By Christine Dobby The Globe and Mail
As he nears the 100-day mark as chief executive officer at Rogers Communications Inc., Joe Natale is focused on the “moments of truth” when it comes to dealing with customers.
The new CEO unveiled key details of his strategy to improve Rogers’ reputation for customer service as the Toronto-based cable and wireless provider reported strong financial results on Thursday.
Mr. Natale says he’s drawing on his past – as both a management consultant with a bent for business transformations and a top executive at wireless rival Telus Corp. – to bring a fresh approach to a task some at the company have described as trying to turn around a slow-moving steamship. The first step, Mr. Natale argues, is acknowledging that customer service goes beyond the employees who deal directly with the public.
Mr. Natale said he wants everyone in the company to think about how what they do affects customers. Employees who launch marketing strategies, design rate plans or provide support on tricky issues such as customer moves all have an opportunity to do something that “makes or breaks those moments of truth with our customers,” he said.
“This is a business where we have 26,000 people,” Mr. Natale said in an interview. “About a third of our team members face the customer every day. The other two-thirds don’t spend their days in front of customers but have a big impact on the success of that one-third that does.”