Recently, we've been telling you about T-Mobile management's decision to give its reps a monthly goal for using the T-Life app for a certain percentage of the transactions they handle inside company-owned and Authorized Retailer locations. Depending on the store, we've heard that reps have to use T-Life to handle 60% to as much as 90% of the sales they make or face getting fired. It's obvious that there is an endgame that revolves around laying off most reps, closing most stores, and turning T-Mobile into a digital carrier where all account changes and equipment purchases are made via the T-Life app.
T-Mobile has big plans for its T-Life app
We told you earlier in the month about a T-Mobile customer who couldn't replace a broken phone inside a T-Mobile store. Why? Because with a broken phone, the customer could not access the T-Life app, and the rep didn't want to hurt his T-Life usage percentage for the month. So T-Mobile made a change to its policies and now allows a rep serving a customer with a lost, stolen, or broken phone, to open a new device and hope that the customer has enough equipment credit or the ability to make the down payment for the replacement.
The T-Life app, the bane of a T-Mobile rep's existence
Once the new device is opened, the customer's personal data is loaded on the replacement phone so the T-Life app can be installed and the transaction for the new phone can be run through the app.
As preposterous as this all sounds, I received an email this afternoon from a rep who works in the Midwest for a T-Mobile Authorized Retailer. He has been working there for about a year and wishes to remain anonymous, so I will, of course, honor that wish. He said that about 7 months ago, T-Mobile started pushing the T-Life app on reps, and he calls it "a massive frustration for every single one of my coworkers and most of our customers. Our commission system has completely changed for the worse."
He calls the app "completely inconsistent" and says that even employees can't use it correctly. Remember, this is the app that T-Mobile appears ready to stake its future on. A security glitch seems to prevent many reps from using it in this rep's store. He says, "The only things we're able to do in-store are start up new accounts and Internet service. That's basically it."
Will forcing reps to use T-Life backfire on T-Mobile?
Yes. T-Mobile will lose customers.
83.33%
No. It's a great idea to rely on the app.
0%
I have no idea.
16.67%
In the letter, this rep says that he was told by a high-ranking T-Mobile executive not to give customers the "T-charts" that reps give to prospective customers looking to move to T-Mobile from another carrier. Using a piece of paper or a tablet, the rep draws a "T" down the middle. On the left side, the rep writes what the customer's current plan costs, perks given, and pain points. On the right side, the rep writes what T-Mobile will offer the customer, including costs, phone promotions, perks like Netflix on us, and improvements in coverage (if any).
T-Mobile reps are not allowed to use a particular sales tool
The idea is to make a quick "apples-to-apples" comparison so the prospect can see what the difference is between what he has now and what he can have by switching to T-Mobile. It's a great sales tool, but the rep who wrote me said that it cannot be used anymore because of a lawsuit caused when a customer's monthly bill was not what he was quoted on a "T-chart." The rep wrote, "Instead of fixing the issue and being transparent with their pricing, they banned us from giving customers the T-charts or even letting them take pictures of them."
"Overall, this series of policy shifts is incredibly frustrating to me and many of my coworkers. We're prevented from efficiently doing our jobs, and we're often blamed by customers for the inconvenient and inconsistent methods that corporate has pushed on us."
-Anonymous T-Mobile rep working for a Midwest Authorized Retailer
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The rep's opinion of these changes is obviously not positive. "My opinion is that these changes are insulting to employees, including myself, and they are incredibly frustrating for our customers. Our capabilities are being kneecapped, which prevents us from earning as much money. It also causes issues for the customers because many of them come to the store specifically so they don't have to deal with the app." Yet, when they get to the store, they have to deal with reps who are being forced to use it for a large percentage of their in-store transactions.
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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