Comcast to Reduce Install Windows

To be fair, the CSR is simply not given the resources to tell the customer where the tech is. Even the most helpful CSRs, and trust me despite the many posts and news stories there are actually CSRs who do care about the customer.

Of course one exploding cable modem or late/noshow tech is sadly worth 10 high quality Techs and CSRs who go beyond just doing things by the book quality.

...especially toward the end of the day. The nature of install jobs are some are easy, some are a PITA. Missing appointments all together is the problem that needs to be solved, not 8-12 or 1-5 vs 8-10, 10-12, 1-3, 3-5. If people are taking the morning or afternoon off work, so long as the job gets done that morning or afternoon I think customers would be plenty satisfied.

All the dispatch tech in the world isn't going to make the previous PITA job go faster.

This ought to be interesting... AT&T has laptops in all trucks and most techs have iPhones or some other smart phone with them and yet they still have four hour windows that are mostly inaccurate (my tech came to my house three hours after the window closed yesterday... and it was a different tech than the one that first called and said he was on the way six hours before).

Unless Comcast finds a reliable and better system than AT&T, I'm not sure if they'll be that much better.

Based on the news article, it seems like they are doing to do dynamic dispatching. That is, a tech won't know where they are going next until they finish the current job. Their laptop/mobile device then tells where to go. This will work but it will probably result in higher transportation costs as techs won't have their tickets geographically planned like UPS/FedEx which determine the best route based on time/distance/taffic/left turn factors. (Yes, I read that UPS tries to plan routes that involve more right turns than left turns for obvious reasons.)

If they don't do this, then perhaps difficult calls will either have a maximum time or they are transferred to a group of "roving" techs who tackle difficult/time consuming tickets. However, I don't think the maximum time thing works to improve customer service.

The problem is that they have no extra personnel that can be dispatched when the dispatched techs get behind. They have a projected workload that needs for example 1000 techs(or whatever actual # is). And they have on staff(and with sub contractors) 1000 techs(not taking in to account sicks & vacations, etc.) and not the 1100 they should have to handle delays and contingencies. And they will do nothing to address that underlying reality because of cost concerns. So the new window system might help a little, but it will do nothing to fix the real problem.

And I feel sorry for the techs. They will be harassed within an inch of their lives to stay on schedule, even though everyone knows that can't happen because of unknowns field workers will encounter.

Amen brother for that last line. I retired from at&t and had a laptop and cell phone in my truck and still was late for repair calls because of unknowns that popped up on jobs. We were given the jobs one at a time but then sometimes had to drive clear across town to try to make the scheduled time. It didn't work then for us (and still doesn't) and it won't work for them.

I cannot count how many times I have had Comcast technicians in my house to repair their service. I finally bought TiVo Premiere DVRs and have had no trouble with them. The Comcast DVRs are nothing but trouble and they use the better of the two major hardware vendors (Motorola/GI). I have also had countless visits related to internet/CDV issues. I now have the Verizon Wireless Home Phone Connect and have had no issues with it, I just never use it because I use my cell phone now most of the time. Most of the time, the techs plug their meter into the line, say the signal is fine, and blame it on outside plant/central office issues and nothing further is done.

I have never had a missed appointment, but have had techs that were late. Some of the late techs are the good techs because they really take their time and are devoted to their work, which is why they're late. I would rather have a late tech who resolves the issue than an early/on time tech that does not resolve the issue and I have to schedule another tech. Sometimes dispatch does not communicate clearly with the techs. When I bought my TiVo boxes, I ordered 2 cable (1 card per box x 2 boxes) cards and the tech (who was a nice guy) only had one cable card and I told him I ordered 2 so he goes and hunts down another truck and gets a card from another tech. One of them was bad so he had to hunt down another truck and gets another card and activated them (which I could do myself without a truck roll) and my TiVo boxes have been trouble free and it's been almost a year now. It seems the Comcast DVRs last about 3-4 months and then crash so another box swap means another truck roll. I hate going into their Springfield office, because it is like going to the Registry of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and you take a number based on the service (equipment, payment, etc). Or I can drive to the Westfield Office (which is the central office/headend) and be in and out. It's just easier to set up a truck roll because the tech can do more than just swap out a piece of equipment. Plus I don't have to waste my gas or time to go to their office constantly replacing defective equipment. As for my Modem, I own it outright so if that goes bad, I just stop by Best Buy and pick up another one (me going to Best Buy is like a kid in a candy store).

"Comcast reduced to installing Windows"...am I the only one that saw it as that, at first glance? I mean, surely SOMEONE there knows Mac and/or Linux
/sarcasm

Comcast could reduce install windows to 0 hours if they would allow all installs to be done by the customer. That includes CableCARD installs which currently require an installer to show up and simply read numbers into a phone.

This is absolutely true. The person on the phone simply has no way of knowing. (I speak from experience.) Whether to criticise the company for not providing that information is another debate; just bear in mind the person on the phone is likely as frustrated as you are.

Also worth noting, because Comcast's support and tech dispatching is generally handled locally, a number of areas have already shortened their windows of time (it's been 2-hour timeframes for the past couple years in my area). Hopefully they can get this rolled out nationwide soon - it can only be a good thing.

I saw it too.

The cable guys are overscheduled and pay pre job just leads to rushed jobs and blow offs.

And some times the windows for working time don't have the time to do a good job or deal with 3-4 bad boxes or cable cards that need to be swaped to find a working one.

Now if the laptops and handheld devices can let the tech do hit's so they don't have to sit on hold to do them that will speed things up.

and the phone people can even do some as easy as telling the cable guy to be a one who knows about cable card / tru2way.

»Tru2way Continuing Comedy of Errors

»Tru2Way Comedy of Errors, Act II

It does not make sense. I think the only time they should require a tech is when they have to connect/disconnect the cable line at the pole or for installing wiring (inside or out). As for equipment, they should let the customer choose between having the equipment shipped to their house, central office pickup, or a truck roll. I prefer the truck roll since I don't have to go to their office (which is like going to the Registry of Motor Vehicle aka the DMV) and you know when the cable guy is going to show up unlike waiting for the UPS courier who is unpredictable. I am more than capable of reading the serial number off of a CableCard and inserting it into a TiVo box.

My appointment last week was a 2-hr window.
The tech rang the doorbell 3 minutes before the appointment, and out the door after 1.5 hrs.
We upgraded to triple play (add digital voice).
He replaced all connectors, from the pedestal to the cables that feeds the modem and MTA.

Easy. If you have 1000 techs, only schedule 800 jobs (or some other number less than the number of techs). If techs get done with ample time, robocall the next day's jobs and see if any are available that day. Or fill them in with unscheduled work orders that were told "as soon as we can get a tech out".

Scheduling and time management isn't unique to just the cable industry.

Companies like WOW! Actually do this. You're given a 2hour window and your tech shows up within that time slot. No problems with it and it works. There is no reason nobody else can do this.

ATT has a contract that states Tech's only have to perform XX amount of jobs during the day/hour,etc. It's a union thing. And WOW! Internet, Cable and Phone already does this.

Problem is they would need to run it like the airlines where they sell more tickets than there are seats. So we would see them booking 1200 jobs and rely on people not being home, techs being faster than scheduled, etc. To do it the other way leaves money on the table and there is no way Comcast is going to do that.

and how are you going to turn on your cable line if the tech doesn't come out and do it? Most lines are disconnected from the pole after a customer disconnects. It's not all IP yet.

NOT always true with pay. If you work for the ACTUAL company you are paid per hour. Only contractors get paid PER JOB. But then again you see the same with DirecTV and Dish Network who use contractors that are paid the same way; and still the same shitty installs- if not worse.

Contractors must buy their own around here.

Maybe that should be the lesson - sell cable service like its cable service, and allow others to bolt-on additional value-added service (like DVR)

or use smart technology to turn on/off the signal at the box, reduce a roll, etc.

the signal is already probably encrypted anyway, so there isn't anything to steal. they could just mail a box to a sub and have them connect the wire. when the box is connected, it sends back a signal which activates the line.

they just need to invest in their infrastructure and get off 20th century truck rolls.

You, sir, are wrong. There is nothing in the contract that states how many jobs are done in the day. The company determines how many jobs are allowed to be taken to be distributed to the techs for the day, irregardless of how many are working that day. The company is the one who makes the commitment to the customer how many repair tickets will get fixed that day no matter what happens and the tech does indeed care ( most of them) about the customer. Ya better get your facts straight before you make statements.

Great, now you will have a shorter wait before you can start using your service to hit your cap.

thats more the dispatch manager toying with what jobs are dynamic dispatched, vs letting the system do its job and ping ur truck via gps, and assign you the job around the block vs across the city/county, while another tech is doing the sam comming to your area and your going to his. places buy these systems then dont let them do what their designed for.

Well that can be handled by a 8a-8p apt the day before the install is due, just like AT&T does if the house used to have phone service, customer has service on the day/night its due, and if it dont work, then truck roll net day to resolve/troubleshoot.

Techinically the customer doesn't need to be home for that. There's no reason for someone to sit at home for 4 hours when all the work is done outside.

DirecTV actualy has kicked out alot of contractors the last 2 years and brought it back inhouse, bought out the company that was farming the jobs out and now the guy that comes in the directv chevy van actualy works for mother DirecTV not a company DirecTV is paying to appear as such.

Easy fix, signa contract stating that if the laptop is lost/stolen the replacement cost is xxx and will be witheld from their check untill paid off of will take 50% of check till paid.