A customer came into the store today asking to switch to the Unlimited Ultimate plan for an international trip. Since plan changes without adding perks negatively affect our store metrics, our management instructs us not to process them in-store. Instead, my co-worker had to direct the customer to either call customer service or use the MyVerizon app.
The same applies when a customer wants to upgrade a phone without adding device protection or a perk. In those cases, we assist them in placing the order through the app and selecting in-store pickup—again, to avoid the negative impact on our performance metrics.
What many Verizon customers may not realize is that every time a rep accesses an account, a sale is expected. For example, if you come in for a new SIM card and your address qualifies for 5G Home Internet, but I don’t sell it to you, I’ll be held accountable by management and have to explain why I couldn’t close the sale. The same pressure applies to High Priority Upgrades and whatever Verizon is pushing that month.
Because of these expectations, we often try to avoid triggering account access 'banners' by encouraging customers to complete transactions through the app or by calling customer care. While this helps us avoid penalties, it slows down the process, causes backups in the store, and can lead to walkouts. Those who do wait often end up frustrated by how long seemingly simple tasks take.
These inefficiencies—created by the company’s own sales pressure systems—ultimately degrade the customer experience. When customers are constantly pushed to use the app instead of getting in-person help, they learn they don’t need the store at all, which reduces foot traffic and sales opportunities. Worse, we risk losing them altogether to app-based MVNOs.
Verizon's internal policies create inefficiencies. Inefficiencies lead to slower service. Slower service harms the customer experience. Negative experiences hurt sales and damage the brand, which makes future sales even harder to achieve.