The New York Times has a story about the escalation of the turf wars going on around the USA between the cable MSO's and the Telcos.
The issues, that both sides seem to think are intentional, are more than likely one more example overall of the declining concept of customer service and craftsmanship that is impacting the USA overall.
We need better customer service and a more, professional approach to field forces in order to see the Communications industry really shine. The methodical dismantling of the Communications Workers of America by Ma Bell (and her stepchildren and mistresses) since 1982 has clearly provided an entree for less skilled workers. The ever declining union base in the USA has also contributed to this, but both sides created this problem. Labor got too militant, and a management moved in directions which made unions redundant in many places.
At the level it is now in the industry, customer service is essentially a compilation of empty promises - there simply aren't enough cable technicians to service the needs of everyone who uses cable. This might not be the case for long however, over builders like WOW!, satellite companies like Dish and DirecTV as well as Telco's IPTV... are chinking away at the cable industry's armor... cable companies are taking heed of the role customer relations plays in creating customer loyalty. As consumers take note of the sparse differences in technological capability between the competitors vs. the drastic differences in customer service, many people who've been burnt by bad customer relations will be switching to and sticking with the company that provides the best service.
Posted by: BATMANNConsulting | November 28, 2006 at 09:16 PM