In today’s telecom world, communication companies, more then ever, find themselves identified as a service industry. Voice, data, wireless, and video products are moving toward commodity offerings where differentiation becomes heavily dependent on customer service. With the telecom industry battling a lackluster economy and rampant with mergers and consolidations, great customer service is a prize worth attaining. So, what defines great customer service in the telecom world? What does individual frontline employee discretion have to play in that achievement, and has the tolerance for frontline discretion changed over the years?

First, let’s establish a boundary. Call center and retail store employees play a significant role in defining the customer experience, but for this discussion, we will focus only on the outside plant (OSP) network influence. As we have discussed in past articles, Planning, Engineering, Construction, Records Administration, Installation and Repair all team together to provide a positive customer experience in the wired and wireless world.

Great Customer Service #1: I Want It When I Want It
Customers have evolved over the years to an instant gratification mentality, especially among the younger generation. They expect to have their service connected when they want it and when they want it is generally right now.

Frontline Employee Discretion
Planners -- Can you deviate from the mechanized prescribed plan to infuse your best judgment in allocating copper and fiber to the required areas?
Engineers -- Do you have the flexibility to increase the size of cables to accommodate plan discrepancies noted on field visits?
Construction -- Do you have the authorization to deviate from the work order to make serving terminals more accessible?
Installation -- Do you have the approval to work additional overtime to provide service to a last-minute request?
What is your discretion?

Great Customer Service #2: Network Quality and Reliability
Customers expect to have 100% network accessibility with zero voice or data connection issues. Customers will change providers even with perceived network performance concerns.

Frontline Employee Discretion
Planners -- Do you have the ability to take fiber to an allocation area based on your judgment?
Engineers -- Do you have permission to replace an extra span of adjacent cable based on customer trouble indicators?
Cable Repair -- Can you rebuild a defective splice when you are repairing a single case of trouble?
What is your discretion?

Great Customer Service #3: Problem Resolution
Customers expect to have their issue resolved promptly, receive constant status updates, and be treated with respect. They expect their problem to be #1 on your resolution list.

Frontline Employee Discretion
Engineers -- Do you have the authorization to replace that air core buried pic cable before it totally fails?
Construction -- Can you repair broken spinning wires or dangling terminals not identified on the work order?
Cable Repair -- Do you have the flexibility to replace defective terminal blocks that you know will present future problems?
Repair -- Do you have the ability to offer a service credit to a disgruntled customer?
What is your discretion?

I ask these questions within this framework to give examples of potential individual network employee discretion. Employee discretion is when individuals are allowed to make responsible choices, judgments, or decisions within their job description. But, and it is a big but, common systems and processes are put in place to guide employees and remove any ambiguity with day-to-day operations. Employee discretion must be tempered with these guidelines or the cost to the company can be significant.

I like this statement by author Jim Collins (Good to Great): “A culture of discipline involves a duality. On the one hand it requires people who adhere to a consistent system; yet, on the other hand, it gives people the freedom and responsibility within the framework of that system.”

Now I ask you: Has the tolerance for frontline discretion changed over the years? And what examples can you provide demonstrating frontline discretion for great customer service?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Byron retired as a senior manager of AT&T with more than 29 years of service and now is an Independent Consultant in Telecom Operations. During the last 12 years of his career, he held the position of Vice President - Construction and Engineering for AT&T West. Reach Byron at byron-mc@att.net.