Operators must focus on ways to improve communications success to remain relevant as the customer’s primary communications service provider, that’s the one that gets paid rather than giving it away.  From my projects I have lists of hundreds of services operators could launch to improve on the basic communications experience, including the one mentioned below.  Usually I’m faced by the litany of excuses whenever I mention them to operators as described in these four articles: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 and Part 4.

In the past week I’ve been contacting roofing contractors and the experience of using the phone to contact them has been frustrating to say the least.  I remain shocked at roofing contractors unwillingness to use SMS, even though I’ve mentioned it to them that “I’m calling from a mobile phone so they can SMS” in the voicemail, so we end up in week-long voicemail tag.

Why hasn’t AT&T and Verizon improved their basic communication service by sending an SMS alert letting the customer know a voice message has been left by a mobile phone so they can always try SMS?  Yes, there is a small chance of call forwarding meaning the message isn’t received, but seriously most of the time its going to work.  And using common sense its only applied to new numbers that call you.  This way what has taken over 1 week to arrange, would take less than one day.  The business model, stimulated SMS revenue and remaining relevant as the primary communication service provider.  Come on guys, just pull your finger out on improving the basics!