Mobile phone usage analysis

I mentioned earlier that I am using the Tmobile "myFaves" plan. This plan allows me unlimited calling to five numbers and 300 minutes to all other numbers. Now, there are two, maybe three, people that I talk to regularly so they instantly went into my "faves". For the remaining slots available, I want to make sure that I am getting the numbers in there that I talk to frequently. Since I'm allowed to make changes once per month, I have been going through a quick spreadsheet analysis to determine which numbers I am using the most and ensure they are in my "faves".

To do this analysis, I first downloaded my call records from Tmobile's website. They offer the ability to download in a CSV format making it easy to import into your favorite spreadsheet.

I, then, created a pivot table on my call data. (If your favorite spreadsheet cannot do pivot tables, then get the free OpenOffice application.) To create the pivot table, I simply highlight the data, drag the "minutes" column into the main data space, drag the "numbers" column into the left-hand row space, and click "done".

Once the pivot table has aggregated all my minutes by number, I then highlighted that dataset, sort descending by minutes, and I now have a nice list of my most frequently used numbers!

Using the top five of these numbers, I go back to Tmobile's website (which has timed out my login. Nice.) and "manage" my "faves". This has been a very useful activity taking about 10 minutes once per month. This activity really saved me last month when a friend that is on my list of five changed their phone number. I updated it in my phone's contact list, but did not remember to update my "faves" until just now when I looked at the data. It would be nice if Tmobile would aggregate the data in this way, but I suspect it is not in their interest for me to have a finely tuned "fave" list.

Switching Cell Phone Providers, pt 5 (Customer Service)

The last aspect of this whole evaluation I wanted to look at was their customer service. I have heard raves about Tmobile's customer service. I have called them a total of two times so far. They are certainly the friendliest company that I have dealt with. I was very impressed.

My second call to Customer service was to actually port my Cingular number over to my Tmobile account. After getting through the ARU, I spoke to the initial operator who validated my info and then transferred me to a more technical staff member for the number porting. He walked me through each and every step and about how long it would take. My expectations are well set (should be all done by tomorrow) and I'm ready to go.

At this point, I would have to concur with others that I've read from and talked to. Tmobile's customer service really is great!

Switching Cell Phone Providers, pt 4 (Website)

Next test, the website. I wanted to see how easy it was to navigate and manage my account. The other thing that I really needed to know was how I could manage my 5 numbers.

Anyway, since I am using a non-"faves" enabled phone, I wanted to see if I could manage my list of 5 numbers through the website. Sure enough, I can and did. That question answered.

The other thing that I liked about the website is that it shows you how many minutes you've consumed for the month. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to give detailed information on call data. Perhaps, it will after a monthly statement is generated.

Part 3, Plan | Part 5, Customer Service

Switching Cell Phone Providers, pt 3 (Plan)

Before I started searching for a plan, I needed to know what type of usage I would need. I was abler to pull my last 6 months of usage records from my current Cingular account. A quick analysis showed that I used about 400 minutes a month and sent/received 110 SMS messages. Turns out I was buying a lot more then I was using.

I got signed up on the base "myFaves" plan with Tmobile. This plan offers unlimited (again, within context) calling to 5 numbers. For all other numbers, 300 minutes.

I now have a Tmobile plan with a temporary number. At least, that is what they called it. I had told them when signing up that I would either cancel the plan or roll my existing Cingular number over. I got the phone home and immediately removed the SIM card and plugged it into my existing phone. Ah, the beauty of GSM... I already own a SLVR which I really like. The free phone that came with the plan was a nice, pink Miami Ink RAZR. Needless to say, that's just not my style.

Anyway, 5 minutes after I got home, my existing SLVR was up and running on Tmobile's network. By the way, the perfect way to evaluate two services is to actually use the exact same device. The Mythbusters would be proud of me. I immediately phoned a friend and walked through the house to see what the service was like. First impression was good. I definitely have some dead spots in the house on Cingular's network. Now, does this alone mean that Tmobile is better then Cingular? Not really, it just means that there is likely a Tmobile tower closer to my house then a Cingular tower.

Over the next week, I continued to check the bars on my phone (which isn't foolproof) and called friends and family from different locations. Overall, in my area, I got just as good, if not better, service with Tmobile then with Cingular. That aspect of my evaluation is looking good.

Part 2, Coverage | Part 4, Website

Switching Cell Phone Providers, pt 2 (Coverage)

Okay, so I start researching Tmobile. First off, I need to learn about their coverage. I check out their website to see if they have a coverage map. I was impressed on two fronts. First of all, they offer a method to search on an address basis, so that you can drill down exactly. Secondly, they offer a view of how strong the signal is, not just whether or not there is one. I found this encouraging even if I might have a lower signal on a particular search. I like it when companies are just upfront about things.

My next dilemma is figuring out how to test the service without getting locked into a contract. (side note: I hate the fact that every company out there wants to lock you into a two year contract.) A friend of mine pointed me to Costco. Probably wouldn't have occurred to me to check there, but I swung by after work one day to take a look. They have a small kiosk where they offer phones and plans from multiple providers. The really cool thing about this is that they have worked out some deal with each provider where you have two weeks to change your mind and get out of the contract. This was my perfect solution!

Part 1, Intro | Part 3, Plan

Switching Cell Phone Providers

I've been a customer of Cingular since the first time they were AT&T. I'm not particularly fond of the company, nor the service. What I do like is GSM and the cooler phones that are available for that platform. Well, in the US, if you want GSM, it's Cingular or Tmobile. I'd always been just satisfied enough with Cingular that I'd never bothered changing providers.

Well, that has now changed. It started a few weeks ago with a desire on my part to save some money and reduce a family plan with two lines down to just one line. I've also been doing more with SMS lately. Not so much to chat with friends, but more to use Google Calendar and Search. The one thing that I do like about Cingular is the number of retail stores in my area. I much prefer talking to someone face to face over sitting on hold with a call center.

Actually, I take that back, I would rather do these kinds of things online through the website, but I have just never had a good website experience with companies like Cingular, Qwest, or DirecTv when it comes to moves/adds/changes. So, long story short, I go into the Cingular store and am told that they cannot remove lines from a family plan. Yes, if I wanted to add a line, they can do it, but they cannot remove. Um... Okay, next question. I see a sign on the wall that says "Unlimited Text Messaging - $4.99". That sounds good to me, how about we add that? Well, turns out that Cingular has redefined the word "unlimited". In this particular context, it means unlimited messages to limited numbers. With my desire to use Google services, this doesn't help me. If I want true unlimited, it costs $19.99/month. Sorry, just too much money for me. I leave the store without making any changes, but determined to learn more about Tmobile.



Part 2, Coverage