Telkom admits it has had "customer relationship challenges" in the past, but has promised to listen to customers in future.
Telkom business markets and governments executive Godfrey Ntoele was sapeaking to ITWeb after addressing delegates at the ICT in Local Government conference hosted by ForgeAhead on the East Rand today.
Ntoele said Telkom now seeks to communicate with its customers more and participate in forums where customers can voice their complaints. "No matter how painful it is to hear, I have to listen. We have to come out of the ivory tower and spend a day in the life of our customer," he said.
However, Ntoele defended Telkom`s price structure.
No matter how painful it is to hear, I have to listen. We have to come out of the ivory tower and spend a day in the life of our customer.
Godfrey Ntoele, business markets and governments executive, Telkom
Ntoele also sought to clarify the company`s position with regard to access to telephony in disadvantaged communities, especially in view of protests organised by the Freedom of Expression Institute outside Telkom`s offices on Monday.
"A letter to the CEO or a meeting between Telkom and community leaders would have been more effective."
Ntoele said everyone at Telkom, including the CEO, has a boss to whom they report to, and therefore it should be an issue if anyone fails to respond to community need.
He did, however, differentiate between access to telephony and ensuring that every individual has a handset.
"We cannot support a business model that says you should have a telephone in every hand," he says.
Telkom promotes
Ntoele also noted that Telkom has made its Internet Communicator software available on its Web site to help Telkom Internet subscribers make use of voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services.
He said migration to VOIP is controlled by the clear understanding that "the quality of the calls through VOIP is questionable".
Share