SEPTEMBER 18, 2008

Customer Service 2.0

About a year or so ago, I had my first opportunity to try Verizon’s FIOS service. A bundle package that included phone, internet, and TV, was priced comparably to Comcast, which was my provider at the time.

It took me about five seconds to realize what a good decision I had made. My internet connection speed just about tripled. My (standard definition) TV looked remarkably crisp and clear, and the DVR was more responsive and functional than the one I had traded in from the cable company. Phone service is phone service, but we had the added convenience of a single bill for all of our telecommunications, including our cell phones, which we also obtained service for from Verizon. To top it off, customer service seemed responsive, and when we had trouble, it never took long to fix it.

Then we moved. FIOS wasn’t available at the new place.  We had to go back to Comcast, and after a fiasco with their billing system that left us fighting with them over obstinately charging us for services we had long since canceled, we were none too happy about it.

Our install didn’t go well. It was done clumsily, with cable strewn across the living room. The DVR didn’t work. On top of it, we were charged an outrageous install fee, amounting to several hundred dollars.

I made a complaint about the quality of service we were getting from Comcast on a blog, and I was surprised to get a response from a Comcast executive named Frank Eliason.  He wrote:

On behalf of Comcast, I would like to apologize for the service that you received. When someone is moving, the last thing they need is to “fight” with the cable company. I will be reaching out to you to see if I can assist further and learn more about your experience.

Thank you for being a Comcast Customer!
Frank Eliason

I thought it was a scam at first, so I Googled him. I found him doing the same thing on a number of other blogs. Then, I got an e-mail from him. I responded, told him what was wrong, and within 24 hours he had people from our local Comcast office hopping to get things fixed. He issued a credit that took care of our billing, and gave me a personal number to reach him in case we had more problems (which we did). Every time, he was willing to help - quickly and cheerfully. He even called me from his home phone one night  and talked to me for the better part of an hour about reputation management, his reasons for helping customers complaining on blogs, and the willingness his company was beginning to demonstrate to right their customer service wrongs. He was a lone crusader, it seemed, out there fighting to improve his company’s image. And with me, at least, it was working.

You couldn’t find a better brand ambassador. Frank Eliason single handedly restored my willingness to work with a company that I had all but sworn I would never do business with again.  Over time, he’s begun to earn a reputation for working to restore trust with consumers who were simply fed up with the service (or lack thereof) they were receiving. Customers aren’t stupid - they know when a company like Comcast is the only provider in their area, and it’s insulting when representatives act like that means good service is optional. Having someone with the power to fix it reach out to you instantly changes your relationship with the company - you go from powerless to powerful, and that leaves a strong, positive impression.

Now my family and I face a new dilemma. Having found an opportunity to live closer to work, school, and all that we do, we’ve moved yet again (hopefully the last one for a while). This time, Comcast isn’t an option, but FIOS (and another cable provider) are both available. The decision to choose FIOS was easy. They offer better product, better service, and better price than the competition.

But there’s a catch: The customer service end seems to have gone downhill.  Our original order somehow never got processed, and our new order will take 10 days to fulfill. That’s 10 days without essential communications in a family that does a lot of business over the internet and telephone. My wife, who works from home, has had to drag the kids to the local McDonald’s parking lot every morning since we moved in just to pick up a free WiFi signal so she can check her e-mail. When I’m at home, I can’t access my work e-mail, the blogs I contribute to, or my grad school course materials. (And for heaven’s sake, we missed the season premiere of House.)

And yet, this time, I’m willing to put up with it, instead of going to the competitor. FIOS may not be the only provider I have available, but they’re the only provider who can give me what I really want in terms of product. I’m getting the feeling that they know it, and that means good service is optional. It’s not a position that I, as a customer, like to be in.

Although I never thought I’d say it, perhaps Verizon should borrow a page from Comcast’s playbook. That, or make an offer to Frank Eliason.