Replies from AT&T employees. Loyalty and pride still exist.

Although rare, I occasionally get feedback on a post from the employees, not the analyst relations staff, of a company that has been the subject of a post here on Virtually Speaking. The post "AT&T issues at the Consumer Electronics Show" and both the posts focused on customer support and voice response systems brought out behind the scenes responses from AT&T Wireless employees.

All of them indicated that they were not authorized to publicly represent the company but felt compelled to respond to the posts. This is too bad because their approach, their pride and their loyalty to the company is a better representation of the company than nearly all of the marketing messages I've heard!

Here's a quick summary of what they said in their private messages.

• The company is painfully aware of its shortcomings and has invested a great deal of time and money in addressing those issues.
• They acknowledged that they hear complaints about the company's wireless service in San Francisco and New York. They also point out that the company has invested a great deal in trying to fix those issues. They admit that the issues there were harder to address than anyone thought. In my personal experience, by the way, the service in other cities, such as Boston, Tampa and Orlando need some attention as well.
• Each and every one of them pointed out that they're getting great service in their home town. I must admit that I, too, got great service while sitting at my desk or driving the streets here on the Suncoast of Florida.
• Each of them asked me to have a little patience with both the iPhone and AT&T wireless service. They all thought that things would be better soon.

Although I've already abandoned both the iPhone and AT&T Wireless, it was rather heartwarming to read these messages. These people really appear to like their company and also appear to be trying to offer the best service possible. It is clear to me, unfortunately, that they have a long way to go in the cities I visit regularly.

If you received a personal, private message from an AT&T staff member, would that sway you to have a more positive view of the company?