Providing high-quality,
reliable products and services is another way TDS
Telecom is driving growth for the future.
TDS Telecom prides itself in offering products and
services its customers want and value. One of the
company’s most popular product offerings is its
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service. The popular
high-speed data service offering reached a milestone
in November 2004, when TDS Telecom ILEC customers
with DSL service surpassed those using cable modems
in those markets with DSL service. These results,
which are based on TDS Telecom customer perception
surveys, are particularly significant considering
that TDS Telecom entered the high-speed data business
later than the cable competition.
TDS Telecom’s DSL service had impressive growth in 2004: ILEC subscribers to DSL increased 78 percent, and DSL service at the CLEC grew 44 percent over 2003.
One of the reasons TDS Telecom’s DSL offering is growing so rapidly is the attractive pricing plans and increased speeds the company offers, designed to meet the varying needs of its customers. The company has worked to improve the speed of the popular service, and continues to roll out new DSL markets to meet the growing demand. At the end of 2004, 66 percent of TDS Telecom’s ILEC physical access lines were equipped for DSL.
DSL and other forms of high-speed data are also an important component of the CLEC’s strategy, which focuses on small- and mid-sized business customers. Almost 40 percent of the CLEC’s commercial customers now subscribe to a high-speed data service.
Long distance is another key product offering for TDS Telecom’s ILEC operations. At the end of 2004, TDS Telecom provided long-distance services on 295,000 access lines, and penetration was 45 percent, up from 35 percent in 2003. That customers value TDS Telecom’s long-distance service is evident from the fact that TDS Telecom surpassed all other long-distance carriers as the long-distance carrier of choice in its markets within three years of launching the service.
TDS Telecom continues to work for greater penetration of the long-distance market through effective cross-selling and by offering big-minute plans. During 2004, the company expanded its long-distance product set with the launch of “Total Talk,” a one-price bundled product built around large-minute, long-distance plans, with the ability to add three to four additional calling features. This bundle, offered to business and residential customers in most of the states TDS Telecom serves, has proven a popular option with customers.
Bundling popular products and services is an important concept for TDS Telecom, and one that it implements with great success. TDS offers a great variety of features and services that customers can bundle—DSL, long-distance and vertical services such as call waiting and call forwarding. Bundling offers customers the added convenience of having their communications met by one provider, with discounted pricing and the ability to tailor the services they receive to their needs. It is an excellent way not only to enhance customer satisfaction, but to retain existing customers and attract new ones.
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