Sasktel service further eroded

It’s easier to implement service changes when you don’t have to regularly look into the eyes of your monthly customers, isn’t it?

By removing the service enabling customers to pay bills at Sasktel stores, managers have joined the ranks of other providers who are not giving consumers what is requested/required but are instead providing what they think consumers should receive. While one might applaud Sasktel’s broadened range of payment options, they also disguise the elimination of another valued service. Standardized

industry practices don’t always lead to effective applications.

Efficiency and effectiveness are not necessarily the same thing. Many businesses waste time and resources on internal procedures that ultimately have little or no direct positive impact on customers.

With Sasktel I care about the reliability of my daily interaction with products, safety for myself and the environment, quality, and financial feasibility. I appreciate paying bills in person at a location well situated downtown near the bus terminal. I want to interact eye to eye with humans, providing a personable face as a customer. I like the physical exercise and sociability of the transaction, and I frequent other local businesses along my journey.

If I stay with Sasktel I’ll now be paying more for phone and internet services due to bank fees associated with the payment options (including Saskenergy bills). And for citizens maintaining tight budgets, every little financial hit from myriad sources can add up quickly to despair and even isolation. Consumers must continue to evaluate their loyalty to even long-standing businesses. Laura Kinzel, Saskatoon