Cloud Contact Center Featured Article

Comcast Investing Millions to Improve Bad Rep

By Michelle Amodio
TMCnet Contributor

Not many people are fans of Comcast (News - Alert). One only needs to take a cursory glance at the Internet to find layers upon layers of Comcast hatred, a lot of it stemming from horrible customer service. That’s why earlier this year, the company announced its plans for a $300 million upgrade to how it services its customers, and now the plans are starting to roll out.

Subscribers have long complained of long telephone waits on service calls, missed technician visits, billing problems, and being forced to purchase entertainment or news channels they don't watch.

Comcast has taken the complaints seriously, and with this upgrade, has invested in more technicians, operators, new computer apps and billing systems, in addition to ramping up its customer service representatives.

"This transformation is about shifting our mindset to be completely focused on the customer," Comcast CEO Neil Smit (News - Alert) said at the time of announcement. "It's about respecting their time, being more proactive, doing what's right, and never being satisfied with good enough."

Aside from adding chairs in its call centers, the company is also expanding its social media care team to service the customers who prefer the always-on, instant communication found on the likes of Facebook and Twitter (News - Alert).

For those who want to stay on top of when to expect their service call, Comcast will introduce a new “Tech Tracker” app, which gives customers the ability to see where their technician is all from a smartphone. Customers will also be able to rate the service after appointments. Should a technician arrive late, Comcast will automatically provide a $20 credit to accounts.

"There are times you just need to transform things and rethink things from the base level," said Smit earlier this year. "That's what we've done."

It seems that a year's worth of really bad publicity coupled with the failure of the Time Warner (News - Alert) merger, not to mention an increase in consumer “cord cutting” have grabbed someone’s attention.

It’s taken quite a while to get to where Comcast is, at least in terms of its customer service woes. This massive change won’t likely spark as an overnight success, but it’s a step in the right direction for a company whose image is in the proverbial trash.

Change is on the horizon, however, and officials are optimistic.

"We'll be successful when our customers see and feel this change in every interaction with us from the first time they order and use our products to the way we communicate with them or respond to any issues," said Charlie Herrin, Comcast's executive vice president of customer experience.