When the two years after the last contract renewal draw to a close, there is always the question which cell phone model will be the next to get? Who does not feel like reading lots of cell phone journals with specific information on models and prices, just consults the experts in a store. In a recent study however, they have found out that Germany is a service desert in this regard: On the one hand, technophile vendors confuse customers with technicalese so that after consulting the expert the customer knows less than before, on the other hand, there are incompetent and insufficiently trained vendors that are not capable of hiding their ignorance. Thus, customers wonder shortly after entering the store who the cell phone expert really is. Out of 104 stores, 14 were deficient. Satisfying or sufficient were 53 stores. Thus, less than half of the stores were good or very good. A sign of inadequacy. In addition, the stores would profit from good customer service, since more customers might be convinced to spend money, and thus the sales volume would increase.

If you look from Germany to the US, it becomes obvious that they are much more committed to service. The third biggest American provider of mobile phone services Sprint Nextel offers their customers a comprehensive introduction to their new cell phone. The new generation of cell phones is getting more and more complex, and because of ignorance many customers just use a fraction of the functions the new cell phones offer. Sprint Nextel wanted to avoid this effect, and therefore, closed all stores for one day in order to train their employees. The cell phone shall be completely customized and ready for use directly after purchase. The customer can use is it without bothering about adjusting any settings. Apple and Microsoft as well are on the right track: Apple has so-called Genius Bars and Microsoft announced to offer this year a comparable service.

People who are as lazy as I am in terms of reading instructions, always miss functions they do not even know to exist. I think the idea of an introduction to the spectrum of functions is really good.