Helio: Who they are, what they do and what I think of them as an employer

After spending two days in training and a full day selling on my own I would like to share some comments about Helio: An American MVNO who is pushing the unlimited data, sms and mms experience.

Let me begin with an article Om Malik wrote today:

It’s no secret Helio has been burning through money, trying to boost its subscriber base and spark interest in its youth-oriented tech-savvy phone service and devices. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that Helio could go out of business if it doesn’t bring in more funding this year from parent companies SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM), Earthlink, or outside investors. That’s not something customers really want to hear when considering signing up for an expensive phone service.

What is causing these issues?

We have a kiosk with outdated marketing materials. We only sell two devices (Drift + Heat), yet market four (Drift + Heat + Kickflip + Hero). Proper POS systems aren’t in place, my boss literally uses his personal laptop to complete transactions. When sales picked up on the weekend one of my coworkers setup his own personal Macbook as a terminal. We have a "special deal that ends today for a free phone," that’s been running since the kiosk has opened. I find it extremely difficult to lie to people. Maybe I shouldn’t be working retail?

Out of the 4 – 5 employees working there, only one has a polo with any form of Helio branding. I’ve requested company attire from corporate, but haven’t heard anything back. We have two televisions setup. One loops two commercials for devices we don’t sell. The other runs a video about our company with some celebrities flaunting discontinued Helio devices. We have two huge posters of the Hero, a device we don’t sell since it has been discontinued.

We have 3 dummy phones on display, all the same model (Drift). When I asked for proper demo units I was told that I should purchase a Helio device, the discount is 50% per month. Suffice to say, I’m not that interested in shelling out my money for either the Drift or the Heat. The Ocean is mildly tempting, but I’d have to demo it before giving an honest opinion.

A coworker and I aren’t allowed to use our phones while working since we don’t have Helio devices. I have a Nokia (NYSE: NOK) E61 and my mate had a Cingular Blackjack. The mall can literally be empty and we have to step away from the kiosk if we want to take our phones out of our pocket.

What about the Ocean? Om writes:

But Helio’s Ocean messaging device, which we checked out at CTIA last week, could come in as an unlikely savior, though, it is too soon to count on that. The company has spent considerable time on developing the design — and started working on Ocean before Helio was officially a company. The Ocean is the startup carrier’s first breakthrough phone, with its slick dual slider form and messaging interface, and it could catch fire with the young professional set. A big “if” of course, but a chance nonetheless.

We aren’t allowed to discuss the Ocean with customers. If they are persistent in bringing it up then the most we can say is "we don’t know when we’re going to get them in stock." I know this is done to limit the Osborne effect.

What do I personally think of the company and how do I think they could improve?

First off their motto is "Don’t call us a phone company. Don’t call it a phone." It’s difficult to convey that message with only 3 dummy phones. I would love to show customers the features Helio offers, but I’m not interested in purchasing a $275 dollar device and paying $40 a month for service. There should be at least 2 demo units, of every model we offer, on display.

We shouldn’t be looping commercials. I offered to record one of my coworkers demoing the features of his Helio Drift with my Nokia N93 and burn it to a DVD so we could loop that instead. We aren’t allowed.

We ask for our customers social security number’s when they activate a new line. I’ve asked several times why this is necessary, I wasn’t given a straight answer. People are uncomfortable giving that information out, I would be too.

We’ve had several people come up to us asking to upgrade their current Helio to a newer device. We can’t do that for our customers.

There is no family plan. I can’t even begin to count the number of people who immediately walked away from us after we told them that little detail.

We can’t let people preorder the Ocean. I’ve had at least 30 people ask me personally about that device in my 3 days with the company.

I greatly admire what Helio is doing. Unlimited internet, sms, mms, nights and weekends, 500 anytime minutes all for $65 a month is a bloody steal. It’s an unbelievable deal. If they were a GSM operator I would switch in a heart beat.

If anyone at Helio is reading this: I would love to help you maximize your profits, but as a sales representative I’m horribly ill equipped to work to my full potential. Help me help you. I believe what you’re trying to do is genuinely interesting. No one is pushing the mobile experience you have envisioned. You are truly a unique MVNO and I’m not saying that to kiss ass.

The one thing Helio does that makes me extremely jealous and impresses the most people is GPS powered Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps. I’m in love with that feature.

Marc Orchant and Tommi Vilkamo are absolutely right. I crossed the line in my previous post. It’s difficult to get excited for a company that claims it’s technology is the most advanced in America when I have an E61 and N93 in my pocket. It’s also difficult to look at my bosses face out of the corner of my eye when a customer asks me "so which Helio do you have?" and I tell them the truth: that I don’t have one.

I should be grateful for this job, but I’m not acting like it. That makes me look like a prick and an asshole.

No one likes pricks, so I should improve my attitude. Thanks for calling me out and giving me some perspective on my situation.

It was either this job or selling cable tv packages door to door. If I get fired for this blog post then I won’t complain. I deserve it after this mornings insult.