General

Network Down? Don’t Forget the Angry Subscribers

By Incognito on January, 28 2014

Stay up to date

Provide Timely Updates

Take steps to continually update subscribers on the progress. Restoring service is the goal but the more information that you can provide, the better. This will help subscribers realize that yelling at a customer service representative is not going to speed things up. Try to provide as much as you can. Sugarcoat selectively. Some of the updates should describe what needs to be done or provide a rough estimate to the restoration of services.

Credit for the Trouble

Big network outage? This may need to fly past a bit of red tape first, but consider a goodwill gesture towards loyal subscribers by crediting them back for the duration of the blackout. Even though you didn’t advertise a 99.9% service-level agreement, offering a credit shows that you are serious and want to make it up to your customer base. This may even generate good press towards your organization.

Get Creative with an Apology

Give affected subscribers a temporary speed increase. Enable data during the outage for subscribers with a voice-only mobile service. Hand out an add-on temporarily at no cost. Look for opportunities that can also generate positivity towards the business. After all, your reputation for reliability and dependability may have taken a big hit.

The last thing you want to do when your network goes black is to stay silent while your techs are scrambling to correct course. Dedicate a few resources to public notifications and don’t leave your subscribers further in the dark. Remember, disappointed subscribers are a lot more open to switching providers. It may sound like you are giving free ammunition to your competitors, but if done right, goodwill gestures can create loyal customers.

Submit a Comment

Get latest articles directly in your inbox, stay up to date