Sprint has begun making house calls in an increased number of U.S. cities. The company first began hand-delivering phones to homes in Kansas City in April, and now it will be doing the same thing in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver.
The service is aimed at bringing the in-store experience to the customer's home, meaning that potential customers don't need to leave their house to get a new phone. The new service is called Direct 2 You.
"New York represents the ultimate intersection of culture, technology and business, and New Yorkers deserve expert, innovative service to help them manage their busy lives," said Karen Paletta, Sprint's Northeast region vice president, in a statement. "Our Direct 2 You experts meet customers where it is convenient for them, bringing them expert attention when and where they need it."
With the new system, a Sprint representative will bring the new phone to the customer's house, as well as help them transfer all of their content to the new device, including contacts, photos, videos and so on. Not only that, but the service is completely free.
While the service was first on offer to already-existing Sprint customers, it is now open to anyone who wants to take advantage of it, including those on other carriers.
It's also pretty easy to get the service set up - simply select which device you want and call 844-347-2968, or just head to the Direct 2 You website, where users can set up an appointment.
Of course, the new service isn't being conducted out of the kindness of Sprint's heart. Historically the company has had a rough time with its image, an image that it is now attempting to repair. The service is a huge undertaking for the company, and one that could backfire if it actually takes off, doing more damage to the image than good if the company can't keep up with demand. This is especially true of markets like New York. If the company can handle it, however, it could certainly give Sprint an edge over its competitors.
"It's interesting, and it's certainly unique and it's the kind of thing that's hard for competitors to respond to quickly because it takes some significant investment to get it up and running," said Jan Dawson, analyst at Jackdaw Research, in an interview for Cnet.
This certainly isn't the only way that the company is trying to repair its image, also slashing prices on plans to entice customers from other carriers. Many, however, suggest that the company is still behind T-Mobile in terms of innovation and price-slashing.
Via: PCMag
