Sprint Nextel Overhauls Customer Service

USA -- Sprint Nextel, the much talked about communications company will set in motion new policies to improve customer service, including dumping a demand that customers extend their service contracts when they switch rate plans.

The announcement is a part of a plan to improve the company's relationship with customers, an area where Sprint has been frequently criticized and is thought to be one of the reasons behind the company's troubled stock performance and poor consumer feedback. Earlier this year, a customer satisfaction survey conducted on behalf of msn money resulted in a remarkable 40% of people who had an opinion of Sprint's customer service saying it was poor.

"Giving our customers a superior experience is our first priority," Bob Johnson, chief service officer at Sprint Nextel, said in a press release. "We are introducing programs to reward our customers and show our appreciation for their business. Rewarding their loyalty is a first step in gaining their trust."

Sprint Nextel was the subject of a litigation case in this year by Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, who laid claim that the company had duped clients into unwittingly prolonging two-year contracts when they modified their plans. Sprint then charged customers $200 to buy their way out of the contracts. Sprint Nextel spokesman John Taylor claimed the company's latest move was not a response to the lawsuit.

Additional Sprint Nextel customer service initiatives include courtesy calls when customers activate new plans and when they're about to exceed their minutes of cell phone use during their first six months, and a 30-day risk-free guarantee for new customers.

The Sprint Nextel press release also stated that in 2008 they will introduce plans to reward customer loyalty, but did not go into details of how they would do so.