Telecom News: CWA: 'Home Run Strategy' Means Competitive Edge in Telecom

CWA has a clear vision of what competitive customer service should be in the constantly evolving telecommunications industry. It's based on quality service, quality jobs and providing consumers with the bundled services they want.

Today, that vision means putting in place a "home run" strategy for customer service, offering consumers a one-stop outlet for voice, Internet service, video and wireless services, said CWA President Larry Cohen. "Cable companies can only offer a 'triple play,' but working with CWA, telecom companies can use quality customer service as a real competitive advantage," he said.

AT&T is committed to the strategy of providing a full range of services to customers and having CWA-represented workers do the work, said CWA Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach. "CWA customer service reps from Cingular Wireless promote AT&T wireline service, and reps in the wireline market support Cingular Wireless," he said. "Clearly, it's a smart business and marketing strategy that Verizon is refusing to follow because it's trying to keep wireless non-union," he said.

AT&T is building out its "U-Verse" package, which delivers integrated, digital TV, high speed Internet and voice through the company's network platform based on Internet Protocol. Cingular Wireless is a part of this package as well, with AT&T committed to having CWA members help customers and market services.

AT&T also agreed to return Internet/DSL support work to the CWA bargaining unit, which potentially could create 2,000 new union jobs. This work currently is contracted out within the United States and overseas. Beginning next year, more than 800 new jobs will come under CWA representation, with more to be returned to the U.S. from foreign call centers starting sometime later in the year.

That's a real contrast to Verizon, which has separated the marketing and customer service of wireless from the other operations that CWA reps handle solely to keep workers from having union representation, Rechenbach said.

But even Verizon can't continue to ignore the real competitive advantage of bundling and quality customer service. The company has announced two "pilot projects," where CWA and IBEW members will handle and market the company's four-piece bundle of voice, Internet, digital television and wireless. The service will be marketed to residents in Florida and Texas.