was getting cold)
CS - "Thank you for calling Three, have a nice day"

Was he taking the pi55? Have a nice day? I'd have a nice day if they could pull a simple CRM record out of their system and resume from where the previous call ended! I'd have a nice day if they could simply do their job, simply!

The other way
I logged on to "My Three" and went to the Contact form. There I sent a polite and detailed email to the Customer Services arm. I provided the detail that the CS reps asked of me on the phone, explained the problem, told them that I wanted a call from their CS to me for as many times as it takes for them to complete the call. Ever hopeful is I No harm in asking!

In response I get the standard auto-response and notice a Service Tag number is included - handy that!

A few days elapse - no phone call. So I email their Customer Services and offer the Service Tag as their reference.

Well, bu99er me with a bog brush if a UK (Glasgow?) CS rep does not call me the following day. Very helpful, very knowledgeable, very courteous and most importantly very efficient - she actually got the job done that three calls to Mumbai CS could not. All that one would expect and hope of a CS run out of this country. Within 15 mins she has all the info, I have a date fixed for the handset collection and we're done and dusted. Tomorrow (Wednesday) will tell if this really worked, but she certainly gave the impression of handling the call properly and completely. What more could anyone possibly expect of a CS?

The experience with Mumbai CS leaves me feeling more than ever that I never want to speak with them again about anything at all, ever! It is utterly and despairingly pointless. It is a global model of inefficiency. A shining example of how not to do CS!

The final score?
Tough luck Mumbai - it is yet another Gold Star to the UK and another de-merit to you lot. The inefficiency of the comms to Mumbai is beyond reasonable words. The disgrace that is their CRM is not even a joke! The sheer poor quality of their scripting, of their CS reps abilities is indescribable - taking a phone hardware fault call should be a snap, it is a basic function of any helpdesk/CS. Take the detals, arrange the collection, we're done! Why do you need to know when I last topped up FFS?

As far as I am concerned, nothing has improved in H3's CS since my flirtations with them when they launched. It was an utterly stupid situation then, and it continues to be today - two years on!

But then, I won't have been the first to have said this before!

Now I'm going to go do something more restful - such as sticking pins into my eyes.