Comcast Customer Relations
Comcast is a business in the telecommunications industry, and in fact, one of the nations leading providers of cable services. Comcast has approximately 23.5 million cable television customers, 16.3 million high-speed internet customers, 7.9 million digital voice customers, and over 100,000 employees nationwide (Comcast Press Room – Corporate Overview, 2010). Comcast faces many challenges in being one of the leading innovative entertainment providers in the United States. These challenges include providing quality services at a reasonable price, but more importantly, providing exceptional customer service. Through an interview with a Comcast Sales Supervisor, as well as extensive research and being an employee of the company, I have determined where the customer service at Comcast is currently, and where it needs to be.
“Customer service is key to the success of the company, as important as any other single measurable metric” (Crawford, 2010). Products and services, for the most part, sell themselves. Most customers have a pretty good idea what they want when they call in to order their Comcast services; however, its the customer service that will keep them a Comcast customer, as well as lead to the growth of the company through continuous additions of new customers. The cable industry in general has always managed to stay at the top of the list when it comes to being innovative and offering the newest products available, but without great customer service, a cable provider can easily lose its place among the top. For the longest time, Comcast was focused more on growth and revenue than providing the customer with a quality customer service experience. Lucky, in 2009, Comcast put into effect the Customer Guarantee. This guarantee is composed of 7 total sub – guarantees: 1) We (Comcast) will give you (the customer) a 30-day, money-back guarantee on all our services; 2) We will treat you and your home with courtesy and respect; 3) We will answer your questions at your convenience; 4) We will offer easy-to-understand packages and provide you with a clear bill; 5) We will continually offer the best and most video choices; 6) We will quickly address any problem you experience; 7) We will schedule appointments at your convenience and be mindful of your time (Customer Care – Comcast Customer Guarantee, 2010). For the longest time, Comcast did not have any type of way to assure the customer that they were valued and appreciated, aside from the usual “thank you” from the representative, until these were established in 2009. By implementing these guarantees, customer service has improved dramatically, and it has shown through customer surveys and feedback. As Kory stated in his interview, “Being that Comcast is service provider, customer service is priority one. Not only must we provide a superior customer experience but provide the most state of the art products. Customer service is what ultimately