Chilligavva

Yesterday we changed our cell phone numbers.  We nixed our land line and made it a mobile.  Since the number was atleast  three years old, we decided to keep it.  So the switacharoo had to happen.  Obviously the i-phone was involved too.  The other phone was a blackberry. We ported the numbers but wanted a remap of numbers within our mobiles.  The AT&T personnel cancelled old plans, gave us fresh sim cards and registered the blackberry at the shop.  He then did the transfer on his computer screen.  He asked us to reregister the i-phone through i-tunes, at home.  We must have spent at least half an hour at the shop.  Then when we came home, it took us exactly 3 minutes to get on to i-tunes and reregister. For that, the only decision we had to make in the activation process  was indicate if it was a new number or were we overwriting an old number.  And TA DAA… It was done. Phone activated with new number in minutes.

I want to personally thank our customer service personnel Shea Slater of  AT&T  Omaha NE for his excellent service and tremendous patience.  A month ago, he helped us choose a phone for nearly 1.5 hours, then helped us for another 1.5 hours when we wanted to change instruments.  When we expressed our idea about phone number importing, he helped us plan step by step and then patiently completed the process.   THANK YOU!

But the whole episode got me thinking.  This process of buying sim cards and using it in our mobiles, is the norm in India.  But out here in the US, the activation has to be done by calling a customer support and punching phone menus of atleast 4 level depths at a minimum. [God how I hate that!]  But I really liked the ease with which we concluded our business for the i-phone.  Interestingly, both are on AT&T.  But what a difference in end user experience.  I am waiting for the day, when all we have to do is connect the phone online, via a USB and activate the same.  No dealing with phones or customer support on phones.  PHEW!  Here’s to a process innovation by Apple.