Customer experience and engagement : the perspective of a local telecommunications company

Abstract

The local telecommunication industry has reached saturation, with competing companies offering homogenous products, and vying for market leadership. The competitive advantage for this industry lies in providing an unmatched customer experience. This study investigates how Vodafone Malta manages its customer relationships. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the current approach used by Vodafone Malta in order to create a relationship with its client base. This project also aims to highlight additional methods of creating engagement with clients, and developing this into loyalty and client retention. The objective of this research project is to analyze the management's efforts to instil a best-practice service culture. This is compared and contrasted with the actual experience. The telecommunications market is one which has entered the mature phase of its cycle, wherein competitors offer clients an undifferentiated product. Therefore offering an unmatched customer experience as part of the overall product package would be a key differentiating factor to set Vodafone Malta apart from its competitors. Primary research was conducted using one-to-one interviews with the members of the organization's management team, responsible for a number of customer touch points namely; the call centre, the service centre and the retail outlet. The creation of an unmatched customer experience starts with the front-liner, who de-livers the experience. Empowerment is needed to enable the front-liner to satisfy the customer. The front-liner requires constant interpersonal-skills training, to handle client transactions professionally, and build relationships with customers. The customer complaint handling system contributes to the customer experience, and should therefore be approached from a long-term perspective. In addition it is crucial for the company to comprehend customer needs, in order to satisfy them and provide an unmatched customer experience. This will then lead to word of mouth promotion and ultimately increased customer loyalty and retention.