Verizon Communications Inc.
Company Profile:
140 West Street
New York, NY 10007
New York, NY 10007
Website: http://verizon.com
Sector: Technology
Full Time Employees: 193,900
Founded: 1983
Formerly known as Bell Atlantic Corporation, changed name to Verizon Communications Inc in June 2000
As of December 31, 2010, its network covered a population of approximately 292 million and provided service to a customer base of approximately 94.1 million (finance.yahoo.com)
Verizon Communications Inc is a household name that provides millions of Americans with access to the internet, cable, a phone service, and acts as their mobile service provider. This blog will educate as well as comment on the company’s past, present, and future endeavors as well as the tactics they use to handle PR situations and the vices they actively use to address their publics. I have chosen to spotlight Verizon in my blog because it is an extremely active company in our society today and they provide us with products as well as services that we use endlessly in our everyday lives. Furthermore, it is interesting to me to examine the ways in which they keep up with ever-changing technology and stay ahead of their competition within their market, such as the front running company of AT&T.
Verizon is a company that provides its customers with services as well as products. The company is broken up into two segments:
· Domestic Wireless
o Offers wireless voice and data services
o Sells equiptment
· Wireline
o Provides voice, internet access
o Provides broadband video and data
o Provides internet protocol network
o Provides network access
o Provides long distance service
o Provides other services both in the US and internationally
Verizon serves not only individual customers but also businesses, government customers, and other carriers. (finance.yahoo.com)
The mission statement of the company, as listed on their website, is as follows:
"As a leader in communications, Verizon's mission is to enable people and businesses to communicate with each other. We are also committed to providing full and open communication with our customers, employees and investors." (Verizon.com)
This mission is clear and concise and provides the customer with the general idea that Verizon wishes to be regarded as a company with a high level of commitment to communication within its own company as well as with its customers, creating and allowing for a “two-way” street of open and honest communication in order to make their company as strong as possible.
While at first glance, and thought, it seemed to me that Verizon has a great reputation, when I began to research it I found several articles about instances and occurrences that were damaging to the overall persona of the company. For example, in a December 29, 2011 article from MarketWatch, there is a summary of a list of major issues Verizon experienced over the past year, all having to do with the technology that they provide to their customers. What the article, “Verizon Wireless 4G Outages May Dent Reputation” reports is that for the fourth time in a year, the 4G network went out of service. Although the problem was reportedly resolved overnight, and when it happened the previous three times each had been resolved within 24 hours, the company handled the situation poorly, offering, “little explanation for the outages” (MarketWatch) and merely stating that the outages were “regrettable” (MarketWatch). Watch this video on the Verizon 4G outages from December 2011. The video reports the frustration Verizon customers expressed after the continuous outages. For example, the video states that 63 pages of complaints were filed by customers on the Verizon website following the outage. While the clip goes on to explain that people were bashing Verizon for being the supposed “most reliable” network, it ends reporting that a Consumer Reports survey had earlier that month rated Verizon number one for customer service but went on to question how the outages would affect this as well as the company’s overall reputation.
Another incident that had a large affect on the reputation of Verizon was an incident that happened with their Blackberry products. This is particularly interesting because this is a situation that was completely out of Verizon’s control and responsibility, however it did affect them as well as their reputation and customer satisfaction greatly. In November 2011 there was a reported three day Blackberry service outage across not only the US but also Europe and the Middle East. While this was occurring, Verizon customers who use Blackberries were struggling to use the mobile network as well as internet and e-mail aspects of their phones. As previously mentioned, although this was neither the fault nor under the control of Verizon, it was still an issue that their customers associated with them because essentially, Blackberry owners who utilize the Verizon network look to Verizon for answers and solutions when such situations arise.
Although at first glance the reputation of Verizon is generally one of high prestige, it is now obvious to me that if you take a closer look there are certainly instances that have diminished the trust and regard of the company, certainly because when such problems occur they are those that affect the lives and happiness of customers immensely. Furthermore, the fact that the company is not particularly concise and clear when it comes to addressing the issues that arise make it even more difficult for the reputation of the company to be completely solid and untarnished by these unfortunate events.
In order to please customers and address issues that Verizon customers are having, a useful tool the company uses is “customer forums.” Located on their website, there are numerous forums separated into seven categories:
· Community
· Verizon Idea Exchange
· Learn – Community Blogs
· Residential Products and Services
· Verizon Community Lounge
· Meet the Experts Archives
· Small Business
Perhaps the most interesting of all and most communicative with customers would be the “Verizon Idea Exchange” category. Here, customers are free to suggest ideas, make comments, or ask questions to the company about its products or services. Once customer comments have been read by Verizon, the status of them is updated to “Acknowledged” by the company. This is interesting because it is extremely open and allows for customers to express their views and concerns whether it be something as simple as asking if Verizon Fios will be adding certain channels to their line-up to something as complex as giving Verizon tips for how to better manage their company and employees. This is a great outlet for customers to express their thoughts and ideas to the company openly and freely and see that Verizon is interested in what they have to say.
Verizon also has three blogs:
Theses blogs are also great tools to reach out to customer base and exemplify the good Verizon is doing both within their company and in the community. For example, on the “Community Beat” blog, posts range from those remembering 9/11 to tips to customers for finding new jobs. This is a great aspect of their site because it makes their company seem more personalized in the community and gives them the reputation of being caring as well as involved.
While the overall reputation of Verizon Communications is certainly a good one regarded highly, there are most definitely problems that their PR team faces in making the reputation better and also maintaining it.
For example, as seen with the issue of the Blackberry outages, it is vital for Verizon to recognize that while not all problems that affect their customer may be their fault, they need to be sensitive as well as helpful to them as these problems reflect on Verizon as a whole no matter who’s fault they truly are.
Secondly, it is vital the PR team is informative to their publics in the face of an issue, such as the 4G outage mentioned above. During a situation such as that one, it is important to be direct and, above all, honest with the public in order to ensure their trust in the company and overall understanding of the situation. Without the proper communication, it is likely that the customers affected by the issue will be largely unhappy and dissatisfied and feel unimportant once the company refuses to provide a concise explanation of what, exactly the problem is, what the company is doing to find a suitable solution, and regular updates until a resolution is acquired and put into action.
While the reputation of Verizon is not a bad one – as they are a very popular company that has received many awards and recognitions, it is important that their PR team is consistent in dealing with problems, responding to customer concerns, ideas, and comments, and is overall very communicative since that is the basis and mission of the company.
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