Still Growing, After All These Years

An old expression tells us, “Time flies.” It wasn’t that long ago when Greg Pryor and I started Consumer Cellular. Today, we have more than 850,000 customers.

In recognition of this achievement, this year Consumer Cellular made Inc. Magazine’s list of the top 5000 companies, a prestigious ranking of America’s fastest-growing privately held companies, for the fourth consecutive year. Additionally, for the third year in a row, the Portland Business Journal has determined we’re one of Oregon’s top 100 fastest growing private companies.

How do we keep growing, especially during what is generally considered a sluggish economy? I’ve given that question a lot of thought and have reached a conclusion. I believe Consumer Cellular continues to grow because we continue to deliver. And we deliver more than just products and services. We deliver value.

Our cell phone plans, for example, are among the most affordable in the nation, with rates as low as $10 a month. We don’t require our customers to sign a contract. There are no hidden charges. No roaming fees, either. We offer our customers practical, economical phones to fit their specific needs and budget. And we allow them to change their cellular plan (or phone) at any time, without penalty.

Value comes from listening. We regularly ask our customers for their feedback. Based on their input, for example, we expanded our cell phone lineup to include several smartphone options, including the iPhone 3GS. We’ve also made valuable changes to our cell phone plans, upgrading minutes across the board while keeping our rates the same.

Value comes from looking out for our customers’ best interests. We introduced “Usage Alerts” (one of the first companies to do so) as a free mechanism through which customers are warned whenever usage approaches their cellular plan’s limits. Customers are allowed to upgrade at any point to the next plan, thus avoiding potential overage fees.

Value also comes from assisting. We not only listen to their suggestions, we assist them in overcoming challenges. I am especially proud of our friendly, totally U.S.-based Customer Support team—cell phone experts all. When customers tell us they appreciate the value of our service, many of them refer specifically to a recent support call they had with one of our agents.

The full expression is “Time flies when you’re having fun.” For more than 16 years we’ve been having fun, building Consumer Cellular into what has become the #1 rated cellphone service provider in the country. Thank you, one and all, for helping us grow.