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Let there be no doubt, however, that as long as Comcast is on the top of the cable market, they will be a target for detractors and competitors alike. Verizon is continuing to expand its FiOS video service into areas where Comcast is active, and doing so with gusto. Does Verizon feel that they can successfully bump Comcast out in those areas? Apparently. Kula references a recent focus group in Dallas, TX in which customers who lived in areas where Comcast and Verizon were both active this question: If you had the choice to receive all of your services from either Verizon or Comcast, which would you prefer? Kula says that 47 out of 48 surveyed chose Verizon. “They are on the run,” says Kula. “We have them precisely where we want them. Running.”
So is there a way to limit contact with cablecos and telcos altogether? Unfortunately, users looking to bypass customer service problems by avoiding bundled services are bound to be disappointed. Customer service from VoIP providers like Vonage and SunRocket are plagued with many of the same issues, and users of ultra-low cost programs like Skype have made more than a few reports of getting what they pay for in terms of customer service. Furthermore, anyone who has tried to report service issues to any service provider can tell you that having numerous external routers, VoIP boxes, and other bells and whistles not provided by the SP hardly make the experience easier or more enjoyable.
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"In the end, customer service is indeed a front line in the battle between cablecos and telcos. " |
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The challenge, therefore, is to balance the maintenance of a well-informed and capable staff with decision making power and a simplicity and fluidity of software programs that ensures a pleasant and seemingly effortless interaction between customer and CSR. “All the algorithms and scientific studies that we’ve all been through grad school to learn are all great,” says Crosby, “but at the end of the day it boils down to who the customer is interacting with at your company, and what that person is doing for them.” Indeed, a strong CRM backbone is essential, but only as long as the staff is trained to use it well. Otherwise, a solution becomes another hindrance.
In the end, customer service is indeed a front line in the battle between cablecos and telcos. While it is no substitute for other elements of quality of service, a strong customer relationship can carry providers through rollout build time, and hopefully maintain a strong customer base that will wait out delays in service offerings. Customer choice is still influenced by a volume of less-than-scientific factors, including limited options in a given geographical area, customer inertia and historical loyalty, and the perception among some customers that service is bad
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So how else can all companies avoid the woes of negative customer service and maintain customer loyalty? "The key is to create a culture of information sharing in order to improve the customer experience,” says Yankee Group analyst Sheryl Kingstone. “No matter what size the company, everyone cares about improving the customer experience.” And one key can be streamlining the CRM systems at these companies. According to a Dynamic Markets study quoted by UK-based enterprise software vendor, Corizon, customers may perceive customer service employees as indifferent, unhelpful, a waste of time, etc., because employees are bogged down with IT applications. The study investigated agents at 100 "multi-task" contact centers and discovered that 66 percent of call center agents have to use three applications or more to serve customers, with 27 percent using five or more. It also found that 71 percent of agents think that time is wasted on an average customer call because of switching between different applications.
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everywhere, and that they prefer the evil they know to the evil they do not. However, with fiber buildouts going on across the US, and increasing technological advances that make once-imaginary service options reality, all SPs must understand that they have two choices: please the end-user or perish.
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