|
Archives
 November 1999 Issue
Columns
SCTE Message: Customer Service Essentials
By Alan Babcock
 |
| Alan Babcock |
A recent J.D. Power and Associates cable/satellite TV customer satisfaction study indicated that cable TV companies fall short of direct broadcast satellite (DBS) providers in delivering good customer service. According to the study, DirecTV and the Dish Network enjoy a comfortable lead over the nearest cable TV company.
Many will argue that the survey doesn't really compare apples to apples. While that's certainly true up to a point, these results still contain enough validity to warrant concern and, more importantly, action on our part. The survey response that showed dramatic differences between the two industries dealt with price and value. The DBS services scored very high in two key factors-cost of service and program offerings.
DBS has a cost advantage in that it doesn't require a fleet of trucks or bunches of technicians to install and maintain service. DBS customers largely are responsible for their own installation and maintenance unless they pay a company to provide that service.
Perceptions of service
Service is a different story. The study indicates that cable technicians and installers can dramatically impact the perceived value of cable service relative to DBS. Cable companies must spend more time and energy developing the customer service skills needed by installers and technicians who face customers in person.
These face-to-face skills differ from those needed to answer customers' questions over the phone. The technician must be able to present a professional and competent image of the company in appearance, communications and, of course, job task competence.
And professionalism doesn't stop with the contact at the customer's home. The technical employee must always be conscious of his behavior when driving, dining in a public restaurant or walking into a store. Technicians are the only face of cable that our customers usually see, so they need to make a good impression.
Until now, there really hasn't been a customer training program designed just for technical employees. The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers is developing such a program specifically to satisfy this need.
Program essentials
Customer Service Essentials for Today's Technical Personnel is designed to provide the customer service training necessary for technicians and installers. The program includes four parts: "Professionalism," "Customer Relations," "Product Knowledge" and "Partner Selling."
"Professionalism" presents the foundation for understanding what a professional is. It then gives students the insight and tools to help them understand how to present a professional image to customers and the general public.
"Customer Relations" helps to develop skills that can be used to build rapport with the customer. It isn't enough just to answer customers' questions or repair their service. This part helps technicians find ways to connect with customers on a more personal and professional level. After an exchange between technician and customer, both can feel good about the interaction. Both should feel that they have done their best to work toward a productive outcome; even if the root problem wasn't completely resolved, it should be clear that the best effort was made to resolve the issue.
"Product Knowledge" provides a framework for the technician to learn pertinent information about the types and prices of services, packages and programs offered by the cable company. It also provides an understanding of services offered by competitors such as DBS. Our technicians and installers have an excellent opportunity to talk directly with customers about how cable services stack up against those of the competition.
Finally, "Partner Selling" presents concepts and tools for providing value-added service. The focus is not on selling services, but partnering with the customer to identify the appropriate products and services that best fit the customer's wants and needs. In many cases, the technician will confirm that the customer has the best mix of products and services.
BST certification
Customer Service Essentials also is an integral part of the Broadband Service Technician (BST) certification program. Successful completion of this training will ensure that a BST candidate will perform well on the Customer Service exam. A student manual will be included for self-study, and a matching leader guide will provide the information for a trainer to present the material in a classroom.
Technicians and installers have a dramatic effect on the customer service perceptions of our customers. Our technical employees need the tools to help our customers realize that we do provide quality service at a competitive price. Technical competence alone isn't enough. We need to constantly convince customers of the value we provide.
Alan Babcock is director of training development for the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers. He can be reached via e-mail at .
 Back to November Issue
Access Intelligence's CABLE GROUP
Communications Technology | CableFAX Daily | CableFAX's CableWORLD | CT's Pipeline
CableFAX Magazine | CableFAX databriefs | Broadband Leaders Retreat | CableFAX Leaders Retreat
|
