What happened: Rogers customers in Metro Vancouver starting March 12 are able to have customer service representatives personally deliver purchased phones and help them set up their devices, the president of Rogers’ wireless division, Brent Johnston, told Business in Vancouver March 11.
Why this matters: It is a sign of how retailers are starting to reach out to customers who buy online or via a call centre to ensure that the customer experience is as fulfilling as being in-store.
The telecom dubs the program Rogers Pro On-The-Go. While it launched today in Metro Vancouver, it already operates in Rogers' headquarters city of Toronto.
Rogers has contracted California-based Enjoy to operate the service, and Enjoy has hired 15 people in Vancouver to do the deliveries and the phone set-ups. It has also leased office space in Vancouver, its CEO, Ron Johnson, told BIV.
The phone deliveries could happen as soon as a few hours after the purchase, and would involve the delivery people also advising customers about various telecom-plan options, as well as helping them to set up their device, transfer applications, synchronize contacts, understand phone features and buy accessories, such as cases, headphones and various attachments. Most of the visits so far in Toronto have averaged about 45 minutes each. The customer service reps will go to wherever the customer wants them to go, be it an office, home or even a coffee shop.
Rogers will not charge customers any fees for using this service, its wireless president said.
He explained that most of his customers buy phones in-store, while the second largest source for these sales is by phone at the company’s call centre, when customers call in to change their telecom plan. Rogers operates about 70 stores in B.C.
“They’re very much looking for two things,” Johnson said. “They’re looking for some advice on ‘Is this really the right phone for me?, and secondly, what about my rate plan? Am I making a change? Often rate plans change as their needs change as they get a new device.”
Online sales via Rogers’ website is a smaller source for sales than the company's call centre, he added.
