Training Retail Sales People to Become Marketers and Delight Customers

I returned two mobile phones to AT&T today. (I'd ported over a couple of lines from Sprint to AT&T, after doing the iPhone review, but the Samsung BlackJack II that replaced the iPhone failed to meet my standards and another Samsung clamshell handset had echo problems.)

What continues to amaze me is the lack of proactive marketing by retail sales people to "save the account." True, I had already ported the numbers back to Sprint effectively canceling my AT&T account. But why didn't the retail person ask me penetrating questions about my decision. Here's how the conversation went between me (BP) and the retail rep (RR).

BP: "I've ported back two AT&T lines to Sprint and want to return the phones."
RR: (Silence, as I gave him the receipts and phones.)
RR (Silence, as he checked the SIM's against the phones, took out the batteries and brought up my account on his computer.)
RR: (Continued silence as he started initiating the refund to my AMEX card.)
RR: (Ah, he speaks..."May I ask why you're canceling?"
BP: "Yes, the iPhone didn't meet my requirements. With Wi-Fi, the browsing was great, but using your EDGE network, it was slower than molasses. I had hoped the BlackJack II would meet my PDA needs, but navigating the phone was difficult and your 3G network is slower than Sprint's EVDO network. Oh, the other Samsung flip phone had echo problems."
RR: (Silence, no questions....pause.....)
BP:  (BP pulls out his HTC Touch and shows the RR the display.) "Have you ever seen the Touch?"
RR: "No."
RR: "O.K., you can insert your AMEX card now for the refund."
BP: (Brian swipes AMEX card.)
RR: "Here's your receipt."
BP: "Thanks, bye."

If AT&T had trained this poor fellow, the conversation might have gone like this:

BP: "I've ported back two AT&T lines to Sprint and want to return the phones."
RR: "I'm very sorry to hear that. While it's probably too late to make a change, may I ask why you canceled? How did AT&T not meet your expectations?"
BP: "Yes, the iPhone didn't meet my requirements. With Wi-Fi, the browsing was great, but using your EDGE network, Web surfing was slower than molasses. I had hoped the BlackJack II would meet my PDA needs, but navigating the phone was difficult and your 3G network is slower than Sprint's EVDO network. Oh, the other Samsung flip phone had echo problems."
RR: "I see. We're aware many iPhone users want faster data speeds. Did you realize that our network people are working right now increasing the EDGE data download speeds? We're installing fast T1 lines at dozens of our towers in the Bay Area."
BP: "No, I wasn't aware of that." (Actually, I was, but you know...)
RR: "You mentioned using the BlackJack II was difficult to use and 3G was slow. What applications on the PDA were difficult to access?"
BP: "Well, Windows Mobile 6 works o.k., but the screen is too small to view my calendar, tasks and emails. So I kept having to scroll down. The keys on the BlackJack II are also too stiff."
RR: "I see. You know, the BlackBerry Curve has a larger screen and the keys are easier to push."
BP: "Yes, I agree. In fact, when I returned the iPhone, it was a toss-up between the BlackJack and the Curve."
RR: "You also mentioned our 3G was slow? What happened?"
BP: "I viewed a few videos that stopped several times until the buffer filled."
RR: "I see. Sometimes that can happen as you download. But otherwise, you find the 3G downloading Web pages and emails adequate?"
BP: "Yes."
RR: "I understand your needs a lot better now. As I mentioned, you've probably already made your decision to return to Sprint. But I can talk with my manager about letting you try out the BlackBerry Curve and a higher-end flip phone for a few days at no charge. We'd give you two new phone numbers so if you decide to stay with Sprint, that's o.k. Would that work for you?"
BP: "Well, I don't know. After the porting back to Sprint and all. It could be a hassle."
RR: "We could do it without a contract and at no charge..."
BP: "I see...well, I guess it's worth trying."

Wow! If AT&T had empowered and trained its RR's to "delight the customer" by making that offer, I might have done it. But, clearly, AT&T's training program and marketing philosophy is not adequate to the task. And in highly competitive businesses like cellular, marketers and sales reps need a re-alignment.

Speaking of re-alignments, the major reason I stick with Toyota is how well they treat me. Everyone at the dealership here in town is trained, measured and managed to "delight the customer." When I took my Prius in the other day, due to a battery problem, they didn't let me leave until the battery was fully-charged and they had thoroughly checked out the car's systems. Toyota goes the extra mile for me--all the time--and that's why I'm a long-term customer.

If you're in retail management, ponder my AT&T story. Train your reps. Delight your customers. And watch your business flourish.

P.S. Just as I wrote the last paragraph above, I received an email from AT&T: "Your Wireless Bill is Ready Online."

Postscript: How timely...15 minutes after posting this article, I received an automated "customer survey" call from AT&T, asking questions about my experience yesterday at the AT&T store. Perhaps there's hope.