- On the Izarkom website we have read the following message along with the emergency phone number: “Keep in mind that on the other side of the emergency phone there is a worker who will take care of you outside the working day, so before sending the SMS on public holidays or off schedule, you yourself will reflect on whether it really is an emergency.” We've waited for working hours and we've called them for the simple curiosity that that message generates.
First of all, they explained that what led them to create Izarkom was not a business project, but “to meet our country’s telecommunications needs”.
Once in operation, they found that, in addition to the seven-and-a-half hour service a day, an emergency telephone had to be installed: “Those who have an emergency must have the opportunity to be treated. The way we have chosen for this is that instead of taking the phone, the concern will be received by SMS and then we will get in touch with the user”.
The emergency telephone is alternately moved between two members: “It’s a voluntary work that we do outside working hours. The shifts are not fixed, we adapt to each other. The workers have very interiorized what the project is, what it asks us and what it gives us.”
They explain that the relationship between users and Izarkom is not the same as that of commercial tele-operators: “At a time of emergency any other company would offer minimal care and we got more involved, but the user should also think about the workers, at what time and for what it calls. A service must, of course, be provided, but the time for workers’ rest must also be guaranteed.”
Better service during more limited hours
“There is enormous competition in the telecommunications sector and other operators extend public service hours, but then the service is very limited. And they make it possible to contact them through social media by opening up a lot of channels.” Izarkom’s say they don’t want to enter this competition: they prefer to have a single channel, call the attention phone or write to the email.
It is confirmed that the attention is personalized in the fortress of Izarkom: “We truly listen to those who need it and offer you the solution you need. The attention is very nice, you take your time to give calm and clear explanations, you will not take the call away and people thank you, not that a machine voice says ‘if you want in Basque press 1’ and then ‘esque now is not the Basque’’” (now it is not in Basque). This personalized attention is also offered by the technicians: “When someone has a problem, the technician moves a lot to see what the problem really is, because we want the attention to be real.”
Desorated calls
“Most people join Izarkom in philosophy, but more and more people come because they’re fed up with other operators, because they’ve seen something new and they like prices.” The tendency to get anything at any time has led to an increase in outgoing calls over the past two years. They were humbled by what they called him at 4 a.m. saying, “He’s not going to the internet!” “Well, wait at 8 a.m., the service and the technician will get started and we will get back to you, what do you want me to do now at 4 a.m.?” The story ended like this. “We called at 8:00 and quietly threw us ‘a, no, it was fixed, it came back to half an hour…’” Izarkom members have ratified the following: “If you have a real emergency we will take care of you, but before calling think twice, if the problem is ‘I’ve lost coverage’, half an hour of waiting, maybe it’s a momentary problem and then it will return to you.”
When less objective
The desire of capitalism to generate needs and desires for us is not this morning: “Today operators are fighting: The faster the internet, the better! Before they were many 100 megas per second, now they are offering 300, 500, 600 and giga per second… we from Izarkom offer two fiber speeds of 100 and 600, and we always advise 100 megas speed to the caller. For any domestic use, even intensive, it is enough with 100 megas”.
As they offer us at the same price as the lowest speed, if we all resort to the highest speed of the internet, they have warned that this has its consequences: “Even if we don’t use it later, the mere fact of offering that speed greatly increases the use of energy, which greatly increases the carbon footprint… Because you have a company or you are going to make heavy transfers, we will naturally put it to those who need 600, but first think about what you need and to be able to start with 100, and then we can change it to 600 if you see that you need it in practice. We try to spread these messages.”
FICHE
What it does: It is the cooperative telecommunications operator in the Basque Country that guarantees us access to telephone services and the Internet.
Created: In 2018.
Staff: 3 full days and 1 half day.
Residence: Irun.
Contact: 943 569 214 / arreta@izarkom.eus.