Comcast: From One to Number One

And it's not about you. It's about them. Today's FC Expert blog post is about what happens when people in a company think it is not their job to help customers -- not much, it turns out. Many of you may have learned from me that until June of this year I blogged on a dial up connection. Well, I have no TV cable as the set is never on unless I am watching a DVD so there was no need to make a fuss over fast Internet connections, I just lived with it.

One of the reasons why I procrastinated getting on broadband was that I did not have the time to research options and wait at home for the eventual hook up. As you'll read in my Fast Company post, that was an adventure in and of itself. This is not about the Comcast technician sleeping on the couch, although I'm sure that is still fresh in everyone's mind.

It's about when people and companies think "it's not my job" to do something and proceed to carry on as if you never asked. How has my Comcast experience been so far? Sketchy at best. What do I have to do to have my name and address corrected? This seems to be a special request. With 12.4 million high-speed Internet customers, I can see how I could be just a drop in the bucket.

Here are some simple suggestions to live up to the premier communications company brand Comcast is advertising:

• Be courteous and prompt on the phone, handling all data only once per customer -- I know that organizational systems may be still separate internally, make the effort for your customers' sake
• Do what you promised you'd do -- and follow up to make sure it is done properly
• Show up when you say you will -- it is quite difficult to estimate how long it will take to go through a list of visits that may involve more than just checking a box; how about a follow up phone call to alert a customer of delays?
• Use the monthly invoice as an opportunity to reinforce your brand -- if your slip says address service requested or something to that effect, do enter the change once it is communicated back to you

Let's cross fingers -- they are building a gigantic office building in center city Philadelphia that will tower over every other one in the vicinity. Clearly, the company plans more growth.

Comments

[Lewis Green]

Valeria,

I, too, have had less-than-great customer experiences with Comcast. Unfortunately, I think they represent the majority of my experiences, as seldom does customer service meet my moderate expectations.

You lay out good advice. I wonder if businesses are willing to invest the time and money required to achieve great customer experiences.

[Valeria Maltoni]

It's a big company and like every large organization it has grown through a mix of acquisitions and new lines of business. This one did from the original cable.

Businesses are seldom ready to make that investment until it hurts. Then it needs to hurt some more... then maybe they will begin to track back to investing in doing the right things. In my case, it would have been a non issue and quite simple (and cheap) to do.

[Skellie]

Hi Valeria -- I once again enjoyed your recent article at The Blog Herald :)

I'm actually using a dial-up connection right now. Unfortunately the contract extends to April next year so I will be continuing for a while.

I think if I had cable I would probably get twice as much done in one day! Have you found it's made you more efficient?

[Valeria Maltoni]

Hi Skellie,

Of course I remember you. Your blog is filled with great advice and good writing! And you are on a dial up, wow, I am impressed. I canceled mine with AT&T and had to pay only one month above my usage.

As soon as I switched I could tell the difference. Alas, I have an older computer, which I'm planning to replace soon with a brand new Apple desktop, so often my work slows down due to the PC.

Definitely I can get a lot more done in an evening, when I blog.

[Terry Starbucker]

Valeria, as an executive for a service company (but a small, family owned one, thank goodness) I can assure you that not all such companies treat customers as one of the inconveniences of the business. They are our reason for being, and we're striving to create a company culture that deeply understands that. That's not an easy task, and I can only imagine the difficulty in doing it in a company with 100,000 employees.

PS: I can't live without my cable modem, and (knock on wood) I've never had a service issue in 7 years

All the best!

[Valeria Maltoni]

Terry:

What a gift on a Friday seeing the glass half full here! Thank you for visiting. Yes, and in my points I stressed that I do know how complicated it can be to manage a large organization, I have worked in several.

The story came together because of how silly the request was and how easy it would have been for someone to follow through with it the first time around, or the second.

I received a call from Comcast corporate yesterday and I have not had the chance to call back. They are listening, and that is good. Thank you again for taking the time to comment.