The Texan taking on Sweden’s phone giants - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

The Texan taking on Sweden’s phone giants
Published: 21 Oct 08 13:18 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/15108/20081021/

American businessman David Singleton was so fed up with his phone company that he decided to take extreme measures – and set up a phone company of his own.

What didn’t you like about the big operators?

It all started after I’d spent nearly three years trying to prove to Telia that I had paid a bill. Telia insisted that I had not paid, but I knew I had. They were so unhelpful – in contrast to when they are trying to sell you something when they can’t be helpful enough.

I found that many companies in Sweden had the same attitude – if you have a dispute with them and refuse to pay the bill, or if you are unable to pay for some reason, they’ll turn you over to the debt collection agency straight away.

After dealing with Telia, I decided that Sweden needed a telephone company that listens to customers. That’s why I founded Nijiphone.

How does Nijiphone differ from other companies?

Firstly, in customer service. The first thing we did when we trained our customer service staff was to put them in the customer’s position – “Shut up and listen to the customer,” is the motto.

If someone gets behind with their bills because they’re sick or lost their jobs, we’ll try to find a solution, like working out a payment plan spread over several months. We won’t just turn them straight over to debt collectors.

What else makes you different?

Other benefits of Nijiphone include a points system – when people make calls with us they earn points which they can redeem as a gift token. We’ll even use their points to pay their bills.

As for our prices, they’re competitive with the big phone companies. International phone calls are charged to the second, so you don’t pay for time you don’t use. A call to the States costs 19-20 öre per minute. Our charges for moving house or installing new lines are lower than the big companies. So as well as providing a better service, we give good value for money.

The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

http://www.thelocal.se/15108/20081021/

Purchase the WHOLE Website by clicking here