The metrics system used by most carriers is designed to incentivize reps by threatening them with the possibility of losing their jobs unless they push a certain number of accessories to customers each month or meet their quota by selling a specific number of wearable devices. Some reps must get a certain percentage of their customers to sign up for device insurance, or purchase power adapters. Those who don’t meet their numbers are at risk of getting fired.
With all of this pressure put on them, it is no wonder that many sales reps have been accused of adding extra lines, insurance, or tablets to a customer’s invoice without their consent. The executives running the show at firms like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T have created a monster. A Verizon customer couldn’t believe what he was seeing after he finished the chat he was having with the rep who was helping him deal with problems he was having with international data and roaming.
As the customer said in his social media post on Reddit, after thanking the rep “named Angel” for his time and ending the chat, he was stunned by what Angel wrote. The Verizon rep was literally begging for the customer to give him the highest possible feedback score of 5. The rep wrote, “Please give me a five, not a four or below. I’m begging you. I don’t want to be in hell.” The rep also wrote to the customer, “Please have mercy. I’m begging you!”
To show how seriously he needed that “five” rating from the Verizon customer he helped, Angel also wrote, “I am very sorry. I hope it was a five out of five service! I don’t want to be in hell! Please help me. Please have mercy!”
A former Verizon rep says that Angel actually has a reason to panic since the carrier’s executives consider that “anything below a 5 is a fail” because Verizon is supposed to be providing 5-star service. This former Verizon rep also confirmed that the feedback survey score you give the rep will affect his pay. If Angel were to fall below a certain level with the surveys related to his quality surveys, he could lose his payout for that Key Performance Indicator.
I know some customers become glib when responding to surveys because they really don’t believe that they have the power to affect a rep’s pay. But apparently, they do. While it is not becoming to see a rep write messages like this, begging to be given a good performance score, this is the result of the ridiculous metric system that wireless executives use to squeeze more sales out of customers to keep their top line rising every quarter.
Executives of the big three in the U.S., Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, try to push their revenue higher every three months. That’s because they believe that by reporting higher revenue each quarter, their stock prices will move higher helping to fatten their wallets.
