The Sprint decision to part ways with its overly demanding customers is making news all around the web and rightly so. I truly enjoyed the story – you can read it here if you missed it. The best line from the letter Sprint sent out to these customers (my emphasis):
“While we have worked to resolve your issues and questions to the best of our ability, the number of inquiries you have made to us during this time had led us to determine that we are unable to meet your current wireless needs,” the letters said.
The customers were told their service agreements were being terminated, they wouldn’t owe anything on their final bill, and the company would waive early termination fees. They also were told to switch to another wireless provider by July 30 if they want to keep their phone number.
Later on in the article, there is one very crucial piece of information regarding Sprint’s decision regarding these customers:
Singleton said the targeted subscribers each made an average of 40 to 50 calls a month to customer service.
Back to the letter – the technique used in Sprint’s letter is excellent and one we subscribe to also. Essentially, Sprint is falling on their sword. They are clearly stating they are not a good fit for these specific high-maintenance customers. The obvious issue is that there probably isn’t a single wireless phone company that is capable of meeting these extraordinary customer service needs.
They used a softened method of ending the customer relationship. It’s blunt, accurate and disarming. If ever you need to get clarity from a demanding prospect, this technique is extremely effective. The threat that you may go away usually gets a stalled discussion moving towards a conclusion – one way or another.