LG Uplus Vice Chairman Ha Hyun-hwoi talks with an employee with the telecom service provider’s directly controlled outlet while making an inspection tour designed to lend an ear to the voices of field operators. (Photo: LG Uplus)

LG Uplus Corp. Vice Chairman Ha Hyun-hwoi launched a full-fledged “field management” tour by visiting the Gangnam smartphone branch retail outlet, Bangbae-dong network station, and Seoul Customer Center in Nonhyeon-dong on Aug. 9 for the first time since he took office on July 16. His tour was designed to lend an ear to the voices of field operators.

When Vice Chairman Ha toured the Gangnam smartphone branch retail outlet, he looked into details ranging from staff communications with customers to the operation of the inside IPTV experience zone. In particular, he showed keen interest in a system of making suggestions tailored to customers’ needs that made its debut in February.

The system is designed to suggest recommendations on products suiting customers’ needs and guide comments on customers’ questions by analyzing customers’ use of all LG Uplus products with big data. Ha said it is important to listen to customers’ voices rather than thoughtlessly suggesting them with some products. He called for a virtuous cycle in which a database of customers’ voices morphs into customer responses.

Upon his inauguration, Vice Chairman Ha had a series of meeting with executives. He is going to make rounds of brand retail outlets and network stations across the nation on Thursdays as part of efforts to reinforce his field management.

He stressed the importance of customer service by saying that the analysis of customer needs is foremost, rather than outlets’ scrambling to achieve best-ever business performances.

Vice Chairman Ha is a new CEO of a telecom service provider. Even though several mega trends are under way, he said LG Uplus could spearhead big changes since the company has well-prepared basic infrastructure in place. LG Uplus should break the conventional mold to gain leadership in future areas like 5G, he said.

 
Vice Chairman Ha’s leadership will be put to the test with the commercialization of 5G telecom services on the horizon.

The reason is that upon his inauguration, Vice Chairman Ha frequently visited the company’s office in Magok, Seoul, where the 5G business team is located. Currently, LG Uplus and other rival telecom service providers are in the process of procuring 5G equipment ahead of the 1st testing-operating of 5G network slated for December.

As former LG Uplus Vice Chairman Kwon Young-soo has made the selection of 5G equipment from Huawei official, LG Uplus will likely team up with Huawei in the 5G telecom segment on top of LTE. LG Uplus’ 5G facility investments will be made on a gradual basis according to stages of developing 5G devices and services starting September to October.

Success or failure will hinge on securing competitiveness following the commercialization of 5G telecom. Vice Chairman Ha has basically taken charge of the day-to-day operation of the 5G business by frequently exchanging views with Senior Executive Vice President Choi Joo-sik, head of the 5G Business Team.

LG Uplus logged better business performances for the 2nd quarter of this year than its rivals. LG Uplus chalked up 3.039 trillion won in sales, up 1.0 percent rise over the same period of the previous year, but the telecom service provider posted 248.1 billion won in operating profit, a 19.3 percent surge.