MCI has always gotten its best ideas from listening to its customers. That's why, when operators started offering their thoughts on the kind of customer service they wanted to receive, MCI was all ears. And the resounding echo was that MCI's new Customer Solutions teams should be more focused on offering technical help and training.

As before, many customers get their parts ordered or technical issues resolved by calling MCI's customer service line and Technical Call Center, respectively. And a lot of customers call their sales representatives first when they have problems. None of that has changed.

What has changed is MCI's field support. Previously, Fleet Support Managers were MCI's main field force, visiting customers and coordinating with technical specialists as necessary. Today,  it's the Technical Solutions Manager who serves as the main contact. "Technical Solutions Managers go out in the field and take care of technical things like assisting on field-change campaigns, training, going over deliveries, orientations and hands-on technical help," says Dan Besserer, executive director of the Customer Solutions program. "Parts Solutions Managers take care of parts issues and do much of their work from the office, though they may travel, often as part of a team with the TSM or sales representative."

One thing customers will likely notice is that there are more people to help than ever. When MCI revamped its field support, it created 14 Customer Solutions territories in the U.S. and three in Canada, each with its own Technical Solutions Manager and Parts Solutions Manager, plus a regional director who oversees the teams and coordinates large projects. "But there are no fences," says Besserer.  With large projects like field-change campaigns, more than one manager may visit a customer. And whomever a customer calls, whether it's his or her own TSM, sales rep, or other trusted go-to person, the customer can expect that the person who handles the call will contact the appropriate people and find the resources to resolve the issue.

Besserer says that the new system is working well. "We're still in the process of making sure that everybody knows who everybody is, but it's going well. We're becoming more timely, and we're seeing good resolutions. There's some good communication going on out there."

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