CWC is not making the connection

To say that the Cable & Wireless Communications’ brand campaign failed because it neglected to follow up “what we can do for you” with “this is what we’ve done for you”, is skirting the real issue. CWC failed to sort out its service fulfilment processes before the campaign.

Having tried very hard – for two months – to stay with CWC as a customer, I eventually gave up because not a single customer service representative (and I spoke to about ten different individuals) could service my needs. The feedback I have received from my peers in various parts of the country (two of whom are CWC employees) is that my experience was not unique.

Reported treatment from CWC has ranged from putting callers on hold for more than half an hour to not recording communication with customers. Others have experienced broken promises and being stood up by installation teams. The company has a lot of relationship building to do before it can credibly publicise having done something for its customers or accomplished anything with the industry.

While CWC is a much bigger organisation than the medium-sized professional service firm that we are, a large percentage of its business lies with individual decision-makers within organisations and households. In the professional service industry, this is especially true with family-owned businesses and with families with complicated tax situations. If firms like ours do not respond to these individuals in the manner they believe is appropriate, there is plenty of choice for the dissatisfied customer.

CWC quite rightly has tried to brand itself as a listening, responsive organisation. This message may have been a successful start at developing differentiation within the telecoms industry. Its behaviour, however, has destroyed this message.

Cindy Godwin

Marketing manager

Cooper Lancaster Brewers

London WC2