T-Mobile: Clear rules for sales representatives bring results

• 98% of customers are satisfied with D2D sales representatives
• New measures are working well and the number of non-standard contract terminations has reduced significantly

Prague, 18 May 2009 - Like other service providers, T-Mobile uses external door-to-door sales representatives, to sell its services. T-Mobile requires from these representatives maximum professionalism and compliance with ethics rules. At the end of last year, T-Mobile adopted new measures aimed at increasing customer satisfaction. The first of these measures was the Code of Conduct, which defines ethical sales principles, followed by the implementation of the obligation to make verification calls in the case of new contracts. T-Mobile also introduced penalties for a failure to comply with the required principles. The quality of external sales has been mapped through regular surveys since last year. The first results prove that the implemented measures are correct.

"We know that the sales culture is one of the important factors for customer satisfaction. That is why we continually strive to improve the sales culture," says Miroslav Rakowski, Executive Vice President Customer Services and Sales, adding: "The client does not differentiate whether he purchases T-Mobile services directly from a T-Mobile representative or from a contractor. Any discrepancy is then reflected in the client's satisfaction with the service provider. Therefore we are glad that customer satisfaction has increased thanks to these new measures."

Verification calls
Sales representatives are now obligated to make verification calls. This measure was implemented several months ago. After a customer signs a contract, the sales representative calls the respective customer shortly thereafter and verifies that the customer is aware of his obligations resulting from the contract. The sales representative checks the name and address stated in the contract, the contract term and the type of tariff plan selected by the customer. If the customer's answer to any of the questions is NO, they have to clarify such potential discrepancy and correct it, if necessary. At the same time, the customer can asks questions regarding the signed contract. The sales representative must then send a recording of the phone call to T‑Mobile for verification. The recording serves as the basis for solving potential complaints.

Ethical and professional conduct is a must
Every sales representative must observe the principles laid down in the Code of Conduct, which requires that sales representatives provide complete, true, unbiased and comprehensive information in such a way as to prevent misleading of the customer. Emphasis is placed on honest and polite conduct and other aspects of ethical conducts.

For example, the sales representative may not abuse a customer's position that may constitute a disadvantage at the moment: when entering into a contract with people who are 70 and older or with foreigners who do not speak Czech well, the sales representative must very carefully make sure that such people understand what services will be provided to them and under which conditions such services are offered. If the sales representative is not sure that the customer understands the offer and contractual conditions, he/she may not proceed with concluding the contract.

Every sales representative must handle all processes related to tariff-plan activation, number porting, change of a tariff plan and contract renewals. The training results are verified through test. Passing the test is the condition for obtaining or keeping a sales code, which a third party must have to be able to offer T-Mobile services.

Sales representatives are encouraged to conclude contracts only with customers who are able to pay for telecommunications services. T-Mobile monitors the proportion of defaulters for each sales representative. If the tolerance limit is exceeded, the respective sales representative loses his authorization to sell T-Mobile services. As confirmed by the most recent development, the number of defaulters has been significantly reduced thanks to the implementation of verification calls aimed at verifying the customer's interest in T‑Mobile services.

Furthermore, the evaluated parameters include the proportion of non-standard contract withdrawals, i.e. termination of a subscriber contract based on a legitimate complaint during the period from 15 to 90 days following the conclusion of a contract. If a customer complains about the procedure used when entering into a contract, the Customer Complaint Department will review the matter and if the complaint is considered justified, the customer's request for contract termination will be fulfilled. Since the implementation of verification calls, the number of non-standard contract withdrawals has declined significantly and currently ranges from 0.2-0.4%.

Satisfaction of customers with D2D dealers
Customer satisfaction with D2D dealers is monitored every month. Survey respondents are selected on a random basis from among all customers who signed a subscriber contract via D2D sales representatives. The respondents are interviewed by phone 3-5 days following the signing of a contract. Such interviews are performed by a licensed agency (NHI, Germany), which contacts approximately 300 customers every month.

"The first-quarter evaluation has brought very satisfying results," says Miroslav Rakowski. "A total of 98% of the respondents were satisfied with the services provided by the sales representatives and 33% of them were entirely satisfied. We believe that this positive trend will even strengthen in the upcoming period."

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.