Monthly Archives: August 2014

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Customer Service – Comcast Part 2

In this final installment of a 2 part post, I will share a personal experience I had with Comcast and how I use it as an example of what to avoid doing when serving your customer. During the transition of converting my home telephone service from digital to broadband a few years ago, I had set an appointment for a Comcast technician to come out to complete the process. However, I had to reschedule due to a previous engagement. Ultimately, the upgrade happened, however, each department had separate accounts, even though owned by the same company (Comcast). This is important, because neither communicate with each other. The digital account had credit on it of less than $50.00. I was told after 2 billing cycles, I would receive a refund. Instead, a bill was sent for service that I no longer had. After speaking with a customer service representative, I was told notes were saved in the computer system and it would be updated. This went on for a couple of months while I waited for the changes to take affect. Instead, I was running up a negative balance on my account! After several months passed since the initial service call, I had lost my patience. The next step I took was to look up their regional manager for the midwest to say I would contact each executive up the corporate chain until I the matter was resolved or I reached the Chairman. To the credit of the vice president for Illinois customers, he responded same day (it was the weekend) and ultimately, the outstanding balance was cleared with a check having been issued. As I said in Part 1, Comcast actual products from cable, internet and phone service is very good. With that in mind and regardless of how big a company is or how small the customer is, a situation like this should have never evolved to the point that it did. It should be stressed to everyone in an organization from the most entry level position to the CEO that you most focus on the needs of the customer, each and every day. Otherwise, I promise you the competition will and then they will have a new client.

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Weather

The forecast for the Chicagoland area this week is partly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms with a high in the lower 80′s and a low in the mid 60′s. Later in the week, expect very similar conditions.

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Monthly Video Recommendation

As we approach the last 2 weeks of the month, here’s some inspiration that can provide you a mental pickup. Watch this video on YouTube entitled “Les Brown Super Motivation – Seminar of the Century.” This hour long program will give you the positive influence you need to finish up August strong. Les is one of my favorite speakers and I’m sure you’ll find his message enlightening.

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Customer Service – Comcast Part 1

As most of you have heard by now, cable/internet/phone service provider Comcast was in the news recently for providing horrible customer service to one of their subscribers. A customer called in to cancel his internet service, as he was moving to a different part of the country and no longer needed his service. The customer call center representative spent over 18 minutes trying to persuade the client to keep his service, or even transfer it to his new location. In the end, the internet service was cancelled, however, the now former client decided to share his experience with the world. That decision resulted in millions of people reading this story or listening to the actual phone conversation on the internet. A spokesperson for the Company made a statement to distance itself from both the situation and the customer service representative in question. Now, taking all of that into account, what will a prospective client that away from this situation? It could be that Comcast only cares about the bottom line, lacks a true commitment to customer service and has little concern for the needs of their clients. The reality is a little more complicated than that. I know for a fact that there are good people employed by Comcast, that they provide quality products and care about your overall experience. Yet, there is a mindset driven from the highest levels of corporate leadership to an entry level worker to focus on growing revenue at any price, even at the cost of providing quality customer service, which leads to brand loyality. This type of mentality exists at many large companies, so to imply Comcast is the only one that adheres to this practice would be mistaken. However, it should serve as a lesson for large and small businesses alike, that you need to strive to provide “best in class” service to your clients, each and every day. It takes focus and a strong mental discipline to live in the moment and assist the customer from the beginning of your workday to the final minute before you leave for the day. In my next installment, I’ll share a personal experience I had with this Company and how I use it as a reminder of what to avoid doing when helping your client.