Telkom has put in place a number of customer-centric plans, which include a 100-day strategy that is continually reviewed, said CEO Papi Molotsane.
These plans are expected to bear fruit in about two years.
"We are acutely aware that we can't change overnight, but a lot has been done to improve services in our call centres," said Molotsane at the company's interim results earlier this week.
Part of its strategy has been to interact with consumer forums in order to communicate and clarify its position, he said.
Rudolph Muller, the founder of MyADSL, has noted reports of improved customer services, which suggest that Telkom has made some progress. Telkom has also started to respond to consumers on the Web site HelloPeter, he said.
There is, however, much more that Telkom can do to improve the way it interacts with consumers, both in the online environment and at face-to-face events like conferences, he said.
A very negative attitude towards Telkom persists and it will take far more than candy-coated words and sweet promises to convince these consumers that Telkom has turned the corner, he said.
Cut prices
A major criticism from customers is the company's high prices, and, unless it addresses this issue, it is unlikely that they will win over too many disgruntled customers, Muller said.
This situation was further aggravated when Telkom reported huge profits and increased adoption of services rates, he said.
For example, this week, Telkom reported 99.6% growth in ADSL services for the year ending September 2006, and 189% growth in its flat-rated voice service, Telkom Closer, in six months.
The group also reported 7.3% growth in operating profit in the six months ending September 2006.
Molotsane warned, however, that Telkom will never offer the cheapest tariffs in the world.
While the company will continually strive to ensure that prices are competitive, prices will improve only as more people are able to access fixed-line telephony and the economies of scale improve, he said.
Share
