For Happier Customers, Call HR

摘要

When sue nokes joined T-Mobile as senior vice president of customer service in 2002, the cellphone company, based in Bellevue, Wash., had a little problem: Lousy customer service was driving T-Mobile users crazy. Calling with a question or complaint, they got put on hold for what seemed like eons, then spoke with customer-service reps who weren't much help. J.D. Power's customer-satisfaction surveys ranked T-Mobile dead last in the industry, trailing Verizon, Cingular, Nex-tel, and Sprint. So much for its ad slogan: "Get more." Nokes launched a total overhaul. The first step: getting T-Mobile's human resources people and its marketing department to sit down and talk. The idea was to revamp the company's hiring practices, thus increasing the odds of picking customer-service staffers willing and able to follow through on the marketing mavens' promises.