ad and involved that we could write an entire book about that subject alone. Figure 4-8: Customer Service The biggest complaints consumers voice about customer service Rude or unfriendly customer service reps Reps who are unfamiliar with the company, offers, or ser- vice problems Reps who are unresponsive or don't follow up The problem, of course, in the management of this kind of organization is in figuring out how to create, staff up, and support such a group on eXcellence in Telecommunications The Telco Churn Handbook a limited budget. From the customer service representative's point of view, major complaints include: Lack of information about customers Lack of information about promotions, campaigns, and service issues Lack of training and familiarization with the telecommuni- cations business in general The resolution of customer service problems is difficult. Automated call center support software, databases, and training all contribute to a solution, but ultimately the real test of the effectiveness of these efforts is how well it helps convince customers that their current provider is the best one available. Billing Billing systems are the bane of every telephone company. Nobody likes the billing system, but without it you cannot collect money from your customers. Billing systems are not automatically part of the list of quality issues that a customer might have with your company; however, several billing system problems will place it on the top of their list in a hurry. Major billing system problems include inaccurate bills and bills that are late. Either of these will make the customer very unhappy very quickly, especially if it is a recurring problem. SOCIAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL So far we have discussed technology, price, and quality. Although these are by far the biggest reasons for churn, some other more subtle factors, which by themselves will probably not cause churn to happen, can contribute to the consumer's churn decision. People are social animals, and friends, family, and many other social influences