Eye on the Carriers [1] By Johna Till Johnson, [2]Network World [3], 2/15/07

I’ve spent a lot of time in this column detailing how IT executives need to manage their carriers [4]. Now it’s time to turn things around, and talk a bit about what carriers owe their customers.

It’s not that complicated. Providers of any sort of service -- from housecleaning to application hosting to bandwidth provisioning -- should adhere to a common set of basic principles. Here they are:

1. Don’t lie.
2. Be clear about what your services do and don’t do.
3. Be clear about what your services cost.
4. Be easy to work with (that is, don’t let your internal rules and processes get in the way of the customer’s needs).
5. Fix things that go wrong quickly and cheerfully.

That’s pretty much it. But all of us can point to examples where carriers have got these basic principles really, really wrong. In addition, translating these principles into day-to-day operational practices sometimes isn’t the easiest thing in the world. So, for all those carriers that need a little help making it happen, here are some additional guidelines.

As a user, I want to know basic things like:

* Do you offer services in the regions and geographies I care about?

* Can I figure out the product and service portfolio quickly and easily, and can you express clearly how it meets my needs?

* If you’re stressing a particular technology, can you map that technology’s capabilities to my requirements? (If not, you’re delivering that technology for your own benefit, not mine -- so don’t bore me with how great it is.)

* Do I have quick and easy access to in-depth technical explanations if I need them?

* Do I have the option of a named customer service rep (for example, I’m calling “Jen”, not “customer support"), and do I have multiple ways of reaching this person or his/her backup (e-mail, web, phone, cell phone, instant message)?

* Will the sales team put its promises in the contract, clearly and concisely?

* Is executing a contract fast and painless? Is the provider’s legal team easy to work with -- or annoying and bureaucratic?

* Will you commit in writing to installation times -- and meet those promises?

* What happens when something goes wrong? What are the options and policies for troubleshooting, problem resolution and escalation; and will you commit in writing to following them?

* Is your pricing clear and easy to understand? Do I need a Ph.D in statistics to figure out what my network will cost me, or to read your bills?

* Can you submit bills at the intervals, in the currency and with the scope that I require?

* Do you have a privacy policy that states clearly and unambiguously the circumstances under which information about me, my users or my traffic will be released to outside agencies, whether the government, the Recording Industry Association of America or anyone else? Will you notify me before you release this information?