Portability: Survival Tips For Cell-Phone Outfits
The issue of number portability in mobile phones is not new. We've discussed it plenty of times, and how many of the carriers are trying to fight it. It's been pretty clear for a while that it's going to happen, no matter how hard they fight, and analysts are predicting that it will be a "bloodbath", as many customers start switching providers. Business Week has put together a good discussion of number portability survival tips for the carriers, which raises some good points. Basically, they're saying what the wireless carriers should have been doing all along: be nice to your customers. They recommend happily embracing number portability, knowing that it's impossible to fight it. If it's going to be there, why not tell customers that it's a good thing to give customers choice. If you don't, then they'll assume you're hiding something. They also suggest simpler pricing plans and the end of hidden "fees". This part makes one great point about all the carriers that have started adding "portability fees" to pay for the expected deluge of switching customers. This plan might actually cause more people to switch. As the article says, "if you're paying anyway, why not go ahead and switch?"
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