Vonage Picks Ex-AT&T Exec As New CEO Promises to revamp 'customer experience' Vonage has picked former AT&T (technically Cingular) executive Marc Lefar to be the company's new CEO, replacing Vonage founder and interim CEO Jeff Citron, who has been playing the role since April 2007. Lefar has also worked at Verizon Wireless, GTE Wireless and Proctor and Gamble. "Moving forward, we will continue to improve the customer experience from end to end," says the new boss in a prepared statement. Given a third of Vonage's customers defect and need to be replaced each year, reducing churn is Lefar's biggest job in a market that's now dominated by large cable incumbents offering triple play bundle discounts.
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  hopeflickerCapitalism breeds greedPremium
join:2003-04-03
Long Beach, CA
kudos:1 | And how much... will the CEO make? 
Let me guess, over paid | |
|  ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium
join:2002-03-03
Mullica Hill, NJ
kudos:4 |  Lefar marketing guru; Vonage needs a cust svc guru
Vonage is getting a long time big shot marketing expert as their new CEO. But what they really needed was a person with experience turning around an organizations customer service organization. Marketing was never Vonage's big problem. Keeping customers is their fatal flaw and that flaw is due to poor customer service and retention of existing customers.
I think they hired the wrong guy for CEO.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
Ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk? | |
|  | JohnAPremium
join:2003-09-16
Pittsburgh, PA | Re: Lefar marketing guru; Vonage needs a cust svc guru
Lefar is credited with tripling subs and reducing churn by 50% at Cingular. | |
| | mobbo
join:2005-04-13
Denton, TX | You are absolutely right. They have always done a great job at marketing and getting people to join... but as soon as the first problem hits and that customer has to call tech support, they are bound to leave.
Their customer service is sub-Charter Communications. Maybe even sub-Comcast.
And even if you try to leave, they torture you on the way out:
»consumerist.com/consumer/telepho···9404.php
»consumerist.com/consumer/cancell···4429.php | |
| | |  dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | Re: Lefar marketing guru; Vonage needs a cust svc guru said by mobbo:You are absolutely right. They have always done a great job at marketing and getting people to join... but as soon as the first problem hits and that customer has to call tech support, they are bound to leave. Cancelling vonage is about as easy as cancelling AOL.
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When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee | |
| | | |  Smith6612Premium,MVM
join:2008-02-01
North Tonawanda, NY
kudos:18 | Re: Lefar marketing guru; Vonage needs a cust svc guru AOL was easy to cancel, but as soon as you do, they ask you for about a week to come back. Does Vonage do the same thing? | |
| | | | | | | Re: Lefar marketing guru; Vonage needs a cust svc guru I cancelled my vonage very easily, I just told the rep that I was moving to the country and couldn't get broadband. A couple of months later I called to see about having my account re-activated since I already had the equipment I thought it would be easy to do, WRONG. First they wanted a $25.00 re-activation fee and a 2 year contract, that's 2 years for voip, what a joke. I can understand the re-activation fee but why another contract, I fulfilled my 1 year originally. With some companies not requiring a contract at all they are going to have quite a time getting people to commit to something this long if they have never tried it before. I finally settled with Phonepower much cheaper than vonage and no contract. I've had it now for about 6 months and am very happy with it. I would never even consider going back to vonage with their policies. | |
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|  KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
 ·AT&T DSL Service
| Vonage is in a difficult situation, some of their making (customer service) and some not.
The fact they are an independant and operate their service via the 'Net means that service issues and outages are often in the hands of the incumbents who provide the broadband... and, since just about all the Telco/Cable incumbents now offer their own flavors of VOIP, I don't expect them to be doing anything that will help Vonage out.
In fact, things like caps and throttling, absent any kind of net neutrality regulations, could make the future for Vonage and similar companies bleak.
Still, they need to fix what they can fix. Customer service is all in their hands. Stop being jerks with the contracts, etc etc. Even if a customer does leave, say for a Cable Triple play deal, you want them to remember Vonage having good service. That way if the Cable company ever jerks their chain, they'll switch BACK.
Most reports I have read, people like their Vonage service while they have it--- but once they have left the trend seems to be saying "I won't be coming back" because of various customer service issues or hassles.
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"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!) | |
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| | Good Luck Stop locking your devices.
Bring support back home.
And there is cheaper and better quality independent VoIP companies. | |
| | | Pay the reps the problem with vonage is that they dont want to pay the staff what other companies are paying for same position. .. i was ats and making 18 bucks an hour... verizon a couple of towns over is hiring for fios techs and paying 25 to start with raises and union. so you do the math... i would say that once you get an ats agent on the line they are able to solve almost all issues.. but all the good ones leave because of money... | |
| | | Churn to ice cream They should get into the ice cream biz with all this churn. | |
| | | | Re: Churn to ice cream Doh! The main thing Vonage has going for it is that it is *Not* AT&T. So they bring in an AT&T exec as the head of the company?
Maybe country's should follow their lead. Maybe the Israeli's should elect a Muslim to run their country?
I don't see the Vonage customers getting behind this decision. | |
| | | openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Alexandria, VA
kudos:1 | Re: Churn to ice cream If Lefar can control costs, increase service quality and customers service, why wouldn't Vonage customers get behind this decision. Don't make the mistake that many Vonage customers knew who the previous CEO was, or that they care at all. They care that their phone works and that they don't have to pay a lot of money for the service. | |
| | |  jester121Premium
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL
 ·voip.ms
| (a) the vast majority of customers don't know who Vonage's current CEO is, or who the new one is (same goes for every other company they buy stuff from).
(b) if they did know, they wouldn't care. Other than the occasional zealot or internet activist, customers buy things because of the product and the price, not because of which rich stranger sits in the corner office at HQ. | |
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| | vonage support Vonage's support two years ago was horrible. Outsourced, hold times, etc.
However, about a month back my old ATA for one of my Vonage lines died. I called support and it was excellent. Definitely US or Canadian based, almost no hold time, and reps. were knowledgeable and empowered. Honestly probably the best support/customer service experience I've had with a big company in a while.
The first rep. ran a few tests, concluded with my box was dead (it seemed to have been going for a while - and have two other lines configured exactly the same to test it), it was well out of the 1 year warranty, but said they could ship me another one for $80 or I could purchase another one in a store (same $80) and get a $52 credit to my account on activation.
Bought one at best buy, called in again to get it activated, same type of excellent and knowledgeable support. Almost no hold time, had a few problems at first getting them to be able to see my new vonage ata on the server, figured out the issue with the rep. on the phone and he demonstrated significantly more knowledge than most tech support reps. I've talked to about networking, and didn't sound like he was reading off of a script. And he also confirmed the $52 credit was applied to my account (and was correct).
All in all, Vonage's current support doesn't even resemble what it used to be like. | |
| | | | Vonage North of the Border I've had Vonage for approx 3 years now with no real problems.
I just wish they would bring the Canadian pricing more in line with the US pricing.
Other than that great deal... | |
| | | Re: Marc Lefar CEO Marc Lefar new CEO Vonage Holdings Corp, who has never headed a public company before. Can he sail the boat under Struggling with tough competition?
Pls read
»ceoworld.biz/ceo/2008/07/30/marc···oldings/ | |
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