Third, everyone offers the “best customer service” in town. This is easily tested prior to making a purchasing decision. Create a comparison table listing the name of the carrier, the day and time of the week, and record hold times when making phone calls for assistance. You may have found that the wireless service provider who offers the best price may also have the longest hold times with the least qualified customer service representatives. In addition, you may also want to know the internal policies in the customer service department (supervisor ratio to general staff, depth and accuracy of problem solving trees, etc.) This is a critical aspect of what you are paying for. If the support is poor, do not expect it to get any better especially in an emergency service situation.
Fourth, look for the carrier that appears to be more focused on problem solving in their communication approach, rather than focusing on their standard sales pitch. For example, if you see a wireless representative actively wanting to talk to at least one person in the field at each level that would use their services, looking to assess existing challenges you have described and ones they might have uncovered with their own research, you are headed down the right path with the right provider regardless of price. This carrier and its representative are looking for ways to ensure you get the most out of their service receiving the maximum possible return on your investment.
Fifth, challenge each carrier and their representatives to solve communication problems rather than simply trying to sell you devices and airtime. Do this even if you may already know your communication problems and have the answers to these problems. This places the responsibility on the wireless representative to take an active role in ensuring their technology is the best fit for your organization.