Phone/TV/Internet service you could not refuse?
December 28, 2010 1:49 PM Subscribe
I work for a smallish Phone/TV/Internet company. We believe our network is really the best available, and our service is great, but customers are leaving us at a higher rate than we would like. (not "We're doomed!" levels, but still more than we would like). We are trying to think of "outside the box" ideas to retain and potentially add customers.
So my question is this: With no boundaries, (Marketing, bundling, features, technology...anything) what would you like to see in your TV, Phone, or Internet service? Other than the obvious 'Price' answer, what potential feature or gizmo or doodad could be bundled with your package that would keep you bragging to your friends about how awesome your services are? What would make you drop your current provider and sign up with us?
We don't expect a single answer to win the hearts of our potential customers, but a few ground-breaking ideas might help swing things in our favor.
(Customer surveys are happening, but they are after they have left us...we want to preemptively catch those that are about to leave and encourage them to stay...possibly with discounted rates or free additional features...and so on) Thanks.
So my question is this: With no boundaries, (Marketing, bundling, features, technology...anything) what would you like to see in your TV, Phone, or Internet service? Other than the obvious 'Price' answer, what potential feature or gizmo or doodad could be bundled with your package that would keep you bragging to your friends about how awesome your services are? What would make you drop your current provider and sign up with us?
We don't expect a single answer to win the hearts of our potential customers, but a few ground-breaking ideas might help swing things in our favor.
(Customer surveys are happening, but they are after they have left us...we want to preemptively catch those that are about to leave and encourage them to stay...possibly with discounted rates or free additional features...and so on) Thanks.
Easy to reach customer service and technical support - this means a real person, not a recorded voice that I have to listen to for ten minutes before I can find the option that applies to me.
posted by amicamentis at 1:56 PM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by amicamentis at 1:56 PM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]
Price matching, loyalty and referral deals, and the like will help you compete with big name service providers who are filching your customers.
posted by By The Grace of God at 2:01 PM on December 28, 2010
posted by By The Grace of God at 2:01 PM on December 28, 2010
Although this is slightly orthogonal to your question, surveying current customers might help give you a fix on potential problems that may lead to defection down the line.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:03 PM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:03 PM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]
> we want to preemptively catch those that are about to leave and encourage them to stay...
> possibly with discounted rates or free additional features
Don't make me threaten to leave before you give me your best price.
posted by devbrain at 2:03 PM on December 28, 2010 [5 favorites]
> possibly with discounted rates or free additional features
Don't make me threaten to leave before you give me your best price.
posted by devbrain at 2:03 PM on December 28, 2010 [5 favorites]
At what point are your customers leaving? After one year? Two years? Three years? More? Maybe there's a co-relation and it would be best to give extra service or advertising to those jumping ship sooner.
posted by Calzephyr at 2:09 PM on December 28, 2010
posted by Calzephyr at 2:09 PM on December 28, 2010
I've gotten accustomed to smaller companies having what I call the "Twitter back door" for getting customer support issues resolved that seem to be dragging on [a la @comcastcares, DISH network seems to have one of these gusy too and they got back to me the day after xmas in like 45 minutes]. If price is not super-negotiable, I'd really try to freak people out with your support, this means
- tech support AND customer service available 24/7
- a ticketing system that means that people on the phones know what's been already tried
- people who are working on broken stuff should be able to credit you for bad service right then and there [there's a real insult-to-injury aspect to calling about busted internet, listening to an on-hold message telling you you'll get better service if you go to the website, then having the tech acknowledge that yes, it's broken and telling you to call the next day to ask about a credit]
- I'd like to track my tickets online so if they're going to send a tech out, I'd like to know if he came by and know if he fixed the thing so I don't have to call and big people
- I'd also like fast upload speeds, I'd like a speed guarantee [though I used to work at Speakeasy and we had one of these and it was hellish the griefing it caused]
- referral deals
- A LA CARTE PRICING. I'd love to be able to give any company like $5 to get one channel for one week when there's something I want. Like an election package for before the elections where you can get all the CSPANS or whatever for a week for $20 etc.
posted by jessamyn at 2:11 PM on December 28, 2010 [7 favorites]
- tech support AND customer service available 24/7
- a ticketing system that means that people on the phones know what's been already tried
- people who are working on broken stuff should be able to credit you for bad service right then and there [there's a real insult-to-injury aspect to calling about busted internet, listening to an on-hold message telling you you'll get better service if you go to the website, then having the tech acknowledge that yes, it's broken and telling you to call the next day to ask about a credit]
- I'd like to track my tickets online so if they're going to send a tech out, I'd like to know if he came by and know if he fixed the thing so I don't have to call and big people
- I'd also like fast upload speeds, I'd like a speed guarantee [though I used to work at Speakeasy and we had one of these and it was hellish the griefing it caused]
- referral deals
- A LA CARTE PRICING. I'd love to be able to give any company like $5 to get one channel for one week when there's something I want. Like an election package for before the elections where you can get all the CSPANS or whatever for a week for $20 etc.
posted by jessamyn at 2:11 PM on December 28, 2010 [7 favorites]
A-la-carte cable service. I think a big gripe for people who left cable TV in recent years is the inability to pay just for the channels I want. All I really want out of cable is my local sports networks, but I had to pay ~$70 a month to get them.
posted by soy_renfield at 2:11 PM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by soy_renfield at 2:11 PM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]
I'm giving up cable TV completely because I'm tired of paying way too much for over 100 cable channels when I only really care about watching maybe 5 of them. And yeah, good customer service would be awesome. If a tech needs to come out and fix something, it should be during the time stated, and that time should not be a 12-hour window.
posted by wondermouse at 2:14 PM on December 28, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by wondermouse at 2:14 PM on December 28, 2010 [4 favorites]
Let me subscribe to just the cable channels I want, not the Silver Package or Platinum Package or whatever (I know, Not Going to Happen).
Don't make me feel like you're nickel-and-diming me. Offer me good service at a reasonable rate—don't tempt me with bad service at a great rate, and then offer everything that would turn it into a decent service as a for-fee add-on.
I've actually had good experiences overall with the tech support at my own cable/internet/phone company, although their phone system is a little too heavy with the "dial 1 for XYZ" and the operators following scripts. Just let me tell you what I want or what's wrong and deal with it, dammit. But once I get through to the right person, that person has always been knowledgeable and helpful.
Perhaps ironically, the worst aspect of their service is their paperless billing. How you log in depends on what your account number starts with. I often can't get their (outsourced) statement pages to load, and when I once complained, the support person e-mailed back "try using Internet Explorer 6." Thanks.
Also, what debrain said.
posted by adamrice at 2:15 PM on December 28, 2010
Don't make me feel like you're nickel-and-diming me. Offer me good service at a reasonable rate—don't tempt me with bad service at a great rate, and then offer everything that would turn it into a decent service as a for-fee add-on.
I've actually had good experiences overall with the tech support at my own cable/internet/phone company, although their phone system is a little too heavy with the "dial 1 for XYZ" and the operators following scripts. Just let me tell you what I want or what's wrong and deal with it, dammit. But once I get through to the right person, that person has always been knowledgeable and helpful.
Perhaps ironically, the worst aspect of their service is their paperless billing. How you log in depends on what your account number starts with. I often can't get their (outsourced) statement pages to load, and when I once complained, the support person e-mailed back "try using Internet Explorer 6." Thanks.
Also, what debrain said.
posted by adamrice at 2:15 PM on December 28, 2010
I wish I could bundle my cell phone and internet. Don't want cable tv or a landline.
posted by fshgrl at 2:22 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by fshgrl at 2:22 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
I use Internode as my internet provider, and I recommend them extremely highly to any of my friends looking for an internet provider. (I am mentioning the company name so that you can have a look at what they offer, in case it gives you any ideas. Bear in mind that I'm in Australia, and our internet prices are crazy high, so their pricing will be radically different to US pricing.)
The reason that I like Internode so much (and my suggestions for retaining your customers are):
1) Very reliable internet. I used to get my internet from iiNet, but iiNet kept breaking down and having faults and dropping out... and I would call iiNet and be on hold for ever and then finally get a staff member whose attitude was "Yeah, it's broken... no, I don't know when it's going to be fixed, could be tommorrow, could be the day after, the whole state has lost coverage (yet again)..." with a definite subtext of "How dare you want the service that you paid for?"
Internode almost never stops working, and when it does, the support people are so helpful, so friendly, so apologetic, and they get the internet access back up in an hour or two, tops.
2) If I have a technical problem (computer/modem), I can call their support number and speak to a real human being quite quickly. And that real human being speaks fluent English as a first language. Speaking to a tech support in India who is reading from a script (with no ability to deviate from that script) creates so many communication problems and is so frustrating. Also, I am hard of hearing, and talking to someone who has a heavy accent can make communication impossible for me.
3) Internode tech support is wonderful. I once had a problem with my modem (the modem password had reset, and I didn't know how to fix it) that wasn't actually their problem... another internet company would have washed their hands of it... Internode spent an hour of technician time of talking me through how to fix it, in a calm, friendly manner.
4) If I go over my data usage, I get shaped rather than charged extra $$.
Because they provide a good, reliable, friendly, helpful service, I am happy to pay a bit extra.
There are plenty of other ISPs out there who are a little (or a lot) cheaper... but dealing with them is head-explodingly frustrating.
posted by with the singing green stars as our guide at 2:25 PM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]
The reason that I like Internode so much (and my suggestions for retaining your customers are):
1) Very reliable internet. I used to get my internet from iiNet, but iiNet kept breaking down and having faults and dropping out... and I would call iiNet and be on hold for ever and then finally get a staff member whose attitude was "Yeah, it's broken... no, I don't know when it's going to be fixed, could be tommorrow, could be the day after, the whole state has lost coverage (yet again)..." with a definite subtext of "How dare you want the service that you paid for?"
Internode almost never stops working, and when it does, the support people are so helpful, so friendly, so apologetic, and they get the internet access back up in an hour or two, tops.
2) If I have a technical problem (computer/modem), I can call their support number and speak to a real human being quite quickly. And that real human being speaks fluent English as a first language. Speaking to a tech support in India who is reading from a script (with no ability to deviate from that script) creates so many communication problems and is so frustrating. Also, I am hard of hearing, and talking to someone who has a heavy accent can make communication impossible for me.
3) Internode tech support is wonderful. I once had a problem with my modem (the modem password had reset, and I didn't know how to fix it) that wasn't actually their problem... another internet company would have washed their hands of it... Internode spent an hour of technician time of talking me through how to fix it, in a calm, friendly manner.
4) If I go over my data usage, I get shaped rather than charged extra $$.
Because they provide a good, reliable, friendly, helpful service, I am happy to pay a bit extra.
There are plenty of other ISPs out there who are a little (or a lot) cheaper... but dealing with them is head-explodingly frustrating.
posted by with the singing green stars as our guide at 2:25 PM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]
Oh, and I don't have cable TV... mainly because here Foxtel only let you buy packages full of things that I don't want, and then you have to pay extra for the world movies channel and the sci fi channel which are the only things that I want in the first place...
So, to get me to buy TV from you: offer me world movies channel/sci fi channel and nothing else for $30/month, and I'm there!
posted by with the singing green stars as our guide at 2:35 PM on December 28, 2010
So, to get me to buy TV from you: offer me world movies channel/sci fi channel and nothing else for $30/month, and I'm there!
posted by with the singing green stars as our guide at 2:35 PM on December 28, 2010
I'm stuck with The Big Telco for internet service at home. I hate them and would switch if given any reasonable alternative. If you expand into the St. Louis market, please let me know.
For Web hosting, I use Pair Networks. There are plenty of cheaper alternatives available, but I continue using them because:
Pair Networks also hosts mirror sites for Apache and other open source software projects, so I'm happy to support them in return.
posted by tomwheeler at 2:37 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
For Web hosting, I use Pair Networks. There are plenty of cheaper alternatives available, but I continue using them because:
- Their systems and network are very reliable
- If I do contact them, their responses are prompt, intelligent and helpful
- They offer service for $X and they bill me exactly that amount
- They don't spam me or sell my personal information to "valued partners"
Pair Networks also hosts mirror sites for Apache and other open source software projects, so I'm happy to support them in return.
posted by tomwheeler at 2:37 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Ha! Much like Green Stars, I too use Internode. In addition to good service, I chose them because they are fast, and they give me free access to Usenet (Astaraweb in their case). The CEO is also very active on the ISP forum here in Australia; his honesty and responsiveness is really refreshing. I can't see myself changing in the future.
Note, they are not the cheapest isp around - but I don't care. Reliability, connection quality, responsiveness and the awesome bonus of free usenet outweigh 5, or 10, or even 20 or more bucks a month for me.
posted by smoke at 2:56 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Note, they are not the cheapest isp around - but I don't care. Reliability, connection quality, responsiveness and the awesome bonus of free usenet outweigh 5, or 10, or even 20 or more bucks a month for me.
posted by smoke at 2:56 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Oh two other things: They don't include uploads in your monthly bandwidth quota, and they have a shitload of free, unmetered content that doesn't affect said quota. This ranges from Hulu-like sites from tv networks, to their mirror of most of SourceForge's content etc etc.
posted by smoke at 2:58 PM on December 28, 2010
posted by smoke at 2:58 PM on December 28, 2010
A bill that is easy to read and understand.
This. A thousand times. I dropped Comcast because I was fed up with additional fees each month that had names like "Digi Ad Access Outlet" or "HD Prog Counter" or similar. The fees would change names and prices with regularity, without explanation, and it made me crazy.
Make clear to your customers how much they will pay, all in.
Similarly, make your pricing structure as stable as possible. Even if someone goes in to an "introductory price" knowing that it is good for only 6 months, they will be really really mad if you still offer that to new customers but won't re-up with them after the initial term. I would much rather pay $75 per month and know it is the real price then pay $60 per month for 6 months and then $100 the rest of the way.
posted by AgentRocket at 3:00 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
This. A thousand times. I dropped Comcast because I was fed up with additional fees each month that had names like "Digi Ad Access Outlet" or "HD Prog Counter" or similar. The fees would change names and prices with regularity, without explanation, and it made me crazy.
Make clear to your customers how much they will pay, all in.
Similarly, make your pricing structure as stable as possible. Even if someone goes in to an "introductory price" knowing that it is good for only 6 months, they will be really really mad if you still offer that to new customers but won't re-up with them after the initial term. I would much rather pay $75 per month and know it is the real price then pay $60 per month for 6 months and then $100 the rest of the way.
posted by AgentRocket at 3:00 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
My 'desired feature' list consists of no desires for more gizmos. All I want is an agreed-upon price for an agreed-upon amount of bandwidth with reasonable assurances that the company will do what they can to maximize uptime, minimize congestion, and not intentionally reduce the value of the service I am purchasing by engaging in questionable or greedy actions that violate the contract we have together. To this end, I look for:
1) A strong likelihood that the company won't forget that I am paying them for bandwidth, so they don't have to go harassing companies like Netflix in attempts to get paid twice for the same bandwidth. Equivalently, an awareness on the company's part that I buy bandwidth from them specifically to gain access to content providers on the Net, so they should be grateful those providers are drawing me to the company's services, and not do anything silly like try to charge the providers for the privilege of traversing the wires that lead to my house, which I am already explicitly paying for, or throttle my bandwidth in a way that denies me the use of the bandwidth they agreed to provide in exchange for my patronage. If they have a problem with how I am using my bandwidth or the costs incurred thereby, they can come to me about it.
1a) A strong likelihood that (as long as I don't break any laws) they WON'T have a problem with how I use my bandwidth.
2) A company who believes that the claims they make in the large print of their advertisements and contracts are more important than those in the fine print.
3) A strong likelihood that the company will follow the laws of countries it operates in, including (especially, for my purposes) the US - even when pressured to break those laws by the governments or law enforcement agencies of those countries.
posted by foobario at 3:00 PM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
1) A strong likelihood that the company won't forget that I am paying them for bandwidth, so they don't have to go harassing companies like Netflix in attempts to get paid twice for the same bandwidth. Equivalently, an awareness on the company's part that I buy bandwidth from them specifically to gain access to content providers on the Net, so they should be grateful those providers are drawing me to the company's services, and not do anything silly like try to charge the providers for the privilege of traversing the wires that lead to my house, which I am already explicitly paying for, or throttle my bandwidth in a way that denies me the use of the bandwidth they agreed to provide in exchange for my patronage. If they have a problem with how I am using my bandwidth or the costs incurred thereby, they can come to me about it.
1a) A strong likelihood that (as long as I don't break any laws) they WON'T have a problem with how I use my bandwidth.
2) A company who believes that the claims they make in the large print of their advertisements and contracts are more important than those in the fine print.
3) A strong likelihood that the company will follow the laws of countries it operates in, including (especially, for my purposes) the US - even when pressured to break those laws by the governments or law enforcement agencies of those countries.
posted by foobario at 3:00 PM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
Lots of good answers above, for me it is all about customer service. I will actually pay more than the lowest rate if I feel confident that I am getting the best customer service for the few extra bucks. Right now I have Comcast for my internet, and I despise. Their customer service is terrible, but my alternatives are equally terrible. The hard part is how you show people that you have awesome customer service BEFORE they have technical difficulties.
Online billing
Online service appointment bookings - I hate talking on the phone, so the more I can do online the better.
Short appointment windows, including weekend appointments
Service techs that show up on time, and that actually care to do a good job and to keep me the customer happy.
Knowledgeable, helpful tech support that are not just minimum wagers blindly following a script.
Everything Jessamyn said.
posted by Joh at 3:01 PM on December 28, 2010
Online billing
Online service appointment bookings - I hate talking on the phone, so the more I can do online the better.
Short appointment windows, including weekend appointments
Service techs that show up on time, and that actually care to do a good job and to keep me the customer happy.
Knowledgeable, helpful tech support that are not just minimum wagers blindly following a script.
Everything Jessamyn said.
posted by Joh at 3:01 PM on December 28, 2010
I gave up cable TV because it simply wasn't worth the money to me. Even though technically I pay more now for just the Internet it's better for me because my employer pays for that.
I did not like being forced to get a digital box. I hate clutter. I do not like multiple remotes. And ultimately, I watched maybe 6-7 channels, yet I was forced to pay for a package of channels that brought zero benefit into my life. Those 6-7 channels were not worth the extra $45+ a month. I already subscribed to Netflix and am a HuluPlus subscriber too. So for less than $20 I get almost everything I really want to see and nothing that I don't.
And I talk to my friends about this. A lot.
So my guess isn't that other like providers are pilfering your client base... I think your client base is evolving away from this type of bundled service.
So you can either rebundle an unthrottled high speed Internet connection with a super basic TV package and barebones (just in case and BTW - unpublished and pre-placed on the Do NOT Call registry) phone number for a reasonable price and offer the add on of a box (through a partnership) like Roku or Boxee AND a DVR or you can completely unbundle everything and go a la carte for each service with your best prices. And make those prices sticky. Don't advertise $39.99 and then have all the fees kick in so the amount owed is really $58.92 - build the fees in and make THAT the marketing punch.
posted by FlamingBore at 3:05 PM on December 28, 2010 [4 favorites]
I did not like being forced to get a digital box. I hate clutter. I do not like multiple remotes. And ultimately, I watched maybe 6-7 channels, yet I was forced to pay for a package of channels that brought zero benefit into my life. Those 6-7 channels were not worth the extra $45+ a month. I already subscribed to Netflix and am a HuluPlus subscriber too. So for less than $20 I get almost everything I really want to see and nothing that I don't.
And I talk to my friends about this. A lot.
So my guess isn't that other like providers are pilfering your client base... I think your client base is evolving away from this type of bundled service.
So you can either rebundle an unthrottled high speed Internet connection with a super basic TV package and barebones (just in case and BTW - unpublished and pre-placed on the Do NOT Call registry) phone number for a reasonable price and offer the add on of a box (through a partnership) like Roku or Boxee AND a DVR or you can completely unbundle everything and go a la carte for each service with your best prices. And make those prices sticky. Don't advertise $39.99 and then have all the fees kick in so the amount owed is really $58.92 - build the fees in and make THAT the marketing punch.
posted by FlamingBore at 3:05 PM on December 28, 2010 [4 favorites]
- Reliable service
- Fair price. Not necessarily the lowest, but should be on par. Rewards for loyalty
- Human, LOCAL tec. support. Voicemail is the enemy of all customers.
- Accountablity and follow-up to issues. Not a stupid email survey after the fact.
posted by Ignorance at 3:09 PM on December 28, 2010
Over the weekend I completely lost patience with leave my small internet/phone/tv provider and just as soon as Canada fires back up again (holiday shutdowns here are absurd), I'm moving to the big provider that I have railed against for years. I'm not sure how you'd best and most creatively go about acquiring new customers but I do know that it's cheaper to keep the ones you already have, so I'll address that.
I set us up with the small provider to avoid the large, faceless corporation and to take advantage of smaller, more direct customer service and to help support the local economy. It's so small that my account number is a mere 6 digits and I get a person on the phone every time I call.
The problem for me is this: because they're smaller and more accessible, I expect better customer service. I have had to call frequently due to outages (and frankly I've been very patient-- after all, I wanted to support the little guy!)-- but instead of apologies for the inconvenience, they act as though my call is interfering with their ability to fix the problem somehow (though it's almost always a hardware issue in our local area). At best, they're dismissive; at worst, they're quite rude. If I have to call you repeatedly about an outage, then you need to be offering me something ($5 off, something for the inconvenience) so that when I get off the phone I no longer feel annoyed. Even better, the arrangement should be this: I pay you every month and you simply provide the services that I'm paying for, and we never have to talk.
In frustration I looked at the big provider's prices/internet speed/tv channel line-up. At my shop/office we are set up with the big guys and two things are noticeable: sure, if I have to call, it's kind of a pain in the ass-- but I almost never have to call, and (though this is probably due in part to our very remote location) I have the direct cell phone number of the company tech support representative for the region (he has a company business card printed for just this purpose), and when I call him, he shows up same- or next-day. At any rate, the big guys simply beat the little guy in every measurable way (speed, channels, pricing), and my loyalty has shifted suddenly and completely because I haven't been treated as a valuable customer on the phone.
I agree with Ignorance and many others above-- but my main point is that as the little guy, you have to give customer service that's above and beyond, and as you scale, don't lose sight of this.
posted by mireille at 3:19 PM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
I set us up with the small provider to avoid the large, faceless corporation and to take advantage of smaller, more direct customer service and to help support the local economy. It's so small that my account number is a mere 6 digits and I get a person on the phone every time I call.
The problem for me is this: because they're smaller and more accessible, I expect better customer service. I have had to call frequently due to outages (and frankly I've been very patient-- after all, I wanted to support the little guy!)-- but instead of apologies for the inconvenience, they act as though my call is interfering with their ability to fix the problem somehow (though it's almost always a hardware issue in our local area). At best, they're dismissive; at worst, they're quite rude. If I have to call you repeatedly about an outage, then you need to be offering me something ($5 off, something for the inconvenience) so that when I get off the phone I no longer feel annoyed. Even better, the arrangement should be this: I pay you every month and you simply provide the services that I'm paying for, and we never have to talk.
In frustration I looked at the big provider's prices/internet speed/tv channel line-up. At my shop/office we are set up with the big guys and two things are noticeable: sure, if I have to call, it's kind of a pain in the ass-- but I almost never have to call, and (though this is probably due in part to our very remote location) I have the direct cell phone number of the company tech support representative for the region (he has a company business card printed for just this purpose), and when I call him, he shows up same- or next-day. At any rate, the big guys simply beat the little guy in every measurable way (speed, channels, pricing), and my loyalty has shifted suddenly and completely because I haven't been treated as a valuable customer on the phone.
I agree with Ignorance and many others above-- but my main point is that as the little guy, you have to give customer service that's above and beyond, and as you scale, don't lose sight of this.
posted by mireille at 3:19 PM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
Three things sold me on a local ISP rather than the major ISPs I used to go with:
posted by astrochimp at 3:20 PM on December 28, 2010
- no contract: unless killer deals come with it, a 12 or 24 month commitment is ridiculous.
- explicit support for linux, with tech support who are more intelligent than the usual turing-machine script readers ("is your computer on?", "what's a linux?", etc.)
- higher bandwidth caps: for the same base price, major ISP was advertising 60gb with $1.00 per 100mb in overage fees, while local ISP was advertising a 200gb cap with $0.25 per 1gb over. I mean, holy shit.
posted by astrochimp at 3:20 PM on December 28, 2010
Regarding Internet traffic, support of Net Neutrality and a promise not to packet sniff/shape. That also includes not caving into the RIAA over 3-strikes and all that jazz.
I'll also echo the Real Tech Support issue. I'm a tech admin for a living, and I cannot stand calling my ISP's tech support where I must go through the "Have you done x, y, and z" prompts when I already know the problem isn't on my end.
I'm not against bandwidth caps per se, but if you do enact them, make them clear. As in, I can log in to your website at any time and see my quota, just like with my cell phone account.
Allow me to host a server under residential accounts (this means don't block incoming port 80, 23, etc). Again, if you want some kind of caps to prevent me going insane with this, I understand- just make it clear! Let me choose how to use that data.
posted by jmd82 at 3:22 PM on December 28, 2010
I'll also echo the Real Tech Support issue. I'm a tech admin for a living, and I cannot stand calling my ISP's tech support where I must go through the "Have you done x, y, and z" prompts when I already know the problem isn't on my end.
I'm not against bandwidth caps per se, but if you do enact them, make them clear. As in, I can log in to your website at any time and see my quota, just like with my cell phone account.
Allow me to host a server under residential accounts (this means don't block incoming port 80, 23, etc). Again, if you want some kind of caps to prevent me going insane with this, I understand- just make it clear! Let me choose how to use that data.
posted by jmd82 at 3:22 PM on December 28, 2010
Here's one for mobile phones I've been aching for. You offer all these fancy incentives like brand new phones to new clients who sign an n-year contract. How about I sign a contract, use a used handset, and you just GIVE ME the money you would have spent on the new handset? I would love to negotiate a cheaper long-term rate but the reps at big places are never authorized to do things like this - it's the packages and bundles, or nothing.
posted by PercussivePaul at 3:31 PM on December 28, 2010
posted by PercussivePaul at 3:31 PM on December 28, 2010
Offer evening and weekend tech support calls. Offer shorter than 8 hour windows. BE THERE ON TIME WHEN YOU HAVE A SERVICE CALL.
posted by jeather at 3:47 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jeather at 3:47 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Internet & cell phone > Cable TV and landline. We moved this fall and ditched the landline and basic cable TV services we had. We haven't missed either.
posted by I'm Doing the Dishes at 4:50 PM on December 28, 2010
posted by I'm Doing the Dishes at 4:50 PM on December 28, 2010
IDK if this is helpful to you or not, but my fantasy company is internet only, both home and mobile, with has excellent, U.S. based, round the clock, voicemail-free tech support/customer service. The techs would be able to help me with my home router as well as my mobile devices, and be able to help me install and use things like SIP/VOIP and internet to TV video streaming. My fantasy company would be able to sell me things like an ATA adapter, a wifi phone, and a Roku-ish type box. Even if the hardware was marked up some, it would be worth it to me to pay more to get that awesome tech support.
Look, phones (not just landlines, but cell phones, too) are on their way out. Google Voice is already here, and free. If you have something like an iPod touch under a wifi cloud, or a 3G iPad, with a GV app or similar, well, that's the future. It's all just data. Really.
So far, sports has managed to say pay TV's bacon, but it is obvious that this won't last forever.
The internet is the future of everything- telephony, radio, television broadcasts, movie distribution, books, everything. It's a pretty efficient distribution mechanism. So if I were in any position at all, I'd morph my company into a dumb pipe, and figure out how to turn a profit doing it.
posted by Leta at 5:09 PM on December 28, 2010
Look, phones (not just landlines, but cell phones, too) are on their way out. Google Voice is already here, and free. If you have something like an iPod touch under a wifi cloud, or a 3G iPad, with a GV app or similar, well, that's the future. It's all just data. Really.
So far, sports has managed to say pay TV's bacon, but it is obvious that this won't last forever.
The internet is the future of everything- telephony, radio, television broadcasts, movie distribution, books, everything. It's a pretty efficient distribution mechanism. So if I were in any position at all, I'd morph my company into a dumb pipe, and figure out how to turn a profit doing it.
posted by Leta at 5:09 PM on December 28, 2010
what potential feature or gizmo or doodad could be bundled with your package that would keep you bragging to your friends about how awesome your services are
By the way, I think this line of thought is where the cable companies have all gone wrong. Many people don't give a crap about getting the most impressive bundle or neatest gizmos or whatever. This is just an excuse cable companies use to charge people more and more for stuff they neither want nor need, and why so many people are abandoning cable TV for things like Netflix and Hulu.
In the end, people just don't want to get ripped off, do want good technical support, and don't want to have to pay for things they know they aren't going to use just to get the few things they do want.
posted by wondermouse at 5:12 PM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
By the way, I think this line of thought is where the cable companies have all gone wrong. Many people don't give a crap about getting the most impressive bundle or neatest gizmos or whatever. This is just an excuse cable companies use to charge people more and more for stuff they neither want nor need, and why so many people are abandoning cable TV for things like Netflix and Hulu.
In the end, people just don't want to get ripped off, do want good technical support, and don't want to have to pay for things they know they aren't going to use just to get the few things they do want.
posted by wondermouse at 5:12 PM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
nthing the ability to pay for the channels you want, and to Hell with the rest. If I could pick 5 channels I really wanted for $30 bucks a month, I'd take it without bothering to think twice over 100 channels for $50 a month. This is because
1) as others have pointed out, my "must have TV" only spans a few channels (The Spanish language ones, to be precise). The rest really won't be missed by the household TV watcher.
and 2) I only have so many dollars to spend. I don't HAVE 50 dollars of discretionary budget to spend --the fact that each channel only costs 2 cents means nothing to me, if I can't afford it, and in fact aggravates me, because I KNOW I don't want them but still have to pay for them.
Better to have no TV than to throw away money I don't have on 45 channels I don't want just to get 5 that I do.
posted by Ys at 6:02 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
1) as others have pointed out, my "must have TV" only spans a few channels (The Spanish language ones, to be precise). The rest really won't be missed by the household TV watcher.
and 2) I only have so many dollars to spend. I don't HAVE 50 dollars of discretionary budget to spend --the fact that each channel only costs 2 cents means nothing to me, if I can't afford it, and in fact aggravates me, because I KNOW I don't want them but still have to pay for them.
Better to have no TV than to throw away money I don't have on 45 channels I don't want just to get 5 that I do.
posted by Ys at 6:02 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Try something really cool with your tech support: a secret password that you give to your high-tech customers that they can use when they call and automatically bypass the scripted level-1 guys. Idea from this xkcd comic.
posted by CathyG at 8:13 PM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by CathyG at 8:13 PM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
what potential feature or gizmo or doodad could be bundled with your package that would keep you bragging to your friends about how awesome your services are?
"It was a flat $X/month and it really was a flat $X/month, no extra charges at all -- and every time I called, I talked to an actual person. They sorted out the issue quickly, there was no language barrier, and they didn't try to sell me anything extra while I was on the phone."
As others have noted. I ditched cable some years ago because nothing I enjoyed was on and ditched the land line because...do people still use those? And now I loathe Bell, my ISP because any little hiccup is a half hour on the phone to India to talk to somebody who I can't understand (invariably the solution is: a new modem will arrive in the mail in two days, and there is never any "And a credit will appear on your bill for these two days"), and I loathe Rogers, my mobile provider, because "How much more than I am paying now would it cost for me to have an iPhone" was, not kidding, two pages of nonsense with no understandable answer to my question, and I wrung the two-page response out of them only after trying to reach them by phone, finding that too frustrating, e-mailing, getting no response, and then Tweeting about that, and getting a response via Twitter.
If I received a little card in my mailbox that stated: the rates of the local big companies for their services, all in; your rates for your services; all in, and promises about your customer service and tech support that were backed by actual guarantees of some sort, I would consider that 'ground-breaking,' and be very excited. $5 credit if you call and are not connected to a real person in under two minutes? Free month of service if your tech support issue is not sorted within 24h! I don't really care what; I just need to know it's for real. It would not matter if your rates were equal to the big providers if the service guarantees were robust enough.
posted by kmennie at 8:15 PM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
"It was a flat $X/month and it really was a flat $X/month, no extra charges at all -- and every time I called, I talked to an actual person. They sorted out the issue quickly, there was no language barrier, and they didn't try to sell me anything extra while I was on the phone."
As others have noted. I ditched cable some years ago because nothing I enjoyed was on and ditched the land line because...do people still use those? And now I loathe Bell, my ISP because any little hiccup is a half hour on the phone to India to talk to somebody who I can't understand (invariably the solution is: a new modem will arrive in the mail in two days, and there is never any "And a credit will appear on your bill for these two days"), and I loathe Rogers, my mobile provider, because "How much more than I am paying now would it cost for me to have an iPhone" was, not kidding, two pages of nonsense with no understandable answer to my question, and I wrung the two-page response out of them only after trying to reach them by phone, finding that too frustrating, e-mailing, getting no response, and then Tweeting about that, and getting a response via Twitter.
If I received a little card in my mailbox that stated: the rates of the local big companies for their services, all in; your rates for your services; all in, and promises about your customer service and tech support that were backed by actual guarantees of some sort, I would consider that 'ground-breaking,' and be very excited. $5 credit if you call and are not connected to a real person in under two minutes? Free month of service if your tech support issue is not sorted within 24h! I don't really care what; I just need to know it's for real. It would not matter if your rates were equal to the big providers if the service guarantees were robust enough.
posted by kmennie at 8:15 PM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
One thing that always sets me off about Verizon is how disjointed they seem. Different parts of their web site look like they were designed in different decades (probably were) and when you call on the phone you find out they can't (or won't) match the same prices that are offered online. Also, you have to be transferred around interminably because the people who deal with "HSI" (aka DSL, I don't know why they can't just call it that) can't deal with FiOS and those people can't deal with local telephone. As a smallish company, hopefully you can do better than them. Have a web site that looks like it was designed within the past year. Have useful information easily accessible on said web site. Have phone representatives who are actually able to discuss and support all of your offerings well, not just one thing halfway decently. Call into your own sales/support lines periodically. I've been amazed at the number of phone menus that are so awful, it's obvious no one from the company has ever tried to use them. (My favorite was one that kept trying to route me to a specific geographic call center based on my area code; apparently no one ever considered that someone might call from a mobile number that doesn't match their physical location.)
One thing that Verizon has done right is to collaborate with DSLReports.com and have a handful of dedicated technical support staff who regularly monitor the forums there and assist customers with problems. This has been great for me on a few occasions when the problem was straightforward and I didn't want to waste time waiting on the phone.
When it comes to specific services, I couldn't care less about TV. I get my fill of content from over-the-air broadcast and downloadable shows. (If I did subscribe to cable or satellite TV, the one thing I would demand: no extra fees for HD! I mean, seriously, that's like a restaurant trying to charge for water.)
I use a cell phone exclusively; no landline. (If I did have a landline: unlimited local and long distance at a competitive rate. Caller ID, call waiting, three-way conference calls, etc. should be included at no extra cost. These are features people get "for free" with a cell phone -- why charge extra for them on a landline?)
That just leaves internet as the only service I'd really be interested in subscribing to. Make your internet competitive: easy-to-understand prices with as few extra fees as possible (zero would be great!) and higher upload speeds (cloud-based backup and sharing sites are becoming more and more popular). Symmetric upload and download would be fantastic, but I understand why that's often not technically feasible. Don't use DNS intercept pages to serve me ads if I mistype a URL. Be communicative about outages and downtime. Set up a Twitter account to post such information; people might be able to check it from their phones or a friend's connection.
posted by Nothlit at 8:23 PM on December 28, 2010
One thing that Verizon has done right is to collaborate with DSLReports.com and have a handful of dedicated technical support staff who regularly monitor the forums there and assist customers with problems. This has been great for me on a few occasions when the problem was straightforward and I didn't want to waste time waiting on the phone.
When it comes to specific services, I couldn't care less about TV. I get my fill of content from over-the-air broadcast and downloadable shows. (If I did subscribe to cable or satellite TV, the one thing I would demand: no extra fees for HD! I mean, seriously, that's like a restaurant trying to charge for water.)
I use a cell phone exclusively; no landline. (If I did have a landline: unlimited local and long distance at a competitive rate. Caller ID, call waiting, three-way conference calls, etc. should be included at no extra cost. These are features people get "for free" with a cell phone -- why charge extra for them on a landline?)
That just leaves internet as the only service I'd really be interested in subscribing to. Make your internet competitive: easy-to-understand prices with as few extra fees as possible (zero would be great!) and higher upload speeds (cloud-based backup and sharing sites are becoming more and more popular). Symmetric upload and download would be fantastic, but I understand why that's often not technically feasible. Don't use DNS intercept pages to serve me ads if I mistype a URL. Be communicative about outages and downtime. Set up a Twitter account to post such information; people might be able to check it from their phones or a friend's connection.
posted by Nothlit at 8:23 PM on December 28, 2010
I used to use Internode, and agree with everything with the singing green stars as our guide said about them. Good people to deal with; was very happy with them.
Then I found Exetel, who offered me much, much more data for the same price* I was paying Internode, and jumped ship. My experiences with Exetel's tech support have been pretty much comparable to those with 'node's - friendly, helpful, competent, polite. I like knowing who I'm talking to. I like their transparency. I like their growth philosophy. I like their support for various conservation projects. I like that they give me a fixed IP address at no additional cost. I like their straightforward billing system. In fact, I like that their whole approach seems to be based far more on no-bullshit engineering than on disguising a lack of basic service competence with marketing smoke and mirrors.
I also get a $25 discount off my Exetel bill for each new customer who quotes my phone number on their signup form. I'm still not sure whether I like that or not, but I haven't been turning it down.
*Sorry.
posted by flabdablet at 8:30 PM on December 28, 2010
Then I found Exetel, who offered me much, much more data for the same price* I was paying Internode, and jumped ship. My experiences with Exetel's tech support have been pretty much comparable to those with 'node's - friendly, helpful, competent, polite. I like knowing who I'm talking to. I like their transparency. I like their growth philosophy. I like their support for various conservation projects. I like that they give me a fixed IP address at no additional cost. I like their straightforward billing system. In fact, I like that their whole approach seems to be based far more on no-bullshit engineering than on disguising a lack of basic service competence with marketing smoke and mirrors.
I also get a $25 discount off my Exetel bill for each new customer who quotes my phone number on their signup form. I'm still not sure whether I like that or not, but I haven't been turning it down.
*Sorry.
posted by flabdablet at 8:30 PM on December 28, 2010
Oh, yes: Exetel charges me $1/GB for excess download data. Last time I looked, Telstra was still charging 15c/MB (yes, that really does come to $150/GB) for excess data, uploads and downloads both counted.
posted by flabdablet at 8:34 PM on December 28, 2010
posted by flabdablet at 8:34 PM on December 28, 2010
Have effective tech support and customer service. Give your customer service and billing reps the ability to refund up to $X without question, and train all the stupid right out of your techs.
What kept me with Speakeasy for so long, despite the higher rate, was that if I called up and said I had a problem, the techs didn't insist I reboot my "Windows machine." If I said I was running Linux, they knew what that meant, and adjusted their troubleshooting accordingly.
As opposed to Big Cable Company support, which will keep insisting you reboot your "Windows machine." I have had to resort to just lying about it ("Yup, it's rebooted. There's that Windows logo now") just to get past that first hurdle on the support tree.
Find good people, pay them well, and expect them to perform well. Then make that a point of pride. "Our tech support ain't idiots!" is the best selling point you can imagine.
Point 2, understand that a lot of people are making cutbacks, both for financial and for time management reasons. Maybe you can offer an ultra-cheap $5/month plan that gives you 1MB internet service, or a mini-basic cable package.
posted by ErikaB at 8:40 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
What kept me with Speakeasy for so long, despite the higher rate, was that if I called up and said I had a problem, the techs didn't insist I reboot my "Windows machine." If I said I was running Linux, they knew what that meant, and adjusted their troubleshooting accordingly.
As opposed to Big Cable Company support, which will keep insisting you reboot your "Windows machine." I have had to resort to just lying about it ("Yup, it's rebooted. There's that Windows logo now") just to get past that first hurdle on the support tree.
Find good people, pay them well, and expect them to perform well. Then make that a point of pride. "Our tech support ain't idiots!" is the best selling point you can imagine.
Point 2, understand that a lot of people are making cutbacks, both for financial and for time management reasons. Maybe you can offer an ultra-cheap $5/month plan that gives you 1MB internet service, or a mini-basic cable package.
posted by ErikaB at 8:40 PM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
I gave up cable TV because it simply wasn't worth the money to me... And ultimately, I watched maybe 6-7 channels, yet I was forced to pay for a package of channels that brought zero benefit into my life. Those 6-7 channels were not worth the extra $45+ a month. I already subscribed to Netflix... So for less than $20 I get almost everything I really want to see and nothing that I don't.This times a thousand.
Honestly, at this point I think it’s too late on the TV front.
The dam is finally starting to burst because of the years upon years that customers have had to deal with crappy service and ever-increasing rates for cable.
It seems people are wising up to the fact that they no longer have to put up with being abused by a buggy-whip company. I think they’re happy to finally be able to DTFMA (and this is how most people view their cable TV provider) and get their TV/movie viewing at 10 bucks a month from Netflix (a company that on it's worst day has 10× better customer service and friendliness than a cable company on it's best day). Good riddance, cable TV.
/rantSo yeah, focus on your internet stuff, but have clear, real-person language, understandable bills. Also, have the pay online page something that is both easy-to-read and pleasant to look at—make your customers feel welcome, not like a number. Also, maybe offer x% off for customers who pay, say, 6 months in advance.
posted by blueberry at 2:52 AM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
I would kill for a faster upload speed on my internet connection. I called AT&T to upgrade my DSL, and they could offer me more downstream bandwidth, but couldn't give me upstream faster than 500kbps or so.
Being able to talk to tech support people who are not obligated to follow a call script, actually know what they're talking about, and believe that the customer does too is a reoccurring fantasy that many tech-savvy people have. I HATE having to answer "is it plugged in?", "is your computer plugged into the router?", "is the correct password entered?", "do you need help installing the modem?", etc, when I've already told them that my setup has has been working fine for 2 years and then suddenly stopped this afternoon. And I've stopped admitting to tech support people that my browser isn't Internet Explorer. It makes their heads explode.
I agree with many people above that TV service is quickly becoming irrelevant. I never subscribed to a cable/satellite/subscription package simply because I wouldn't use it. No problems with the service, but my Youtube/Netflix/Hulu/Amazon VOD/Bittorrent/iTunes is enough for me, and it's cheaper. There simply isn't a way to sell a service that includes TV to me. Sorry, it's true.
My biggest fear about getting IP phone packages has been reliability and 911 service.
posted by Vorteks at 12:06 PM on December 29, 2010
Being able to talk to tech support people who are not obligated to follow a call script, actually know what they're talking about, and believe that the customer does too is a reoccurring fantasy that many tech-savvy people have. I HATE having to answer "is it plugged in?", "is your computer plugged into the router?", "is the correct password entered?", "do you need help installing the modem?", etc, when I've already told them that my setup has has been working fine for 2 years and then suddenly stopped this afternoon. And I've stopped admitting to tech support people that my browser isn't Internet Explorer. It makes their heads explode.
I agree with many people above that TV service is quickly becoming irrelevant. I never subscribed to a cable/satellite/subscription package simply because I wouldn't use it. No problems with the service, but my Youtube/Netflix/Hulu/Amazon VOD/Bittorrent/iTunes is enough for me, and it's cheaper. There simply isn't a way to sell a service that includes TV to me. Sorry, it's true.
My biggest fear about getting IP phone packages has been reliability and 911 service.
posted by Vorteks at 12:06 PM on December 29, 2010
sometype of call management feature like ifbyphone or a virtual PBX type system like grasshopper
this adds value to SMBs and adds an additional revenue stream
posted by schindyguy at 1:19 PM on December 29, 2010
this adds value to SMBs and adds an additional revenue stream
posted by schindyguy at 1:19 PM on December 29, 2010
« Older Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions | I want to play this game again, but don't know... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by amicamentis at 1:54 PM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]