 make use of effectively without guidance. But in many cases, the manufacturers provide customer support using untrained, low-wage customer service reps who try to help hundreds of people with technical problems far beyond the rep's knowledge or ability. This kind of model usually results in a company that may sell a lot of product in the short term but with very little customer satisfaction in the long term. Why This Model Cannot Work Anymore If the telco organization is to truly embrace the belief that the old business model for telecommunications will have to be abandoned for something better, then addressing customer service needs to become a major part of that overhaul. To create true relationships with customers, the customer service organization will have to be the champion and leader of the effort. After all, customer service is the organization that has the most intimate contact with customers throughout the life of the relationship. Customer service is the organization that is called when problems arise, and it is the most logical group for the company to utilize and hold responsible for ongoing maintenance of quality relationships. eXcellence in Telecommunications The Telco Churn Handbook The Customer Service Value Proposition This means that we need to redefine the value proposition and the key performance indicators that are used to shape the customer service mission. We need to question the rationale that puts a premium on minimization of the customer's contact. After all, the telco has very few opportunities for customer interaction. Do you really want that interaction to be as short, curt, and dismissive as possible? Incongruous Objectives Many organizations give lip service to the concept of quality customer interactions and utilizing the customer service organization to cross sell, but few companies actually consider the fundamental changes in the business model that customer service has to work with to make those changes effectively. Changing the Customer Service Mission Profile So what we are 