Operations Never Sleeps

The Tele2 IoT Operations team is on the job 24/7, making sure our customers get the service they want and need, and that when challenges arise, they are dealt with efficiently and that everyone’s happy with the outcome.

On average, the Operations team has about 20-25 customer contacts each day, and most of those contacts concern cases that are already open. We contact the customer to resolve a case or to update them on what we’ve done, what we’re going to do, and what they need to do on their side in order to resolve the case. We like to work proactively because we understand the frustration challenges can bring to our customers – and we also like to follow up to make sure no new problems have come up.

It almost always comes down to data

There isn’t really what we could call a ‘typical customer contact’, but I would say at least 80% of our calls are related to data – this of course is a problem because IoT is, after all, nothing without data.

The majority of the time the problem is that they aren’t getting their data. Maybe they can’t establish a connection, or they can’t send any data. For the most part it’s easy to solve. We have amazing internal teams, like NOC and our Core teams, who quickly help us identify what has gone wrong.  Just as often we can fix it ourselves.

Quite often it is something as simple as the customer doesn’t have the correct APN settings in their device – basically, it’s a clerical error that is easily resolved. Another possibility is that the customer is in another country and there is an issue with a roaming partner. Either way, we do a trace from our side and identify the problem, then resolve it.

Other common issues involve SMS and Voice – and often it’s the same problem as with data: the settings are wrong in the device. We check the communication profile and make sure everything is activated as it should be, and also see if there is any error from the configuration side, as well as what they have in their plan.

But sometimes it’s not about data

We also get what I would call ‘unusual cases’, the ones that come along maybe once every thousand cases, like CSD (Circuit Switch Data) which is basically dial-up Internet.

We understand why some people still have it – from a cost perspective upgrading an already existing system might not be optimal – but it can be a challenge for us. It’s a fairly obsolete system and is so rare that most people don’t have that kind of knowledge anymore. Despite that, though, we solve things and gain knowledge in the process, which helps us if a new problem arises in the future.

Then we have the cases where an individual gets in touch to say he can’t watch Netflix at his country house. This is where prioritization is important – does a celebrity need to watch Netflix or does another customer need to measure electricity usage? It’s all about priorities.

Prioritization

When it comes to prioritizing customer contacts, we have a system in place. The highest priority goes to VIP customers and problems that are deemed serious.  Whether the issue involves one SIM or many makes a difference because while one SIM is a problem, thousands of SIMs is a whole different thing.

When there is a major problem, such as a network outage, it’s all hands on deck.  We all put our focus on figuring out where the problem is, and even more importantly, keeping all customers updated on the steps we’re taking.

For me, well, my style is to give a little extra: I often ask customers if they want me to keep a case open for a few more days, then check to make sure everything is still working. I also let them know they can call me for any follow up on their side. Basically, I’m here as a techie but I’m also very customer service oriented. Having soft skills like this is what makes our team so effective – we are able to serve our customers but also understand their frustrations.