Dehumanize it

All technology advances aside, the wireless business is still subject to the shortcomings of humanity.

Consider the billions of dollars wireless service providers spend every year to build or upgrade their networks to be able to offer the most sophisticated services technology will allow. Then consider that those carriers' reputations can be instantly and irrevocably besmirched because the rep working the customer service desk doesn't really know how to add voice mail using the service activation system, or because the character working the 4-to-8 shift at the retail store assures a potential customer that the carrier has a nationwide network even if it operates in only 10 markets.

PCS providers are already at odds when it comes to communicating to potential customers exactly what it is that they do and distinguishing themselves from entrenched cellular operators. I can't count the number of non-industry types in Chicago who have asked me to explain how PrimeCo is any different from Ameritech or Cellular One, having not been fully enlightened by the new company's cute pink spokesalien. Then there are those who assume that Radio Shack or Best Buy must be their wireless carrier because that's where they bought their phone.

Clearly, PCS carriers have yet to reach their goals of providing hassle-free customer care and creating marketing messages that plant their service squarely in a newly defined category. Evidence of that can be found on the floor of any retail store, on the other end of any carrier's 800 number and on any TV commercial or billboard.

Unfortunately for wireless operators, even the most advanced customer care or service activation systems don't cure human ignorance. In the most extreme cases, they probably contribute to it. Fortunately, there may still be a technology-based solution.

At the risk of being pegged a misanthrope, I propose eliminating the human factor from the wireless process. Given recent advances in the intelligent network arena, this shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Imagine a world in which fully automated wireless kiosks are as common and efficient as soda machines or those high-tech pay toilets on the streets of San Francisco. Imagine ordering wireless service by phone automatically the same way you order tickets for the bargain matinee or an item from a catalog-without ever having to interact with anyone.

Service activation and maintenance is a software-based function of the wireless intelligent network. If a network operator has designed its intelligent network triggers to accommodate the task, a customer should be able to purchase a handset from a vending machine, dial into an automated activation system and-moments later-be a new wireless user.

The banking industry did it: When was the last time you stood in line at the bank to process your deposits, payments or account transfers with a teller? (My own bank actually charges a fee for the privilege, which is a good enough teller repellent for me.) More likely, you accomplish those tasks using automated phone systems or via the Internet. This is supposed to be the dawning of the age of electronic commerce, right? So if we can get money and movie tickets and access to the toilet without human interaction, why not wireless service?

If PCS providers are going to be trend-setters-if they are going to break from wireless tradition and offer something that is different in quality, price, form and function-then maybe they should undertake the same overhaul of their distribution processes. Automating the function and removing the human factor just might be the best way to get the masses thinking about wireless as a crucial and easily accessible component of their everyday lives.