The voice of the leader is often considered to be the voice of the crowd. The fact is quite evident when T Mobile former CEO Philip Humm blamed customer defections for the triple losses the company suffered in the year 2011. However the interim CEO and Chief Operating Officer Jim Alling took the responsibility and said that the company’s losses were a result of the loss of focus and commitment during its merger with AT&T, a $39 billion dollar deal.
At the competitive Carrier Association conference, Alling explained that what used to be a great consumer service oriented company lost its focus in the mayhem surrounding the deal. He reassured saying, “We fell out of balance and now we have to regain the trust of our customers and employees and regain our credibility.” He also added, “Every single customer matters.”
Alling stepped as the interim CEO after Humm stepped down. He assured that the company is now in a right direction but more work is needed. Alling stressed on the role and importance of the employees in building the T Mobile brand. He added a dramatic effect by mentioning an incident in which he ran across a T Mobile store where the first three letters were burnt, which now read as bile. He immediately got it fixed and maybe he was trying to instil in the audience a soft corner for the dedication he showed. Alling said that the company is filled with new energy and enthusiasm as the new CEO, John Legere has taken over. Alling described him as, “He is customer focussed and he wants to compete against the big guys and put us in a position where we can win.”
However all the motivational talk said and done, T Mobile has to overcome real challenges to compete against the other major national carriers. It needs to optimize its losses and network upgrade. The company is fighting Verizon and AT&T, the major payers in the U.S.
This is the reason why T Mobile joined smaller rural and regional carriers in the Competitive Carrier Association. The philosophy is that a large number of small players can influence policy makes and FCC officials for favorable policies.
Alling mentioned, “It is our responsibility to make sure that we have a fair marketplace.”
