Our technology and services provide an empowering experience, says Michael Coney, head of commercial operations and Matthew Zammit, social media senior executive, Vodafone.
2015 marks the 30th anniversary of Britain’s first-ever mobile phone call made on the Vodafone UK network. It is also the 25th year since Vodafone Malta was set up. How has the mobile industry and Vodafone Malta grown since then?
Michael Coney: The mobile industry has changed beyond all recognition. Telecommunications is easily one of the most dynamic and fast-moving global industries and so much has happened since that first call was made in London on a phone which now looks so clumsy and cumbersome.
The first mobile call was made in Malta on our Vodafone network back in 1990. Here we are 25 years later with the only superfast 4G network on the island. I think what we’re particularly proud of at Vodafone is that we always aimed high, never content to be just adequate but wanting to bring the most advanced technology to Malta without any delay. This is probably why we were responsible for all the major telecoms firsts on the island.
The first 15 years were mainly focused on talk and text mobile communications, but the last few years has seen a revolution in terms of what mobile technology can achieve. It has become so central to how we work and conduct our personal lives that mobile connectivity is now all important. I think that mobile data is now probably the fastest-growing feature of the industry, as well as a move towards the convergence of fixed and mobile services. Vodafone Group just released its 2015 Annual Report and this highlights both these areas as being key aspects of its global strategy. Vodafone Malta is working in line with this strategy.
The role that a mobile phone plays in our working and personal lives has also changed: will the mobile phone become the only gadget that we will ever need?
To keep building trust we need to give more control to our customers and online services are the key to this
Michael Coney: We’re seeing smartphones becoming more powerful and feature-rich. Users are able to do so much more with these devices with practically every month that goes by, and this is increasing their dependency on their phone. We now expect to be constantly connected and available wherever we are.
The key will be portability and flexibility in terms of access to information. Different form-factor devices will still share the space – however as information becomes more device agnostic, we’re seeing the mobile phone becoming the main gadget together with tablets. So yes, I think that the mobile phone is evolving into the one single gadget that will meet all our needs. Having said that, the emerging area of wearables is also very exciting and has great potential.
These developments are particularly exciting for Vodafone since being constantly connected through a fast and reliable network becomes imperative and we have always prioritised providing a fast, strong and reliable network that is in line with the latest technology.
Customer service is critical to any service. How do you ensure that individuals and businesses avail of excellent customer service?
Michael Coney: Customer service is at the heart of what we do. To keep driving this forward we have invested heavily in our IT infrastructure to focus more strategically on customer channel mix management.
My Vodafone app and the live web chat are leading initiatives that emphasise how important customer service and experience is to Vodafone.
Through the years we have worked hard to redesign and improve our front-end tools for our customer representatives to address our customers’ needs quickly and efficiently. We use our expertise to make being a Vodafone customer a brilliantly empowering experience. The My Vodafone app is a clear example of this, in that in essentially offers customers full control of their account.
How do you inspire and build trust between you and your customers?
Michael Coney: Achieving and maintaining trust is the biggest challenge. We serve thousands of customers each month, but all it takes to ruin all the good work we do is just one bad experience. For me creating a working environment which is built on transparency is key to driving trust. We certainly enjoy celebrating our successes but we possibly give even more importance to our mistakes. The industry itself is complex and sometimes we do get things wrong. In the past we have been very proactive and up front with our customers and even refunded customers without the customer even realising that something was wrong.
Still, this is not enough. To keep building trust we need to give more control to our customers and online services are the key to this. By building an eco-system which is safe and secure, simple to use and rich in content and capability, we can effectively give full control to our customers and eliminate the risks and frustrations that more traditional service channels offer.
Matthew ZammitYour aim is to make online the first point of reference for your customers. How do you plan to achieve this?
Matthew Zammit: Yes, it is. Before I answer the how, perhaps I should explain the why, which is clear really: the developments of online space and smartphone capabilities means that we’re now able to create a unique customer experience, one that is personalised, fast and simple to use.
All our initiatives are ultimately aimed at making online the first point of reference, empowering customers to control and manage their account in a simple and interactive way. This empowerment is key and it’s why we believe that customers will switch to online and move away from the more traditional services such as the call centre to meet their needs.
This move is already being addressed with the self-help online service offered through the My Vodafone app. Once logged in, customers get access to an area through which they can manage and take full control of their account.
Vodafone.com.mt provides comprehensive information and various support methods to contact us, including live web chat, e-mail or through Facebook. The support agents on the dedicated e-channels team are passionate about doing their best to provide help. Vodafone.com.mt also has a web-responsive layout. This enables the website to resize and adapt to the client’s screen size. We believed a device-agnostic approach is essential for us to provide the best customer experience possible.
You have recently launched a number of new services, including web chat and an app – how do these new tools fit within the context of making online the first point of reference?
Matthew Zammit: All these initiatives are part of Vodafone’s global strategy to provide the best online customer experience possible across all its markets. They are in fact just the start of what’s to come.
In terms of what we have done at Vodafone Malta so far, the most direct way our customers can gain greater control over their accounts is through the live web chat and the My Vodafone app. These allow customers to access our services immediately, in their own time and on their own terms.
Prepaid customers can download the Vodafone app for free and manage their account on the go. Customers log in to the My Vodafone app using the same login used on the website to access the My Vodafone area. It offers the most used My Vodafone features in a lightweight package, including current balance and bundle usage, and the facility to top up and buy bundles. It also provides the option to get in touch with our customer care via e-mail or SMS, both of which load the default e-mail and SMS client on your phone.
Web chat provides an easy way to ask questions and get in touch with one of our agents while still browsing through Vodafone.com.mt. The idea behind web chat is to make the online experience even more seamless. Being able to chat directly with our agents, rather than having to e-mail or phone our call centre, provides a fast and effective way for customers to engage with us. Through web chat we can also guide customers to use their My Vodafone area and take control of their account.
We intend to keep building on the My Vodafone capabilities, have them integrated further into the Vodafone app and ultimately have the live web chat act as a key tool to help customers make the transition to online as simple as possible.