Jared Kastriner's 2009 First Annual Survey

I wrote about AT&T’s suckage last month; I just wanted to add to that post in a different direction. My last post about AT&T was about them being anticompetitive because they have exclusivity for the iPhone. This post is more about what you should avoid in creating the best customer experience possible.

Essentially, whatever AT&T does, you should never do when creating a consumer oriented business.

Note to AT&T: creating the best customer experience possible will increase the customer retention rate.

As an AT&T customer, my experience purchasing a new phone was horrible. They have three different pricings for the same phone. They have online pricing, in-store pricing, and over-the-phone pricing. Not only does this pricing scheme confuse me as a consumer, but it also confuses AT&T’s own people. The people in store do not know the online or phone price. The same thing goes for the people on the phone. The AT&T employees are just as confused as consumers, which does not help AT&T make sales. Great companies keep customers from getting frustrated and have knowledgeable sales people.

By not having one unified, simple pricing scheme, AT&T creates a unsatisfactory customer experience, which at the end of the day causes customers to leave competitors. I would be long gone from AT&T if I was not on a family plan with the rest of my family.

Business lesson of the day: internal communication and simplification for both customers and employees is key to retaining customers and creating a positive customer experience.