• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechT-Mobile

T-Mobile CEO John Legere Wants to Make Customer Service Something People Don’t Hate

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 15, 2018, 5:59 PM ET

In addition to revolutionizing the wireless industry, T-Mobile CEO John Legere now wants to overhaul customer call centers.

He said Wednesday that he is revamping T-Mobile’s call centers to reduce the hassle of confusing phone trees, chat bots that use canned phrases, and human representatives who seem like they’re out of the loop.

At a glitzy media event in Charleston, S.C., Legere lampooned his larger rivals like Verizon and AT&T. In his opinion, these companies spend billions of dollars to create a “massive digital fortress” between customers and human representatives.

“Instead of investing in avoiding customers, we’re investing in serving customers,” Legere said, taking one of his frequent potshots at rivals.

By carving its call support operations into teams of around 30 to 40 people, with each team responsible for different parts of the country, T-Mobile believes it can better handle customer complaints and reduce frustrations.

“This is a pain point for our customers, but it’s an epidemic that affects all service industries,” Legere told Fortune after the event. “It’s something that they hate.”

As part of the revamped customer support, each of the company’s 17 U.S.-based call centers will have teams in charge of overseeing specific places, like Minnesota or the various regions of large, metropolitan areas like New York City, said Callie Field, the T-Mobile executive vice president of customer care. Additionally, customers will be able to see photos of their customer support staff, in an effort to build a bond between the two parties.

“I truly believe there is no such thing as a bad interaction,” said Legere, even “if you’re interacting with [customers] at their angriest.”

Legere is known as an executive who attempts to push the envelope with marketing and brash proclamations as a way to distinguish T-Mobile from its rivals. The company typically casts itself as an underdog fighting on behalf of upset customers frustrated with confusing data plans and poor call-center service.

Under the new plan, T-Mobile’s specialty call center teams will field calls from 7 am to 9 pm, while its more conventional customer support service staff continue dealing with inquires 24 hours a day. By 2019, the company plans to expand its revamped customer support service to 24 hours each day, with workers in its overseas call centers handling inquiries that come in at night.

Customers can either ping their dedicated support staff by phone or text message, and can schedule phone appointments. Additionally, customers who enjoy talking to T-Mobile’s automated voice systems can still choose to do so if they wish, the company said.

Although the initiative is expensive, T-Mobile COO Mike Sievert believes that, “This team of experts approach is actually good business.” If customer support can better solve problems because they know customers’ history and area of service, those customers “don’t have to call anymore.”

Legere said that T-Mobile has consulted on its customer support plans with executives from Sprint, with which T-Mobile is trying to merge in a deal worth about $27 billion. Federal regulators must approve the deal before the merger takes place.

He said that T-Mobile is offering other companies to “come and learn from us” so they can similarly overhaul their call service.

“I will personally walk the CEO of Verizon around the center,” said Legere, referring to an unlikely scene.

In any case, he believes that rivals will eventually revamp their customer support, in the way they followed T-Mobile in releasing unlimited wireless plans.

When asked what he admires about his larger competitors that he routinely criticizes, Legere said “their size.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“They are big,” he said. “They are really good at sucking,” he then added.

 

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

A Macy's entrance in a mall.
RetailMacy's
Macy’s just launched an AI-powered shopping assistant. Customers who use it spend nearly 400% more 
By Jacqueline MunisMarch 27, 2026
5 minutes ago
Meta's Hyperion data-center site in Northeastern Louisiana.
EnergyMeta
Meta orders 10 gas-fired power plants for its Hyperion AI campus in rural Louisiana—more than triple the initial plan
By Jordan BlumMarch 27, 2026
26 minutes ago
LawMeta
Meta promised it wouldn’t spy on you with its AI smart glasses. A lawsuit says humans are watching you, actually
By Catherina GioinoMarch 27, 2026
1 hour ago
Steve Wozniak speaks into a microphone, raising his palm in the air.
Big TechApple
Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak admits he’s ‘disappointed a lot’ by AI and hardly uses it: ‘They just sound too dry and too perfect’
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 27, 2026
2 hours ago
AIData centers
Microsoft is picking up a Texas data center project OpenAI didn’t want, in a telling sign of how far they’ve drifted apart
By Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressMarch 27, 2026
4 hours ago
InnovationDrones
The Army and Amazon are creating an online storefront to buy drones as the technology transforms the battlefield
By Jason MaMarch 27, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

AI
Exclusive: Anthropic acknowledges testing new AI model representing ‘step change’ in capabilities, after accidental data leak reveals its existence
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
20 hours ago
C-Suite
'I didn’t want anybody shooting me': Five Guys CEO gave away $1.5 million bonus to employees over botched BOGO burger birthday celebration
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
2 days ago
Success
Meetings are not work, says Southwest Airlines CEO—and he’s taking action by blocking his calendar every afternoon from Wednesday to Friday 
By Fortune EditorsMarch 27, 2026
13 hours ago
Environment
Vail Resorts CEO says it’s time to think beyond the $1,000 ski pass that helped build the empire
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
2 days ago
Success
Palantir’s billionaire CEO says only two kinds of people will succeed in the AI era: trade workers — ‘or you’re neurodivergent’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
3 days ago
Commentary
The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.