ROB Interview

For Rogers' CEO, happy customers top of list

“As an industry, and Rogers is no different, we have to get our customer service better,” Mr. Mohamed said in an interview.

TORONTO, ONT- 29/05/09 - Nadir Mohamed is the new CEO of Rogers. This is our first one-on-one with him since he took the position. He spoke at length about Rogers being number one in terms of its products, and working to improve and streamline customer service. (Photo by Peter Power / The Globe and Mail) Peter Power / The Globe and Mail

Mohamed trying to reshape the company's culture to put clients first

Simon Avery

Toronto Globe and Mail Update

The new head of Canada's biggest wireless and cable company sees tremendous opportunity ahead as the mobile Internet comes to fruition, but he also knows he has a problem with disgruntled customers.

Nadir Mohamed, president and chief executive officer of Rogers Communications Inc. RCI.B-T, will add one more hot item to his company's product stable next week with the launch in Canada of Google Inc. GOOG-Q 's cellphone software called Android.

But as Rogers prepares to face off against several new entrants in wireless as early as this fall, he is also trying to transform the company's culture by getting employees to emphasize customers first.

“As an industry, and Rogers is no different, we have to get our customer service better,” Mr. Mohamed said in an interview.

The company is considering a customer bill of rights, looking at ways to solve issues on the first customer call and investing in a three-year project to overhaul its billing systems, he said.

But the biggest challenge is changing the internal culture, and he is pushing that agenda at the start of every employee session he holds, he said.

Mr. Mohamed is filling big shoes, following the death in December of company founder Ted Rogers. After a three-month search for a new CEO, the board announced Mr. Mohamed's anointment in March.

Mr. Mohamed previously ran the telecom division at Rogers and is a 25-year veteran of the industry. Among the candidates he beat out were Mr. Rogers' own son, Edward, who runs the company's cable operations.

Efforts to improve Rogers Communications' reputation for customer service tap a long-standing spirit at the company instilled over the years by Ted Rogers himself, Mr. Mohamed said.

“It's a view that every single day we come in and in our DNA is [the belief] we've got to get better. If we don't change, if we don't improve, if we don't fix things, we're going to be killed. That's something that roots back into being the challenger, being the guy that took on the phone company. Always being in a precarious position. That approach, that psyche, that DNA is very much what I believe will drive the company.”

Several firms that recently secured new wireless spectrum licences from Ottawa are gunning for Rogers. They plan to introduce service in the coming months that plays off customer dissatisfaction with Rogers as well as Bell Canada and Telus Corp. T-T

Mr. Mohamed confidently claims the Rogers products and services lead the industry. Indeed, both Bell and Telus are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to convert their networks to the same standard as used by Rogers. But he admits that the company will not achieve its targets for growth or profitability if it fails to boost customer service.

“People say, ‘I know you have great products, but how do you treat me?' Clearly to me that's where the opportunity is. The chances are pretty good if you're in a incumbent position, we're all challenged. I think the company that does [customer service] well, and makes it something that customers recognize that has changed, will win a lot. It is going to come down to brand and customer experience.”

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