Customer Service Challenges at Rogers Communications

Abstract:

This case discusses the customer service challenges faced by Canadian telecommunications giant, Rogers Communications (Rogers). The company had been making efforts since 2009 to tackle its customer service issues but had not met with much success in improving its relations with its customers. For a wireless communications company like Rogers, it was essential to offer excellent customer service. However, the communications giant had been neglecting its customers and this had led to its losing its wireless subscribers to other Canadian communication majors such as Telus and Bell Canada Enterprise (BCE). And that was not all. The company’s reputation and brand image were also at stake. While other communication companies benefited from customer loyalty programs, Rogers did not, as is evident from customers’ complaints that enrolling for Rogers’ ‘First Rewards’ program led to their losing discounts from other services. Ironically, customer complaints increased for Rogers as the customers ended up paying more money, which also led to the company reporting the highest customer churn rate for its wireless subscribers in comparison to its competitors such as BCE and Telus.

Issues: » Discuss the challenges faced by Rogers with regard to handling its customer complaints. » Analyze whether Rogers 3.0 can help the company fix its customer service issues. » Design a turnaround plan for Rogers to improve its customer service. Introduction A 2014 survey by market research company, JD Power and Associates, revealed that Canadian telecommunications giant, Rogers Communication (Rogers), had tied with Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) for the dubious distinction of being the company reporting the worst customer satisfaction among wireless operators in Canada. According to Guy Laurence (Laurence), CEO of Rogers, the carrier's customer service issues were the direct result of its attitude of neglecting its customers. Rogers Communications, a Canadian communications and media company, had operations in wireless communication, digital cable television, high speed Internet, Home Phone, and Smart Home Monitoring Services. Since late 2013, the company found itself in the news for its poor customer service. The company’s customer service issues came out into the open after a November 2013 report from the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Service (CCTS), an independent agency in Canada, stated that for the fiscal year 2012-2013, Rogers and BCE topped the list of telecom companies receiving complaints from wireless customers. CCTS was formed in 2007 as an independent Canadian agency to work with consumers, local telecom service providers, and small business customers to resolve complaints related to deregulated telecommunications services...

Key words:
Rogers Communication, Bell Canada Enterprises,Telus, Telecommunications, Wireless carriers, Wireless subscriber base, First Rewards program, Rogers 3.0,Turnaround, Customer service issues, Customer relations, Customer grievances, Customer churn rates, Customer satisfaction, Staff training, Digital technologies, Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Service,Guy Laurence

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