Comcast Throws Subscribers A Bone, Releases App To Track And Rate Cable Technicians
Few things are as annoying as waiting for a cable technician to arrive. You know the drill -- you call customer service to schedule an appointment and the person on the other end of the line says a technician will arrive on Thursday sometime between 7:00 AM and the year 2020. Well, there goes your day, right? Perhaps not -- Comcast has a new app that will let you know precisely when a technician is scheduled to arrive so you can go about your normal business.
"This is how it works. Customers with scheduled appointments will be alerted through our app when our technician is about 30 minutes away from arriving at their house, and will be able to track this technician’s progress on a map," Comcast explains in a blog post. "We’re hoping this will prevent our customers from just needing to sit at home and wait. They can check the app from the office, or wherever they are, and head home when they see we’re on our way."
Of course, things happen and technicians can run late. In the event that happens -- perhaps an install or repair at someone else's house is taking longer than expected -- the app will let you know and provide real-time status updates.
To keep itself and its technicians accountable, Comcast also built in a feature that will let you "rate the experience." If it isn't great, Comcast will give you a buzz to see if there's anything it can do.
It's not often that Comcast makes headlines for something positive, but in this case, it's nice to see that the cable giant is making a concerted effort to improve its reputation. Bear in mind that Comcast is one of only two companies to be voted the "Worst Company in America" by Consumerist's readers, a distinction that comes with a Golden Poo award.
These new features are being rolled into Comcast's free MyAccount app, though only in the Boston area at the moment. However, Comcast said it will expand outside of Boston this week.
"This is how it works. Customers with scheduled appointments will be alerted through our app when our technician is about 30 minutes away from arriving at their house, and will be able to track this technician’s progress on a map," Comcast explains in a blog post. "We’re hoping this will prevent our customers from just needing to sit at home and wait. They can check the app from the office, or wherever they are, and head home when they see we’re on our way."
Of course, things happen and technicians can run late. In the event that happens -- perhaps an install or repair at someone else's house is taking longer than expected -- the app will let you know and provide real-time status updates.
To keep itself and its technicians accountable, Comcast also built in a feature that will let you "rate the experience." If it isn't great, Comcast will give you a buzz to see if there's anything it can do.
It's not often that Comcast makes headlines for something positive, but in this case, it's nice to see that the cable giant is making a concerted effort to improve its reputation. Bear in mind that Comcast is one of only two companies to be voted the "Worst Company in America" by Consumerist's readers, a distinction that comes with a Golden Poo award.
These new features are being rolled into Comcast's free MyAccount app, though only in the Boston area at the moment. However, Comcast said it will expand outside of Boston this week.
