Time for Reflection
Posted on : 05-02-2009 | By : Frank Eliason | In : Business, Comcast, Customer Service
Tags: Customer Service, Frank Eliason
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The past few days I have taken a true vacation from work and it feels good! Not that I do not miss my team or being engaged, but we all do need a rest at times. Since we began the digital care initiative at Comcast I have worked 7 days a week and all hours of each day. But now we are at a time where this effort, and the ability of my team is now shining. I am so proud of each of them. Through these efforts we have been in numerous media publications, such as:
NY Time – Griping Online? Comcast Hears and Talks Back
ABC News – Still on Hold? Twitter Can Rescue You From Customer Service Line Waits
Business Week – Comcast’s Twitter Man
I realized a few weeks ago that we have really changed the entire Customer Service industry. It is amazing. I have received emails and had calls with many companies as they work to replicate what we have done. But what is it we really accomplished? Based on feedback from our followers on Twitter we have really made Customer Service more personal again. Customer Service started to shift to a “self service” model in the `1990’s. This was great for companies to reduce costs but it did take away from the personal connection that happened when you knew the person you were meeting with, or the personal conversation on the phone. Around the same time companies shifted to measuring things like handle time, schedule adherence and other numbers that did not reflect the intent of service.
Today best in class companies are measuring things like Customer Satisfaction and first contact resolution. This is what service is about. Handle time is good for broader measurement for planning purposes but it is not appropriate at the agent level. It brings the wrong focus by the agent.
What else have we learned? Customers, just like most Customer Service agents, are craving real time, unedited information. If something is wrong they really want to know what it is, what is being done and when it will be back. We are working to create that environment at Comcast.
A year ago I was presenting to many people from our communications team. I made the mistake to say that part of the success was that I was not one of them. But really in this new world order, marketing, public relations and Customer Service are really becoming one. It is all about talking with, but not at, Customers. So yes, I admit, I was wrong (but please do not tell my wife!). This has been a learning process that you have to learn from every interaction, whether it is to many or more one on one.
We have done so much in a short period of time, but I can not help but think what is next? At Comcast Rick Germano and his team have been working very hard to improve the Customer experience. The senior leadership staff revamped the corporate credo to ensure everyone was working on the goal of creating the right experience. It is not something that will happen overnight, but will happen. I am proud of what we accomplished up until now but I look forward to achieving all our goals.
But beyond Comcast, how can we further improve the Customer Service industry? What are the next big tasks to tackle? Where do you see Customer Service industry going?
Now it is time to get ready to go to @ComcastBill’s wedding!
Love how you can put the ideas and conversations into words..as you know from our conversations at Frost I am a huge believer and proponent of “marketing, public relations and Customer Service are really becoming one”…and in the end I add sales in there b/c if you do the first 3 right, sales naturally comes into play.
Write more about how trust and unedited information also has to be present among your front line. That is so key. You mentioned the relationshiop you have with your team of 10 – their experience and satisfaction with you and Comcast most likely reflects on the quality of the service they in turn pass on to your customers.
Recently I have been having technical problems on my own blog-Andy Quayle at Techurgh is working them out for me [Plug] and it means a lot to me personally, just as when I had problems with my Internet service Comcast Cares Responded and solved my problems- sad but we customers don’t get this service enough-from other providers-Yes you did really change the customer service industry and made Twitter more than a play toy-and Branded Comcast as The Good Guys-you did not confuse effort with results-To date Comcast Lijit Adaptive Blue and Zemanta understand customers service the rest I am not so sure-they may have their heads in the sand -I also feel customers should give you credit when are helped with a problem-I have tried by adding feeds to my blog by people and firms that care!
[...] As we tweeted earlier, the Wall Street Journal profiles Frank Eliason of comcastcares. The New York Times swiped this last summer and the Inquirer? Well, he’d have to get some love there. See Eliason’s blog to read his thoughts on the attention. [...]
Frank,
You’ve kept my rage at Comcast pacified and you’ve also provided proof that Twitter + Customer Experience can work.
We here at Microsoft – Salute you
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Scott Barnes
Rich Platforms Product Manager
Microsoft.