Over the past few weeks, T-Mobile has made it clear that it is heading in a new direction, following a significant leadership change and heightened customer losses.
On Nov. 1, Srini Gopalan officially became CEO of T-Mobile, replacing Mike Sievert, who held the position for over five years. Sievert instead stepped into the newly created position of vice chair at the company.
Gopalan has been adamant about implementing a “digital transformation” at the company to make the customer experience more seamless.
“The amount of friction and frustration we cause customers today because of our processes and the state of evolution in this industry is phenomenal,” said Gopalan during an earnings call on Oct. 23. “We have a huge opportunity to change that with our digital transformation.”
His comments come after T-Mobile saw its postpaid phone churn (the number of customers who canceled their phone service) increase by 3 basis points year-over-year during the third quarter of this year, according to its latest earnings report.
The increased loss of customers follows T-Mobile’s recent price increases, discounts removals and changes to phone plans. More Americans nationwide are considering switching phone providers as prices go up.
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Why U.S. consumers switch phone providers:
- Approximately 90% of consumers would consider alternatives to traditional carriers.
- Roughly 85% consider cost to be a primary factor in mobile provider selection.
- Also, about 46% rank a lower-priced plan as their main reason for switching providers, while 33% prioritize better network coverage.
Source: Oxio
“Our research exposes a significant gap between what U.S. consumers want from their mobile services and what traditional carriers currently offer,” said Oxio CEO Nicolas Girard in a press release.
T-Mobile removes a convenient customer service option
As T-Mobile realigns its approach, it has recently decided to pull the plug on a convenient service for customers.
After Dec. 31, T-Mobile customers will no longer be able to contact the phone carrier through Apple Messages, a convenience that allowed customers to handle tasks such as switching plans, purchasing phones, asking questions, etc., according to a customer who flagged the change in a Reddit post.
T-Mobile is instead encouraging customers to download and use the T-Life app to contact customer service, adding an extra step to a process that was more seamless.
“After Dec 31, 2025, using Apple Messages to Chat with T-Mobile will no longer be available. You can still chat with T-Mobile using our T-Life APP,” reads the text message T-Mobile sent to the customer.
Related: T-Mobile plans to start charging customers for a free offer
Some T-Mobile customers took to the comment section of the Reddit post to express frustration with the upcoming change.
“Wtf this is the only way I use T-Mobile,” wrote one customer.
“This does suck! Why would they get rid of the easiest way to contact?” wrote another.
“T-Mobile service is going downhill, thinking about going to Verizon!” threatened another T-Mobile customer.
The move from T-Mobile comes during a time when the company is reportedly planning to make customers solely dependent on its T-Life app to handle upgrades, add new lines, and activate accounts, etc., by January 2026.
It also recently announced an always-on artificial intelligence assistant that it embedded into the T-Life app to help users with tasks such as managing their accounts, in addition to accessing live customer support agents.
T-Mobile raises concerns over the future of its customer support
It is no surprise that customers are not too pleased with the upcoming change, as chatting with the company through text was convenient and assured customers that they were speaking with a human.
More Telecom News:
- T-Mobile announces free offer for Verizon and AT&T customers
- ??Verizon CEO sounds alarm on why customers are leaving in droves
- Spectrum raises red flag on cause of fleeing customer problem
Some customers worry that T-Mobile may make cuts to T-Force (its customer service support team through social media) next, as concerns over the company reducing direct interactions with human customer care intensify.
Suppose T-Mobile is indeed heading in the direction of limiting access to human customer care. In that case, it may backfire as many consumers across the country aren’t huge fans of interacting with AI customer service, according to a recent survey from Kinsta.
Why U.S. consumers prefer human customer service:
- Roughly 93% of consumers prefer interacting with a human over AI.
- Also, 71% have encountered situations where AI struggled to tackle complex issues.
- Approximately 78.3% say humans resolve customer service problems more quickly.
- Almost 81% believe AI is primarily used in customer service to save money, rather than to improve service.
Source: Kinsta
“Companies can’t afford to overlook the necessity of human agents in customer service,” said Roger Williams, partnerships and community manager at Kinsta, in a press release. “Relying solely on AI risks eroding consumer trust and loyalty. For any company to stay competitive, human support must remain a priority.”
Related: T-Mobile makes bold move to lure AT&T and Verizon customers
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