How it sounds - positioning examples
SAVE guide: Home Internet
Use SAVE to retain Home Internet customers by identifying risk, understanding the concern, resolving the issue, and reinforcing the value.
Spot the signals. Identify the risk.
Customers might say they want to cancel, but that’s rarely the whole story. Some customers may not tell you they are planning to cancel, so we need to watch for signals that indicate they are at risk.
“Soft” cancel risk and non-verbal signals don’t always mean a customer is planning on leaving us. Ask additional questions to clarify unspoken intent.
Look for prior troubleshooting notes, credits, memos, and gateway usage for signals and to understand prior history.
| Verbal cancel signals | Verbal soft cancel risk/potential risk | Non-verbal signals/potential risk |
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Acknowledge and ask questions. Dig into the why.
Once you spot the signal, connect on a human level. This is where empathy meets curiosity.
| Acknowledge their frustration or concern directly. | Take ownership and provide assurance of help. |
| Transition to a SAVE offer. Ask them to “open the door". | While you're asking questions to get an understanding of why the customer is cancelling, layer in some transition statements to guide the conversation to alternate resolutions. |
| Ask open-ended questions to uncover why they are thinking about leaving or cancelling a line. | Continue to gently ask questions in a friendly and conversational way until you uncover a true root cause that you can take action on to resolve or respond to with an alternative, suggestion, or offer. For example, “just not using it” is generally not a true root cause and can be hard to take action on. |
There are many ways to respond to a customer at risk of cancelling, and what you ask depends on what you see in the account and what the customer has already told you. Below are examples of effective responses in different scenarios. Don’t forget to tailor every interaction to your customer and put your own spin on how you respond.
Once you’ve addressed the reason for calling (if it was unrelated), uncover potential cancel risk based on account attributes or recent customer actions. If we don’t pick up on the clues, these customers might just return their equipment without giving us a chance to address their concerns and then it becomes much more difficult to save them.
Dig into the 'why'. Clarify potential cancel risk with questions.
- Confirm lack of usage on the line.
- "I see that you have our home internet service – have you had a chance to get that set up? It’s pretty quick and easy, I'd be happy walk you through it and answer any questions.”
Dig into the 'why'. Clarify potential cancel risk with questions.
- "How has your home internet been working out for you?”
- “Has anything changed recently? Have you moved or planning to move?”
- “It looks like maybe you haven’t been using your home internet line – are there any issues I can help with?”
Dig into the 'why'. Clarify potential cancel risk with questions.
“I noticed that you’d called recently about your home internet. Has that been fully resolved or is there anything else I can do to help?”
Uncover potential cancel risk when the customer doesn’t explicitly state they are likely to shop around and potentially cancel. These customers often return their gateway or activate service with another provider, without giving us another chance to address their concerns and save them.
Risk factor / what it could sound like
- “It’s becoming too much to have all these extra things on my phone bill.”
- “I’ve been with you for years, but I see other plans advertised for less than I’m paying, is there a better internet plan than what I'm on?”
- “This is not the price I was promised when I signed up.”
Dig into the 'why'. Clarify potential cancel risk with questions.
- “Usually leaving services bundled gives you the best savings, but I’d be happy to walk through different options with you. Can I ask you some questions about how you use the service and what’s most important to you so I can find the best fit for your budget and your usage needs?”
- “Thank you so much for being such a loyal customer, I definitely want to look into this and make sure I find you the best value! Let’s start by talking about how you use the service and what you need so I can find the best options."
- “I’m so sorry this bill was unexpected. Thank you for calling in so I can get you taken care of. Let’s start out with what you were expecting as far as your bill and your service, and I’ll make sure there aren’t any billing errors or prorated charges causing this.”
- Example of budget and usage discovery: “What’s the monthly amount you’d feel comfortable paying? How many people use the internet in your home? What kinds of things do you use the internet for? How big is the home where the service is used? Are you using the streaming benefits that come with your plan (if applicable)?”
Risk factor / what it could sound like
"I moved recently; can you check if my address is right?”
Dig into the 'why'. Clarify potential cancel risk with questions.
- “Of course, thanks for letting us know so we can make sure everything is updated! Since things like your E911 address and taxes can be different based on the usage address for each line, I have just a few questions to make sure I have everything set up correctly for you.”
- Example of address change discovery: “Did the entire household move? Which lines are associated with this new address? Did your Home Internet service also move to this new location? Did anyone check eligibility at your new address? How is your internet service working at the new address?”
Risk factor / what it could sound like
- “My internet is inconsistent and can be slow most of the time regardless of where it’s located.”
- “My TV keeps buffering when I try and stream my shows.”
Dig into the 'why'. Clarify potential cancel risk with questions.
- “Oh no, that’s not the experience we want you to have at all! Would you be willing to give us another chance to try and figure out what’s going on with this and get it working better for you?”
- Example of service issue discovery: “When did you first start having issues? Are the issues consistent or only during certain times of the day? What are you using the internet for when you experience these issues? Is it one particular device that has issues or a particular area in the home? Have you already taken steps to try and find the best location for the gateway or completed any troubleshooting with us? How often do you turn your gateway on and off? Has there been any strong storms in your area recently?”
- Follow FIX flows for the most appropriate questions based on the customer’s scenario and responses.
Customers often tell us directly that they want to leave and the reason for their decision. The information below provides examples of how to acknowledge those requests and dig into the why.
Risk factor / what it could sound like
"I need to shut off my internet service; I just don’t need it anymore.”
Dig into the 'why'. Clarify potential cancel risk with questions.
- “Ok, let’s take a look at your home internet line. To make sure I know the best options for you moving forward, I’d like to ask a few questions to understand what’s going on.”
- “Do you still have the gateway, is it still plugged in?”
- “What’s changed? What makes you want to remove the service? What’s your primary goal – are you looking to reduce your bill or have you been having issues I can help resolve?”
Customers who activated/changed to the Rely plan prior to June 4, 2026:
- Reassure them they are on a retired plan that does not include the speed cap.
- If they cancel, they will not be able to get that plan back.
For customers who activated/moved to Rely plan June 4, 2026 or after:
- The new Rely Plan has top download speeds of up to 354 Mbps.
- Follow steps to understand customer’s usage needs/habits.
- Rely should still support general, everyday internet needs
- More robust needs could suggest a change to Amplified or All-In is needed
Risk factor / what it could sound like
"I tried out your home internet, and it just didn’t really work for me.”
Dig into the 'why'. Clarify potential cancel risk with questions.
Check usage, network coverage, and prior memos to help discover potential root cause. Identify if the customer is still within their test drive period.
Identify the original reason behind activation in order to tailor an offer based on customer needs: looking to save money over current provider, recently moved or established new household, needed a more reliable provider, taking advantage of bundling or streaming deals, etc.
- “Thanks so much for giving us a try! I'm sorry to hear that it wasn't working out for you. Can you tell me a little more about what you experienced?”
- “What made you decide to try it out in the first place?”
- “When you say it didn’t work, was that because it didn’t fit your budget or were you having any issues with the service?
Risk factor / what it could sound like
- “I’m getting a better deal with (competitor)."
- “We just had fiber installed in our neighborhood.”
Dig into the 'why'. Clarify potential cancel risk with questions.
- "I understand, it sounds like you started up service with a different provider – was that for cost savings, performance issues or were there other reasons behind the decision to switch?”
- “I would love to help you make sure this is the right choice for you, and I might have some other options to consider before we cancel this line – do you have another minute to go over those if they could (save you some money / improve your service)?”
- “We have such a great value here at T-Mobile, I’m surprised we weren’t the best deal – can I take a quick look and see if there’s a more competitive offer we have for you? With our bundling discounts and streaming benefits – I'm sure I can find you a fantastic value.”
Risk factor / what it could sound like
“I’m not using it enough to justify the cost. I can just use my phone’s hotspot.”
Dig into the 'why'. Clarify potential cancel risk with questions.
Complete account and usage audit to identify usage trends and uncover any billing issues or financial pressure.
- “You do have a great phone plan that includes hotspot, which can be an awesome perk, but it is limited. Are you just looking at ways to reduce your bill or is there any other reason behind this change?”
- “I get it, these days we all are taking a closer look at our expenses and looking for ways to save. What if I could find you a way to save on your bill but keep the benefit of having a dedicated home internet service, would you give me a few minutes to look into that for you?”
Validate and solution. Act.
This is where you take full ownership. You’ve heard the “why” and now it’s time to reassure, act, and solve. This is where trust is rebuilt.
- Leverage your resources to resolve the customer’s issue forever so they never have to call back.
- Research the account and use appropriate policies and processes to identify the best solution.
Scenarios
ACT Research, Resolve, Rebuild Trust | Positioning examples |
Research and resolve issues first
Additional resolutions / offers
| “It looks like you have our All-In plan – that comes with some really great benefits! But if you don’t need the best of the best and your priority is to lower your bill, we have options to save you some money. What made you choose this plan in the first place? Are you using Hulu and Paramount on us?”
“Well, I can see right away where I can save you a little bit of money. Is there any reason you aren’t signed up for autopay? That can help you save some money without losing any benefits or having to make any changes.”
“Based on what you said your target budget is, I have a great option for you – we can change your internet plan AND I have a special discount offer I can provide you to help make your service more affordable, so you don’t need to switch.”
“Who do you have your cell phone service with? Did you know that we offer bundle discounts if you bring over your voice lines to T-Mobile? Can we take a few minutes to see if we can save you money overall by bundling your services with us?”
“It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind and I respect that. One last thing I’d like you to consider is a low-cost back up option we have. It’s a great way to ensure you stay connected even if your primary provider goes down for any reason.” |
ACT Research, Resolve, Rebuild Trust | Positioning Examples |
Research and resolve issues first
| "Would any other members of your household need to use the service while you're away?" “We definitely have options to take care of our valued service members. We can suspend your service to prevent you from being charged while you're deployed and when you're ready, you can easily resume it again.” "If we suspend the service instead of cancelling, you will keep your access to home internet, because spots are limited and may not be available when you return. It also ensures you keep your current rate plan pricing." |
Scenarios
- Location has an internet provider already
- Location has service included (Retirement home/apartment)
ACT Research, Resolve, Rebuild Trust | Positioning Examples |
Research and resolve issues first
Additional resolutions / offers
| Location has an internet provider already
Location has service included (retirement home/apartment)
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Scenario: Location not qualified for Internet
ACT Research, Resolve, Rebuild Trust | Positioning Examples |
Research and resolve issues first
Additional resolutions / offers Offer available Home Internet Lite plans if applicable. | “When did we last check to make sure we don’t have service available? I’d be happy to do that now for you.”
“I’m sorry we don’t have unlimited internet available at that address yet, but in the meantime, we do have limited plan options that might work for you. Would you like to hear about that?” |
ACT Research, Resolve, Rebuild Trust | Positioning Examples |
Be specific. Is the issue with the connection between the gateway and the T-Mobile 5G Network or is the issue between the gateway and the connected devices in the home?
Research and resolve issues first
Additional resolutions / offers
If resolutions are delayed or high effort and customers need an incentive to wait on a final resolution:
If the customer does not have necessary coverage in the areas they need the most, and solutions above do not resolve the issue:
| Network performance/coverage (speeds, reliability)
In-home Wi-Fi issues “Based on our initial diagnostics, it looks like the signal getting to your gateway is really good. We’ll need to explore why it isn’t reaching the devices you need it to or giving you the speeds you’re looking for. Would you be willing to do just a little more troubleshooting? I’d love to get to the bottom of this for you, so you don’t have to find a new provider.”
Work from home / VPN issues
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ACT Research, Resolve, Rebuild Trust | Positioning Examples |
Research and resolve issues first
Additional resolutions / offers
| "It looks like maybe you hadn’t had a chance to even get this set up yet, did something change since you signed up?”
“Ok, it looks like your plans changed – but before we get this cancelled, are you sure I can’t help you get it set up so you can test it out? The process is really quick and easy.”
“Our customers generally can save money over their previous internet provider. I’d hate for you to lose out on the value we provide before we even give it a try!”
“Did you run into any issues when you tried setting it up? Maybe if I walked you through it step by step, it wouldn’t feel as frustrating.”
“Did your old service provider give you an offer you can’t refuse to get you to stay? Two can plan at that game – let me see what offers WE have to convince you we’re the right choice!”
“Well, even if you changed your mind about switching your primary service to us, I still have an option for you to consider. We have a low-cost back-up plan to keep you connected even if your primary provider goes out. Do you want to hear more about that?” |
ACT Research, Resolve, Rebuild Trust | Positioning Examples |
Research and resolve issues first
Additional resolutions / offers
| "Who is your primary internet service provider / what do you pay for existing service?"
Would you like me to check for availability at your primary address and see if we could get you a better deal than your current provider?”
"How long before you will need the service again?"
“It’s quick and easy to move the gateway and set up again at home if you’d like to bring it back to your primary residence and try it out. I can even give you a monthly discount on the service.”
“Before we cancel, I wanted to let you know of another potential option – you can bring that gateway home with you and we can change the service to a lower cost, limited plan, then you can use it as a back-up service in case you experience intermittent issues with your primary provider. You can save your spot for Internet service (which is limited) and when you’re ready to bring it back, it’s just a quick rate plan change in T-Life.”
Internet only account: “Who do you have your cell phone service with? Did you know that we offer bundle discounts if you bring over your voice lines to T-Mobile? Can we take a few minutes to see if we can save you money overall by bundling your services with us?” |
Extend value. Reinforce solution.
After resolving the concern, strengthen the customer’s confidence in staying. Reinforce key benefits:
- Unlimited data
- No annual service contract
- Flat monthly pricing
- Reliable performance for everyday home use
For customers that still want to cancel, refer to Cancel and Resume Home Internet.
