Or when making a long-distance call; what is the difference between IDD, auto- roaming and using pre-paid cards?
The number of broadband and mobile products and services from Singapore's three main telcos is so large that they can make the clueless customer dizzy.
Competition between the three - M1, SingTel and StarHub - also means that while products are very similar in price or features, one may have a slight advantage over the other, depending on your needs.
If this were anything other than mobile phone services or broadband connections, which most people find essential, it would be no surprise if people shyed away, whether out of fear or frustration.
Enter Mr or Ms Customer Service Agent. In many cases, he or she will be the one who seals the deal for the customer and also the one the customer is most reliant on for the right information.
But is their product knowledge as good as it should be?
THE LITMUS TEST
This was my cover: I'm heading to Japan to work for three months, and I'm looking for a phone solution to keep in touch with my family in Singapore and a boyfriend in the United States at the most affordable price.
My parents are also thinking about upgrading their antiquated Internet account to something that can support video calls or other communication, which they have never tried before.
With my story ready, I walked into each telco's customer service centre, called them up and sent e-mail messages over the course of two days last week.
MOBILE SERVICE
The cheapest option would be for a traveller staying long-term in another country to buy a plan, or a pre-paid card, from that country.
Everyone knew the basics: that a 3G phone was needed and that a Japanese pre-paid card would be the cheapest option.
Call centre staff generally also had all the roaming charges at their fingertips (or presumably on a computer screen in front of them), which is useful for customers comparing prices.
However, of the seven agents I was eventually in touch with (two e-mail messages were not responded to after 48 hours), only one of them could say for sure that a phone bought here could be used with a Japanese SIM card.
Japan is one of the few countries that uses a network different from Singapore's.
The lone StarHub agent who knew the answer had been to Japan and had personally used a pre-paid card from that country.
The others simply apologised and asked me to find out from the Japanese networks. If I had already reached Japan's shores without a back-up plan, that would be too late, in my opinion.
Over half of the agents approached could only answer queries on the services I enquired about, but could not suggest what else I might find useful or need. For a customer who has no idea what he needs, this would not be helpful.
BROADBAND
Again, everyone knew what broadband speed 'my parents' would require for voice calls, and recommended the right plans.
But not everyone could explain it adequately.
Take this conversation with one service agent at a counter:
Me: What is 3Mbps and what is 8Mbps?
Her: 3Mbps is slower. 8Mbps is faster.
Me: But what can it do?
Her: 3Mbps should be fast enough to make video calls.
Me: Then if I buy 8Mbps?
Her: It will be faster.
Me: What does 'faster' look like?
Her: When you call, the computer screen will not lag.
Me: What is lag?
Her: It will not jerk.
But I was impressed by the StarHub customer service agent who took out a blank piece of paper and drew diagrams to show how a device for making cheap Internet voice calls could be plugged to my computer, regular phone and the Internet.
Take this home with you so you can think about it, he urged.
That said, almost all the agents had one flaw: they were too specialised. They could give adequate information, including technicalities, about their speciality, say, mobile lines, but not, say, broadband plans.
While it can be challenging for an agent to know all areas well, for a customer, speaking to multiple people - and queuing multiple times or calling multiple lines and battling answering services to do so - is a huge hassle.
THE RESULT
Customer service agents for the three telcos get a pass grade from me.
They are generally able to help the fairly tech-savvy Singaporean, and they also excel at pricing details - a plus in this cash-conscious society.
But there is still some room for improvement, particularly in breaking down the big words for the shopper.
serl@sph.com.sg
This is the first of an occasional series.
This story was first published in The Straits Times on 29 December 2008.
