A Balticom Customer Service Story

We recently purchased a new home and, well, getting internet and TV is a matter of course. The building manager kindly explained that we should contact Balticom, as they provide services at this address and there are no other alternatives. Opening the Balticom website, I was delighted - the homepage was adorned in large colourful letters: "Internet and television until the end of the year for 5.99/month". What a great price!

No sooner said than done - I filled in the client application form online on Tuesday, 31 October, in the morning and waited for a call from a consultant. By 15:27 nobody had been in touch. Presumably many people wanted that good deal. I'm not proud - I called myself.

31.10.2017. 15:27

- Good afternoon! Company Balticom, Aleksejs speaking. How can I help you?
- Hello! I would like to sign up for TV and internet.
- Aha, I understand, could you please tell me your name?
- My name is Inga and I sent an application through the website. I don't know if it was received? The address is X.
- Ah, I can see it. You have already been assigned a responsible manager, Renārs. Have you not spoken with him yet?
- No. It would be important for me to arrange Thursday, so I'd be happy to speak with him. Will he call me back or how?
- Aha, I understand, so I'll pass the message to him right now, he is on the phone at the moment. He will be in touch shortly and tell you about our services.
- Yes, of course, I'll wait to hear.
- Thank you, have a lovely day!

I was pleased - such a well-rehearsed telemarketing script, so courteous, and I had even been assigned my own individual manager. Moreover, the conversation is being recorded, and certainly the head of the telemarketing sales team listens, analyses the calls and continuously improves customer service culture.

31.10.2017. 15:33

[It rings - a call!]
- Hello, I'm listening!
- Yes, Renārs calling from company Balticom. You are interested in an internet connection at X Street.
- Yes, exactly.
- Tell me, Inga, is this connection intended to be set up for a legal entity?
- No. It's for a private individual. I see you have a good offer at the moment.
- A private individual, yes? Mh, it's simply that I can see internet is available at this address for business clients. In this case I will need to find out some information and pass you to the business department for them to contact you.
- But it is a residential block of flats.
- Mh, it is a residential block of flats. And what service would interest you?
- What I indicated in the application - internet up to 100 Mbit/s.
- If we are able to connect you at this address, then internet and interactive television are available. I'll find out more specific information and call you back. Agreed?
- Agreed, I'll wait.
- Thank you, all the best!

31.10.2017. 17:53

- Inga, this is Jānis calling from company Balticom. Could you spare a couple of minutes?
- Yes, Jānis, we can talk.
- Could you briefly tell me what you are interested in at this address? And I will try to find the most convenient and advantageous offer for you.
- OK. I'm interested in TV and internet, speed up to 100 Mbit/s.
- OK, regarding TV - are there any special channels you would like to receive, to see?
- Special channels? I saw that until the end of the year you are offering a good standard package, that seemed very OK.
- Good, I understand you.
- How many televisions will you have? One, two, three?
- Three would be too many. :) One. And internet.
- It's simply no secret that at this address X, most of the spaces are not flats. Are you in the section where the owner is [mentions a name]? Or in a different section?
- Good gracious, I didn't even know it was divided up somehow. It's simply a three-block residential building where owners apparently choose whether the addresses are commercial or private. I will in any case have a private flat.
- Fine, fine. I only ask these questions so that we can serve you competently and not waste your time.
- OK.
- An additional question then - are you in the section where renovations have just been completed and there are flats?
- Exactly, exactly.
- Ah, that is a completely different matter. Which block is yours?
- Block X.
- Aha, the misunderstanding was because my colleagues passed me information expecting most people there to be legal entities. In this case my colleagues who will not waste time and who are also competent will work with you - they will offer the best of what we can do at this address. And an additional question - what is the flat number and which floor will you be on?
- [I gave the number and floor]
- Mh, the number X is a lucky one :)
- Yes :)
- I'll pass the message to my colleagues. May they call you right now, until 19:00?
- Yes. It would be good to understand today, as I'd like to go there on Thursday and wait in.
- No problem, no problem. I'll personally contact colleagues so they call you.
- Great.
- All the best, have a lovely evening, bye!

Jānis had a low, well-modulated, pleasant male voice. After all, a corporate manager. Hmm, and they even have a Latvian one - all the other callers are of Russian nationality, though they speak Latvian more or less well.

31.10.2017. 17:58

- Anastasija from company Balticom, yes?
- Yes?
- We understood that you are a private individual.
- Yes, we got that sorted out today. :)
- Well, it's good that everything is clear. :) You are only interested in internet, correct?
- No, internet and television.
- I will ask a few questions to connect you to the most convenient tariff, alright?
- Yes, please.
- Tell me, Inga, for what purposes do you use the internet? [a profound question]
- Mmmm, for home and for work.
- How many devices do you use simultaneously?
- Presumably there will be two computers.
- Do you have a router?
- Yes.
- Could you tell me how many televisions you will use?
- One.
- Is it a newer generation or older than 2012?
- I don't remember, but certainly newer.
- Then it has a built-in decoder. The only thing is we can only offer interactive television. Do you know what interactive TV is?
- Only interactive - you don't have digital?
- Unfortunately not at the moment. [explains the difference between digital and interactive television]
- This will be your permanent place of residence?
- Yes, from now on it will be.
- Then we can offer a 2-year contract, correct?
- Well, I was looking at your current good offer. We just need to understand the internet speed and whether we would be able to switch to a faster speed - whether we can change that at any point during the 2-year contract.
- Of course, of course!
- You're interested in our promotion for 5.99/month, correct? [I thought to myself: finally, hallelujah, we've understood each other!]
- Yes.
- Only, to connect you to interactive TV, a decoder will be required. You'll have even more channels [extensive description of packages]. So you'd need to pay an additional 75 euros, but I can offer to split the payment or to rent it on top of the subscription fee.
- OK, good question - we need to think about it, discuss it at home. Can we arrange it so that we agree on a day and time for the technician to come? By then I'll call you back and tell you which option we choose. [further discussion about arranging the time, as the technician can only come next week and I unfortunately don't have my diary to hand]
- May I call you tomorrow? [we agree]

01.11.2017. 17:33

- This is Renārs calling from company Balticom.
- Yes?
- You spoke with Jānis. And in the end everything was clarified, as I understand it, yes?
- Yes.
- And, as I can see, we settled on... What did you discuss with Jānis?
- Actually, I spoke later with Anastasija. [Well, this company has no CRM - everything is still apparently done in Excel spreadsheets.]
- Ah, with Anastasija, yes. And your connection has already been determined?
- Well, I wanted to agree today on the connection time, and also whether we can still connect faster internet and whether we can pay upfront for half a year rather than monthly? Do you have more advantageous offers for those who pay 6 months in advance?
- So, a more advantageous price and advance payment. When the technician arrives, you can pay for five months and one will be free. And if you spoke with my colleague Anastasija, then it is arranged that she will call you tomorrow at 10:00.
- Ah, OK.
- If you wish, I can connect you with her now?
- That would be great - let's sort everything out right now, agree on everything and the date, so it's all clear.
- You'll receive a call right away. Have a lovely evening!
- Yes, thank you!

01.11.2017. 17:41

- This is Anastasija from Balticom, I was passed the message that you just called.
- Yes, yes. [I didn't go into detail - the main thing was to get everything sorted.]
- So you're interested in our offer, correct?
- Yes, interested, and also interested in 2 questions I asked your colleague [I repeat the questions].
- Then I need to contact our technical department to check whether a higher speed can be connected at address X. I'll find out and call back. They're not responding to me today, so tomorrow morning then, alright?
- Yes, I'll wait. And the 2nd question I asked your colleague - whether we can pay for half a year - and he answered that one month would be free.
- Yes, that's how it will be. [explains the details]
- Yes, that would definitely suit me - I'll wait for your call tomorrow.

02.11.2017. 10:49

- This is Anastasija calling from Balticom - yesterday I found out from our technical department that we will be able to offer you 250 Mbit/s.
- Yes, good.
- I'll have one more question - do you have a router at home? [boom, I've heard this question somewhere before]
- Yes, I DO have a router.
[we go over all the previously discussed details again and, well, it seems we have agreed, but then]
- Can you send me the invoice electronically?
- Yes, we can send that.
- Excellent, we'd prefer to pay electronically rather than in cash to the technician.
- No, no, no - you must pay the technician immediately in cash, including for the promotion five months plus one free, because he is only in Riga the one time, when you connect the service.
- OK, then perhaps, Anastasija, we can agree on the time when I wait for the technician at the address, and you simply send me a detailed breakdown - together with the invoice for the period - of how everything looks month by month, in writing to my email.
- Hm, hm, Inga, [we agree on the time and date for the technician to arrive].
- What do I need to have with me?
- So the technician arrives, connects your interactive television - he needs two hours, but I hope he'll do it faster. You must be at home, as a contract needs to be signed. Can you give me your personal identity number?
- [I hesitated, but urged by the consultant that it would save time, I gave it - though I didn't feel comfortable knowing my identity number was being recorded in a conversation that would later end up goodness knows where].
- May I note your preferred language for conversation as Latvian?
- Yes.
- So the technician arrives, checks the existing cables - if they are in good condition, we can use them. If they need replacing, we will do that free of charge. You will need to have an identity document - passport or ID card. The technician will need to be paid immediately - now, let me calculate [calculates aloud] - that will be 162.50 euros, to be paid to the technician in cash. Exact money, as the technician will have no change.
- OK, but we discussed that we could pay by invoice.
- That, that, that - I'll ask about that question, if it's more convenient for you to do it electronically. I'll ask my colleague how we can best arrange that.
- If you could send electronically by Wednesday - the invoice and all the agreed terms we just discussed - in writing to my email. We will pay the invoice before the technician arrives.
- Mh, we'll talk with a colleague, we'll figure something out, alright? I'll call you back. Can you give me your email for now? [I gently remind her I already gave it in one of the previous calls]
- Yes, I remember. Then thank you, Inga, for choosing our company! Wait for my call.
- Agreed.

Two working days of silence - no call, no email. On Tuesday, 7 November, at 12:11 I called to find out whether I should even expect the technician at all, having received no invoice. All operators are busy. OK, I write an email to Anastasija asking about the technician and the invoice.

07.11.2017. 12:26

- Renārs calling from company Balticom. Did you have some question? [Oh yes, a familiar character]. We have one missed call from you.
- Yes, there was a call, and I also wrote an email to consultant Anastasija, as I haven't received the invoice we discussed, nor confirmation of whether I should expect the technician tomorrow at 17:00.
- So yes, expect the technician at the agreed time.
- Which specific invoice were you talking about?
- We discussed the invoice for the decoder and 6 months in advance.
- That won't be an invoice - this amount is to be paid to the technician immediately.
- Yes, but I asked Anastasija to look into the option of sending an invoice, which we pay by end of today. We are prepared to pay both for the decoder and for 6 months.
- Aha, understood.
- Has Anastasija told you that the 5+1 promotion works in such a way that you pay the technician on the spot and the technician issues a receipt? Of course, we can arrange to issue you an invoice, but then you cannot use this promotion.
- OK, but what difference does it make whether I transfer money to the account the day before or pay in cash on the spot?
- Well, that is the company's policy.
- The company receives the money either way.
- That's true. But at least this promotion works this way - the technician arrives and would need to be paid.
- OK, cash payment doesn't work for us. If you have another offer, I'll consider it. How much would need to be paid in advance for cashless payment to apply, if the six-month option doesn't work?
- Does cash payment not work for you because you need an invoice for accounting purposes?
- No. We simply don't use cash payments - it is 2017 after all.
- But perhaps you could still manage to pay in cash? Perhaps it's not such a big problem for you? [the fellow tries to put himself in the situation]
- Could you send me by email a solution that would be advantageous for both of us, given that I'm buying the decoder and the service, paying by electronic transfer?
- Yes, we can send an invoice for the full amount, but not for the promotion. A solution would be if you could pay at our office in cash - but that's cash again.
- OK, send me an offer where I can pay for the service non-cash.
- Yes, in my view there's no point sending it to email - we can calculate it right now. So it will be 17.50 euros for the month of December plus 75 euros for the decoder.
- So there's no benefit in paying in advance? I can only pay for one month. OK, then please send an invoice for the full amount for one month. Then we'll think about whether we pay it or look for other solutions.
- So we'll need to send an email after all?
- Well, the invoice will need to be sent by email.
- Yes, it will be sent - only I can't guarantee it will be today. We'll try to resolve this problem, Inga!
- Alright, all the best!

07.11.2017. 16:28

- This is Irēna from company Balticom. Does the connection tomorrow from 17:00–19:00 remain confirmed?
- Yes.
- Excellent, all the best!

So by now I had spoken by phone with Aleksejs, Renārs, Jānis, Anastasija and Irēna, received one and sent Anastasija three emails, yet I still didn't feel entirely confident that everything had been heard. In my naivety I had imagined that in the 21st century, after filling in a form on a website, some bot generates an invoice, sends it automatically by email, I make the payment via internet banking, a technical person remotely checks whether internet and all the necessary transmission or distribution equipment are available at the given property and connects it, after which an electronic client satisfaction survey is sent where you can express thanks for the service or submit a complaint that something isn't working properly.

But that's not all...

I replied to Anastasija's email, where it was indicated that if we don't pay in cash, the promotion isn't available to us. We chose only internet connection at 17 euros per month on an open-ended contract, so that it could be terminated whenever other alternatives - i.e. other providers - appear on the horizon. For now we decided to live without TV, because when you think about it, fixed television is not even necessary nowadays - all analytical programmes are available in archives, and films can be subscribed to and watched online in very good quality.

On 8 November, at the agreed time and address, the technician arrived. He did everything properly - connected everything quickly, explained the types of routers and asked whether I had any further questions. The contract was rewritten on the spot, as the one prepared and brought along was for the promotional offer, which - as I mentioned - was not available to us, being stubborn fans of cashless payment. We received an e-invoice and paid it.

On 10 November the phone rang again from Balticom. I'll be honest - I had no time to talk, and didn't even try to call back, though later a sporting curiosity arose as to what more could possibly be said, given that "the ordinary client" had after all been acquired and "the loyal client" lost forever.

N.B. The conversations are written down in the language as they occurred, reflecting their characteristics, without grammatical corrections or polishing.

***

21.11.2017.

I received a call from a courier service that a parcel would be delivered to me. Company Balticom sent a personally addressed letter thanking me for the time spent describing the situation and the contribution to improving service quality. They also expressed regret at the impression created and satisfaction that the article had helped them view their work from the outside. They also expressed hope that in future they would make only a positive impression.

Despite the fact that neither in the comments below the article nor on social media where the company was "tagged" did we receive a comment from the company, this gesture was a pleasant surprise - the company responded to the criticism expressed, and in a very appropriate manner, accepting it and saying thank you. This suggests the company will pay attention to its public image, which is very commendable.