Customer Retention

George Hincapie

George Hincapie

George Hincapie

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I'm just posting this out of curiosity, but I'd be grateful if any of you could provide any anecdotes.

I have been a continual customer of Orange for 10 years at least now. If I were to want to switch networks, how hard would they try to keep me? My usual monthly spend is in the order of £35 - £50, so I wouldn't imagine that I am massively profitable for them.

What inducements might I be offered? What inducements have any of you been offered in similar circumstances?

Thanks.
 
You want to phone up and ask to get passed to cancellations department. These guys seem to be the only ones who can offer decent deals. Worst case scenario is they offer you a deal that you're not too sure on, just say I need to think about it and hang up.
 
We dont have a cancellations dept any more. Also spend is not really a big thing anymore its all about investment. When you come through we can see all your details if what you ask for gives a +profit you will attempted a save :)
 
BigBruiserAl said:
We dont have a cancellations dept any more. Also spend is not really a big thing anymore its all about investment. When you come through we can see all your details if what you ask for gives a +profit you will attempted a save :)
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Hmmm...that's not really the position I'd expect after so long as a customer. So I'm not worth anything then. Fair enough, I'll move.

Thanks.
 
speaking as a individual mobile networks have moved on, they are a business like any other no profit no business, why would any company keep customers if it costs the company to keep them or they don't make you any money.

not to say your in the boat George, best advise i can give you is phone in be nice try and have a bit of banter with rep, if you get on they bend a bit more if possible fact :P
 
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Best advice i can say is that if you can get a better deal else were take it and if Orange wont cut you the same or better deal stuff em.
 
It still confuses me why people go on about companies not rewarding customer loyalty when these customers think that staying with a company for a while should be seen as such. In most cases, the people stay because they are getting the best deal or are too lazy to move and not because of any loyalty to a company.

OP - what makes you such a loyal customer?
 
£35-£50 is a very wide band from middle to profitable. If you go over your allowances you'll be offered something good because you're so poor at self management ;)
 
My parents had been with orange for the last 20 years, had some upgrade issues this year and orange weren't prepared to do anything about it. They are now paying less for more with O2.
 
agreed with some of the early repsonses. The myth that companies will try and keep you after X number of years is simply that, a myth.

a relic of the stone age.
 
George Hincapie said:
That's not really the sort of feedback I was after - no offence. I was after specific examples of what might be offered.

Anyone else?
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Pretty hard for any of us to say what you will/wont be offered tbh mate.
Monthly spend, how much you go over each of your limits, length of service and what type of numbers you call among many other things will affect it.

Of course Network you are with, the cancellations agent you get thru, the day of the month you call, the agents available discount pool/discount amount left available for the month and the offers the company are currently running.

For me Orange retentions were absolutely horrific, Tmobile weren't half bad first agent I got thru to didn't want to do any discount at all 2nd agent was excellent and O2 were horrendous too.
 
Richie said:
It still confuses me why people go on about companies not rewarding customer loyalty when these customers think that staying with a company for a while should be seen as such. In most cases, the people stay because they are getting the best deal or are too lazy to move and not because of any loyalty to a company.

OP - what makes you such a loyal customer?
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When I first started using Orange it was because they had a strong brand. I've never really had any issues with them, I've always upgraded with them within 6 months of being able to (although I did keep my Orange SPV for 4 years) and I've never really considered leaving.

I'm happy with the service, but I guess I just feel a little like my custom is taken for granted.
 
lol are you for real?
They are a business and you are one customer out of millions. Do you honestly think they care if you leave or stay? and their certaintly not going to bend over backwards to keep you as £40 is nothing to them compared to the hundreds they get from other clients a month.
 
iamtheoneneo said:
lol are you for real?
They are a business and you are one customer out of millions. Do you honestly think they care if you leave or stay? and their certaintly not going to bend over backwards to keep you as £40 is nothing to them compared to the hundreds they get from other clients a month.
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Wow. Thanks for making me feel like crap. I was asked a question and I answered it. You would have preferred that I not post at all?

Customer retention is about making customers feel valued so they won't think to move to a competitor. If the reality is, as you suggest, that we are all expendable, then that would seem to be a pretty shoddy way to run a business to me. It clearly works for them though.
 
I stress, all telcos do this - don't get any ideas that they are saints :) The method of retention offer choice is different depending on the company, type of contract (simo/paym/business SME/large deal etc...) and system in place.

On top of this, companies have over-arching goals, O2 famously used growth from 07-11, now they are going for retain mid-high only so the offers will be weaker. Orange have had a mixed bag (usually because FT kept trying to influence if you ask me) but from around 09 they want mid/high retain only too. T-Mo always go growth because they are low end and need volume to make money. Three is still on growth (coming up for year 10 now chaps, gonna have to start making a decent profit soon). Voda go growth in business only, retain mid/high in consumer typically. If a telco retains mid/high they will deliberately offer crap renewals to lower band customers. Just deal with it and get an offer via tcb/quidco and an online site. Moving network often, network signal permitting, is worth several hundred per contract change to the average consumer.
 
George Hincapie said:
Customer retention is about making customers feel valued so they won't think to move to a competitor. If the reality is, as you suggest, that we are all expendable, then that would seem to be a pretty shoddy way to run a business to me. It clearly works for them though.
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Seems like the perfect way to run a business to me, get rid of the low/no profit customers and concentrate on the ones that make you money.
At the end of the day we are all expendable as soon as we stop turning a decent profit.
 
Myshra said:
Moving network often, network signal permitting, is worth several hundred per contract change to the average consumer.
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And how does the customer benefit precisely? The contracts are all much of a muchness, so you get your mobile, unlimited texts and unlimited calls/data for £35 a month or so. I don't really see that much of a saving to be made among any of the networks.

I've had a look at mobiles.co.uk and they have some nice offers on new contracts where you get a 'free' Galaxy tab 2 or whatever, but the contract price is such that you're paying at least £10 PCM more, so over the term of the contract you've paid for it yourself and it's not free at all.
 
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