Don’t Follow T-Mobile’s Customer Service Lead

T-Mobile may be an excellent mobile supplier, but their retail stores have a pretty poor customer service philosophy.

Now, don't get me wrong. In my experience, staff have always been friendly and helpful. So, what's wrong?

No chairs. Yup, that's right. There's nowhere to sit in a T-Mobile retail store.

And why? Because of an internal decision that is anything but customer oriented. An employee told me that when they have chairs, customers stay in the store too long.

Huh?

So, let's get this right. If you want to buy a new phone or service, you can expect to stand at an employee's station for about 45-60 minutes. Did I say STANDING?

While I waited for my daughter to upgrade her service recently, I stood for as long as I could before exiting the store and waiting for her elsewhere. An older couple at the next station were physically leaning on the desk, tired from standing so long.

Does T-Mobile think its only customers are teenagers?

According to a survey taken by AARP in October 2010, more than four out of five Baby Boomers (87%) leave home with a mobile device. That represents a lot of middle-aged folks who would likely find it challenging to stand for an hour, no matter how much in shape they may be.

There's a good lesson here for those of us managing customer relations. Isn't good customer service supposed to be focused on the customer's needs?