Greatly more refined industry

Press, 24 August 1988, Page 44

Greatly more refined industry

As the fourth city to receive Mobile Telephone Service, Christchurch can look forward to the arrival of a greatly more refined industry than that which surfaced in the North Island last year. The cowboy dealers and those looking to turn a fast dollar have all but disappeared and the professional and competent companies which have been able to sustain growth in these troubled economic times have removed the major areas of customer confusion by promotion of a smaller number of highly reputable product lines to prominence, thereby eliminating virtually all of

the risks for prospective buyers. When the service was introduced in Auckland last year there were over 50 outlets where one could obtain a mobile telephone The variety was endless, but quality and back-up non-existent in some cases. In an attempt to overcome this problem, all dealers were encouraged to align themselves with a Telecom Accredited Service Provider (T.A.S.P.) thereby ensuring selfregulation of conduct of the dealers and agents. Cellphone was the first appointed T.A.S.P., having the largest subscriber base of any mobile tele-

phone company, an excellent record for customer service coupled with vast experience and product knowledge along with innovative high profile professional marketing techniques. Cellphone’s general manager, Rick Smith, after some years experience in Britain’s mobile telephone industry, said what was needed in New Zealand was a level of customer service, courtesy and care which went far beyond the norm. “Very few of the existing organisations were really trying, so we made it a priority in Cellphone to train our staff to expert level and select only the

very best brands and models of equipment. "It is all right to sell someone a mobile phone, but it is no good if that customer has to keep bringing it back for repairs. “New products have to pass the Cellphone tests, as well as type approval by the Government, before they have any hope of becoming a bestseller,” he said. The formula proved successful and it only took from August until October for Cellphone to achieve the No. 1 position in Auckland, a position which it has maintained ever since. As the network began to expand throughout the

country, Cellphone adopted new strategies to maintain its leaderjship. "We realised that part of the secret of our success in Auckland was the hands-on approach of the company’s directors. We were treating our customers better than our opposition because we had a vested interest in the success of the business. “When expanding it seemed perfectly logical that the only way to remain ahead in the important area of customer service was to enlist the help of the most professional owner-operator specialist businesses in each area,” he said.