Comcast, which has been voted the worst company in America twice, is now vowing to take steps to improve its reputation.
Despite the vow, the cable comapny says that it may take years to turn things around and become a more loved company.
"Transformation isn't going to happen overnight," said Neil Smit, Comcast CEO, in a blog post. "In fact, it may take a few years before we can honestly say that a great customer experience is something we're known for. But that is our goal and our No. 1 priority ... and that's what we are going to do."
The news comes as the company now has a new special vice president of customer experience in Charlie Herrin, who was previously the company's special vice president of product design and development.
Herrin will be working in all departments of the company and "will listen to feedback from customers as well as our employees to make sure we are putting our customers at the center of every decision we make," continued Smit.
Comcast has been taking even more heat than usual for its customer service lately because of the proposed $45 billion merger with Time Warner Cable, which would effectively merge the two largest cable companies in the United States. The proposal was announced in February but must be approved by the FCC and the Justice Department. A combined company would control 30 percent of pay TV in the U.S. if it goes through as proposed.
According to the company, an effort toward some changes has already been made, including rolling out new tools in call centers to help company employees provide service faster and better. The company has also shortened technician visit windows.
The blog post continues on to explain its focus on other things, like innovation.
"Over the last few years, we've been incredibly focused on product innovation and delivering great content and technology experiences," said Smit. "But this is only one half of the customer experience equation. The other half is operational excellence in how we deliver service. The way we interact with our customers -- on the phone, online, in their homes -- is as important to our success as the technology we provide. Put simply, customer service should be our best product."
There are numerous examples of Comcast's customer service coming under fire. In one incident, a Chicago-area man was charged with a $1,000 early-termination fee after canceling his service when a number of Comcast thermostats malfunctioned. Comcast has reportedly resolved the problem.
While the company certainly has the time and resources to improve its customer experience, it's unfortunate that even Smit isn't too optimistic about the customer service of the company. Only time well tell if things actually change.
