Telkom & Sentech Helpdesks Tops, Vodacom & MTN Poor
As part of a MyADSL Broadband Ratings Report the helpdesks from the various broadband providers were put to the test.
The time taken to reach a suitable consultant that could answer basic questions regarding their data services was recorded. The accuracy of the answers and the speed at which they were answered were also evaluated.
Telkom and Sentech’s consultants were reached within 30 seconds, and both of the consultants could provide fast and accurate answers.
An added bonus for Telkom subscribers is that their support service makes use of a free 0800 number which means that the caller incurs no costs.
The iBurst consultant was reached within 4 minutes 30 second, but this included an automated information session that could not be avoided.
The information from iBurst’s automated service was not correct which could mislead some customers. Once the consultant was on the other end of the line the answers were fast and accurate.
The most shocking service came from the two mobile providers.
It took over 6 minutes to reach the appropriate Vodacom consultant, and even then the information was not clear or accurate.
MTN was even worse. It took more than 22 minutes to reach a suitable consultant. The answers were better than from Vodacom’s side, but there is still room for improvement.
What is particularly worrisome is that the calls to MTN and Vodacom are charged at
R 1-88 per minute.
The result is that in this instance a simple data related enquiry to the MTN network cost the caller over R 40-00. Hardly what one could call affordable for the man-in-the-street.
While there have been many complaints regarding the Telkom, Sentech and WBS helpdesks in the past, their performance in this survey was good.
All three providers were not only top performers regarding time but the cost of the call is affordable making them true customer-centric services.
MTN and Vodacom do not fare as favourably in the overall assessment of their service.
They were not only slow but there was the added aggravation of having to fork out a fistful of cash to get information about their offerings.
While helpdesk calls from phones using their network is free, all other calls are charged at exorbitant rates. They have no local-call option, and their response times were high.
Sadly, these services that are aimed at improving customer service and boosting the image of the company only serve to tarnish MTN’s and Vodacom’s reputation.
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