Time Warner Cable said it will launch a new “TechTracker” mobile app companywide by the end of the new year as the MSO spotlighted several customer service and experience improvements and enhancements Monday in concert with the start of “Customer Service Week.”
The new tracker enables subs to receive appointment reminders, make changes to existing appointments via text, email or the phone. The app also provides customers with the tech’s name, identification number as well as a photo when the technician is en route. Comcast and Dish Network have recently introduced similar tech-tracking capabilities.
TWC said it has also issued an open letter to customers in major newspapers to coincide with the new customer service campaign, noting that it’s got 7,000 U.S. care agents in 36 service centers and north of 13,000 field techs ready to assist.
Among the highlighted commitments is to send a technician within 24 hours, and often the same-day, when a disruption occurs that can’t be resolved remotely. Customers can also use the My TWC app to request a call from TWC or schedule a call when it’s most convenient to them. If a customer is on hold, they can schedule a callback.
TWC, which is in the process of being acquired by Charter Communications, noted that it now offers a one-hour arrival window across its footprint after introducing it in New York City and Los Angeles in 2013.
“We’ve seen where we’re ranked in customer satisfaction surveys and we’re familiar with the perennial jabs from the folks at ‘Saturday Night Live,’” said TWC chairman and CEO Rob Marcus, in a statement. “We’re telling our customers how we’ve made profound changes over the last two years to better respect their time, provide more value for what they pay us and deliver the kind of experience anyone would expect from a leading entertainment and technology company. The many changes we’ve made are just the beginning of the new TWC service experience.”
TWC also noted that TWC Maxx, its service upgrade program that includes faster broadband speeds, an "enhanced" DVR and more VOD, has seen a 35% reduction in the number of customers who chose to disconnect from either the MSO’s video or Internet service.
TWC is also stressing these improvements as it continues to lag in the JD Power rankings for customer satisfaction.
And Marcus also addressed why TWC is doing this amid its pending deal with Charter.
“Merger or not, our customers expect and deserve the best customer experience we can deliver,” he said. “Today, we’re telling our customers that we’ve made great strides in delivering that experience over the last couple of years and that we are completely committed to doing even more in the future.”
