Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Looming customer service cuts at Vodafone
The New Zealand Herald reports Vodafone plans to trim staff
numbers across the board and cut
the customer service department by up to 100
jobs..
The proposal, outlined in an internal document obtained by the Herald, is part of a restructuring expected to bring 200 to 250 job cuts.
Vodafone says the average revenue per customer is falling and forecasts a two percent year-on-year revenue decline. The telco reported a $28 million full-year loss last year although some of that was down to costs associated with integrating the TelstraClear business.
There's a case, of sorts, for downgrading customer service. Some of Vodafone's leaner rivals, think of BigPipe and Skinny, offer little or stripped-back customer support then pass the savings on with lower prices.
It's not as if Vodafone is losing great customer support. Owen William's comments are typical of today's Twitter feed:
https://twitter.com/ow/status/557286696010539008
Williams is not alone:
https://twitter.com/hebehu/status/557295688459898880
Similar comments crop up in the Geekzone discussion on the cuts.
Vodafone's move is a further step along the path to telecommunications commodisation as telco margins continue to shrink.
The last word in the
Herald story goes to Tuanz CEO Craig
Young:
That's the one area that directly relates to users. But ... consumers will make a choice and if they end up getting bad service from one supplier then they've got plenty of other suppliers to go to.
This post first appeared at billbennett.co.nz as Looming customer service cuts at Vodafone
Bill Bennett
Freelance journalist.
Auckland-based Bill Bennett writes technology and business stories that are directly relevant to New Zealand readers.
His emphasis is on telecommunications, but he also covers other aspects of technology and business. You can find his features in the New Zealand Herald and hear him regularly on RNZ Nine to Noon and the NZ Tech Podcast.
Bennett's The Download Weekly newsletter is published every Friday. You can sign up for it here.
If you want to support his work, you can make a donation to his PressPatron account.
Ian Powell: When Politics Gets In The Pocket Of The Gun Lobby
Binoy Kampmark: AUKUS - Flawed And Sinking
Martin LeFevre - Meditations: The Darkest Hour Before Dawn Or The Sum Of All Dark Ages?
Gordon Campbell: On Justin Trudeau’s Demise, In A Global Context
Ramzy Baroud: Israel Destroyed Gaza ‘For Generations To Come’ And The World Stayed Silent
Binoy Kampmark: Detained Without Charge - Eleven Yemenis Leave Guantánamo