How can 8ta improve?

[Beri]

Not much to add......
all i can say is keep up the good work 8ta........
and all we need is the LTE details....please include the new Ipad

 

[Wasabee!]

I think the following would help me rate 8ta as a better product/service:

Can they make it easier for you to buy their products?

- Remove the off peak and peak differentiation from cellphone contracts. This would allow less products in 8ta's catalogue, which would save marketing, training costs etc. It would also make it easier for customers to choose a product as they can use their airtime when they want and not choose peak or off peak bundle.

Which new products would you like to see?
- Create a smartphone "bundle" contract of maybe at least 250MB a month with contracts (data bundle + airtime contract) . This would allow less hassle in using a smartphone as many new users realise that the only way to survive will be to buy data bundles. Otherwise at R2/Mb or so your airtime is gone in a few days!

- Perhaps a scalable data bundle option. Whereas you choose the cap in GB for a set c/MB cost. For example some people who check emails or just need a sim for their notebook/tablet/3G Router/3G modem who have another primary internet connection, I am sure would prefer a small (1/2GB) cap for as cheap as possible? This would make it easier for new customers as they start with a small product and then are able to experience the service and then can evaluate if they would want other services/products from 8ta instead of a competitor.

Where do you think the company is losing ground against its competitors?

- Try to make consistency on data packages a priority. It is very disappointing when your internet cuts with internet banking for example or a download. Then you have to log in again or use more of your cap to start the download again. I don't mind slow speed, only dropped connections is frustrating.

Are there areas where 8ta can improve its support/ easier for you to buy their products?
- Increase 8ta retail outlets. At the moment there are not enough, or only sharing with Telkom stores. These stores often have poor product knowledge, service, stock etc. The 8ta store in Century City is great, though quite far for me in Somerset West. I think people would also prefer for after sales support to have proper 8ta stores, not just Telkom stores. I personally have a consistent below par/bleh experience if I have to go to Telkom stores.

8Ta Website
- Perhaps get better structure in the categories? I feel a bit lost in the website with navigation. Try maybe more categories with a hierarchy structure. This allows better granularity.
- I think some of the text is a bit small and the grey text on white background does not give good contrast for some visually impaired people.

 

[Tacet]

I would like to see dual sims, especially on the data offerings.

Also, I would love to see closer cooperation with Telkom - with offers that does not only offer products from both business units, but that are truly converged: allow me one number to use both from home and from my mobile, with call costs a bit higher on the mobile. Give me one data package, with i.e. a higher "cost" to using data from my mobile (deduct 1.2 M instead of 1 M).

 

[Telkom]

Hi guys

Please keep posting suggestions here. We have our executive of products and services checking on this thread as well as a few of the senior managers. We will try and answer as many queries as we can and the matters which have been mentioned here are being dealt with by the relevant departments.

@rpm: Thank you for posting this thread. We have been considering providing a thread such as this, but you beat us to it.

Regards,
Social Media Team

 

[Sinbad]

2 words. Dual sim.

 

[AstroTurf]

[*]Which new products would you like to see?
None, just better coverage.

[*]Are there areas where 8ta can improve its support?
In shops and on support calls (the one time I tried them anyway, terrible support team).

[*]Can they make it easier for you to buy their products?
Yes

[*]Where do you think the company is losing ground against its competitors?

Coverage Coverage Coverage

Pointless having cheap data if it is not usable.

 

[lucifir]

unfortunately they operate like telkom .... expecting you must grovel for their service .... surprised they not under already, as they have no sense of customer service ... their systems never seem to be operable and even if they are ... the staff have no clue how to operate it ... It takes them days to setup an account even with all the documents where as I went to cellc and was setup in minutes.
They should integrate with their telkom systems and allow customers to signup using their existing telkom accounts, as that will ease the credit checks and signup

 

[latro]

To be honest, there isn't really much to say. 8ta is doing a great job at keeping me happy. Latencies are great, downtime is quite minimal.

There are however three points that I would like them to improve on/add:

* Please consider making the night-time data to start from 10pm (or 9pm would be perfect, but I'd understand if that's a bit early).

* The call centre staff really needs training in tact and professionalism. Especially when you call at night, they sometimes sound so sleepy and tend to be very rude. Not even to mention the fact that 99% of the time I call (at night), the systems are down, and they can do nothing to help.

* It was mentioned before in this thread, but giving us a 10Gb (7 or 8 would be fine as well- just to differentiate from the contract version) option for R199 on prepaid would be epic. Just think about how many new customers that will attract!

Oh, and I still think our 8ta rep/s should have won the rep of the year comp

 

[bjoselyn]

How can 8ta improve?

1. They have recently made a radical change to their pre-paid offereng. There used to be a per minute and a per second option. There is now only 1 package, 8ta more. They need to make some changes to this package. One used to get free minutes for incoming calls. This is now gone. The 50 free sms's after 5 sent is also gone.The cost of calls is now higher as well and the 65c per minute to landlines is also gone. 8ta should really look at re-introducing these services

2. The per-second rate for pre-paid needs to be lowered.

3. The free airtime and data bundles should not expire especially on pre-paid

 

[Telkom]

1. I would like to see 8ta introduce a range of different broad band packages. I would like options. not simply data cap options. Answer: Noted
2. Other than twitter I do not know of any other ways to contact 8ta. I have my 8ta sim in my laptop. I would like to see USSD assistance. Answer: We are on MyBroadband, Twitter and Facebook. If need be, you can post compliments on HelloPeter as well
3. It would be easier if I could be able to purchase 8ta bundles directly from my bank. I dont like buying airtime and then still needing to convert it to data. Answer: Noted
4. 8ta needs better coverage. Answer: Noted

 

[Telkom]

I would like to see an offering similar to their 60+60GB but with half the data. Something like 30+30GB for R900. I don't need 120GB of data but I was pretty much forced to buy it as no other prepaid offering came close with regards to cost per GB. Other people however will look elsewhere as they might not be able to pay the initial R1800 fee.

Monthly SMS notifications of my remaining data balance would also be nice.

Noted

 

[Telkom]

I would like to see an uncapped bundle offer
Erect more towers to improve coverage
Do not overload the system so data speeds slow to a trickle
Be able to purchase data on line, not the cumbersome affair of converting airtime, etc

I think they have improved greatly since they started

Noted and thank you We are constantly trying to improve

 

[Telkom]

Wanted: an easier way to check your data bundle balance!

I haven't managed to get the USSD codes to work, and apparently there's no way to check online as there is with MyVodacom, leaving me having to carry out the regular schlepp of having to take the SIM out of the modem and put it in a phone. Can't be rocket science, surely?

Otherwise, great service in my area, good strong signal and latency, thanks guys and hope it stays that way.

Hi there

It wasn't rocket science. Gaz{M} and Solitude have responded correctly - thank you . You are able to check your balance etc. when connected to the internet via any other provider as well by going to the same website, registering and logging in.

We will try our best to keep it that way We are here for ANY queries

Regards,
Social Media Team

 

[Telkom]

Increase your coverage. I like only 150km outside GP yet can't get 8ta coverage and the MTN roaming is useless because the MTN network even with good coverage is creaky as hell.

Noted. The more people requesting coverage in an area, the sooner this may become a reality. Request coverage at http://www.8ta.com/coverage/8tanetwork/

 

[Telkom]

You can check online. In fact if you log in on the 8ta site using the connection that you want to check then it will do it all automatically.

http://onnet.8ta.com <-- easy way to check your balances etc. (use your phone or your dongle)

Thanks again guys

 

[Telkom]

They must test their billing systems and TRAIN THEIR STAFF before they roll out new products, the month<>month option is not available at the Telkom stores for the sales agents to sell product. I'm tired of telling the store managers about products. WTF..

The DATA Max product has been out for 3 weeks, they still can't issue the month to month package. The guy at the shop got the promo email, but he never read it... LIKE SERIOUSLY..

rant.. done.. HOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAA

Rant noted. Email us your experience if you have names of agents at stores or call centres which you have had problems with. If you have had a good experience, we would prefer you post a nice comment on Hellopeter and mention who needs an accolade.

 

[Telkom]

Everyone in South Africa is already on a cellphone network. Therefore to get customers, 8ta needs to take them away from the other networks. People aren’t going to move to another network if they are going to get exactly the same thing that they were originally getting. So 8ta has to be different in some way(s) to the other networks. MTN and Vodacom are identical – goodish coverage, average service, bureaucratic and inflexible, all for a premium. CellC is trying to give itself an image of better value for money than Voda and MTN, but people still think its coverage and network quality is poor (don’t know if this is true or not)

But what makes 8ta different? I don’t know? I don't even know what 8ta stands for - is it an upmarket network, a lower end network, does it compete on price or quality? All I know is that it is Telkom's mobile division (which isn't an inspiring image due to Telkoms image). As cheesy as it sounds, 8ta needs an exciting slogan – powered by Telkom doesn’t do much for me.

8ta can become 'different' by offering different things (although this is limited to a degree), excellent service (just good enough service doesn't differentiate it from the other networks), being more flexible (shorter contract terms) or significantly better prices and value for money (although being cheaper is the best way to get customers, I know management will never do that ]

I think 8ta should focus on offering different products and being more flexible than the other networks. Pricing is important but I know management love their margins. But by offering different products/services to other networks, it makes it harder for people to make direct comparisons between networks based solely on price thus avoiding this. Service is important so maintain an adequate level here, but this is trickier and more time and resource consuming than the other options. A quality network is a given – i.e. low dropped calls, good backhaul capacity, place more towers in areas with congestion etc.

Make it – 8ta is new (smaller coverage) and we approach things differently, so if you’re not smiling from your current network/setup, come to us and we’ll show you a different way of thinking. Break the mould. You actually need to advertise, I haven’t seen a single 8ta advertisement in months.

I think 8ta can very easily offer different data solutions, as their mindset is already that 3g is overpriced and the caps are far too small. For example:
-High cap data bundles (8ta already does this to a degree through the 60gb+60gb special and internet promo 5 bundles) – for individuals who can’t get ADSL (no lines) and need lots of data (provide more options – 10gb – 50gb a month from R200 a month to R500 a month etc.) – their primary connection
-Mid cap bundles – for people who use 3G already on other networks as a secondary/mobile connection, but who always run out of their 2gb and pay OOB rates/find it overpriced. Offer 5gb for R150.
-Low end bundles – for lower income users who want to experience the internet, but can’t afford any more than R50-R100 a month (incl. modem) on it. Could also offer cheap tablets (Like R1000 ones) with data. Obviously this targets lower income people, so 8ta needs to improve its coverage in the townships – currently quite poor as per the coverage maps (Soweto has 1 or 2 towers if I remember correctly.)
-Flexible ways to obtain these bundles – 24 month contract, 12 month contract, 12 month prepaid, 1 month prepaid etc. – obviously make it cheaper for people who sign 24 month contracts than for 1 month prepaid etc. – reward loyalty, decrease costs (from 8ta’s side).

For voice, this is trickier. 8ta’s voice packages are not cheap and they are no different to the other networks. 8ta needs things like 99c peak time rates, free calls to 2 other 8ta numbers, unlimited calls for business people and social tigers. Mobile operators are very inflexible when it comes to voice rates because these give them the best margins. So 8ta needs to change this significantly for there to be any uptake for their voice packages, but I am sure there would be strong resistance from management in this area.

Same thing for SMS as for voice. SMS’s out of bundle should be 10c max if that…

Coverage
Finish covering the major cities in their entirety - can't have parts of Johannesburg northern suburbs with vast gaps of coverage. Identify outlying areas and smaller towns without adequate telkom lines and other cell network coverage - someone has to give those people good telecommunications - for example in Pretoria East a lot of people struggle to get internet as there are no phone lines and poor coverage from all operators and people have to resort to expensive options like Amobia etc. Cover the townships.

Townships
8ta's coverage is poor in the townships (per the coverage map). People in the townships need affordable voice, sms and data, and largely are willing to pay for it. Many don't have computers, so rely on their phones for internet access, but R2/mb is too expensive. MTN and Vodas R30 - R100 bundles are the right price range, but for only up to 200mb or so - this is pathetic. Maybe offer like an Mzanzi one month prepaid package – R60 you get 10 min of peak calls, 1 hour off peak calls, 300mb data, 20sms’s. This would also help bring up your revenue per sim, as people in the townships might only spend R20 a month on airtime, but at R60 getting so much more might be worth it to them. Make it limited to one recharge per month to put off cheapskate wealthier users, and perhaps only offer it as a voucher only available from shops in lower income areas.

Distribution
Very limited. Having 8ta shops latched onto the already limited Telkom shops is not ideal (and unprofessional). Obviously you need more 8ta shops, but this is verrrryyy expensive and time consuming. So maybe in the interim partner with Pick ‘n Pay or CNA or something and have small pre fab but professional looking and attention capturing counters/stands with 1 or 2 tills, full printed advertisements and limited stock on hand that gets delivered often (2 or 3 times per week) in these stores near the entrance/tills. Most MTN and Vodacom shops don’t have stock of the things you want anyways, so maybe make it if someone requests something stock will be delivered the next day. The staff here can RICA and invoice prepaid services and phones easily, but contracts should maybe be done online through tablets at the counter – as the documentation with contracts is more sensitive and complicated. Maybe connect scanners so all the documents get sent off to head office straight away without any potential security/privacy issues i.t.o. theft of documents etc.

8ta needs to look at how the other networks are operating… and not operate like them (I would have made a more profound conclusion, but my lunch break is over now!).

Thanks SAdata

We appreciate all these insights and it has all been noted. We hope you did not go hungry on Monday after typing this during your lunch break

 

[Telkom]

I would like to see a one day data prepaid giveaway.50gigs once off at R200 or something like that.
Create a never before seen frenzy.They've already done it with the LTE giveaway so it can be done.

Applicants can register on the day on a first come first serve basis.The buzz will be overwhelming.

Noted

 

[Telkom]

1) Which new products would you like to see?

I would like to see a 24GB/24GB prepaid package valid for a year, for users that don't need a 60/60.

2) Are there areas where 8ta can improve its support?

I haven't really had problems so difficult to recommend anything. Maybe more 8ta shops, and better phone support.

3) Can they make it easier for you to buy their products?

More 8ta stores.

4) Where do you think the company is losing ground against its competitors?

Cover is not as good as it could be. I have problems in the middle of Joburg, and smaller places also need coverage. I recently tested Grahamstown and there was nothing, don't know if that has changed since then.

Thanks Jola - Noted

 

[Telkom]

I thought I'd use this opportunity to brown-nose the LTE trial selection people.

I love my 8ta connection.

1. The Telkom store in Alberton City was the only cell phone shop in the centre that had stock of a wired router, so I ended up with an 8ta connection. Vodacom's response was, "Huh? Wired router you say? Do you mean Wi-Fi router?" Cell C's was, "We can get you one in a week. Maybe." I didn't try MTN, because their data packages suck and I was getting tired.

2. Their 60 GB prepaid package is about as cheap as I could find, and since it's used as an ADSL backup, the one year lifespan is useful.

3. ****ing bureaucrats wanted my ID to RICA me, not my drivers licence. If I was smart I'd have bought the SIM card, gone to the furniture shop next door and RICAed it, then gone back to Telkom to load the data. But I'm not smart, so I had to go home to fetch my ID. Fix this!!! Nobody cares if the RICA database isn't accurate.

4. The router didn't have the APN set by default. Amateur mistake 8ta.

5. Signal is good, at my location, but speeds aren't. I have line-of-sight to the tower, which is less than 500m away, and an external antenna, and yet still don't get full speed because of their piss-poor backhaul. 8Mbps to one server, 1Mbps to another. 3Mbps upload to some servers was nice.

6. The on-net airtime check is useful, but not the safest, since anyone on my network can access it and use my airtime to buy data.

Anyway, pick me, pick me. I want LTE!!!



Have you tried http://onnet.8ta.com/ ? No need for a code or anything! I love it (and fear it).

With a handle like Drunkard #1, you should have an 8ta colour pink nose instead of a brown nose. We are audited on our RICA databases and if we are out by a certain percentage, we will be penalised. In order to stay in business, we care about RICA.

If you have speed problems, we are happy to report this for you. We have a template as a guide to what we need to report issues. We can also advise which direction to point your antenna in order to get the best connection if you don't have this information already, so please let us know how we can help?

They don't unfortunately take suggestions from the social media team to put people on the LTE trial

... and thanks for responding to Terencek.

Regards,
Social Media Team