Archive for December, 2009

Don’t Neglect Me

In: Education

By: Barbara Kubereit on Dec 25, 2009 at 7:00 am

It took Grey’s Anatomy and Hell’s Kitchen to be on the same night and time for me to consider switching away from satellite dish,dsl, and a traditional phone  line to a single cable provider.   Finally, getting a DVR became a “can’t live without” service.   Up until then, not price, features, or any kind of fancy equipment could compel me to switch providers.  No, I’m not disloyal to WOW! I live in Colorado so I can’t get WOW! Services.  I wish I could.

When I decided to switch to cable, like so many of you, I chose a three product bundle that includes phone service, switching away from a traditional phone line with a few features to a voip phone line with  lots of features.  I’m not that into features and didn’t give them much thought until I had a crisis.

I had some important news to share with my two sisters but was pressed for time.  I was practically on my way out the door but wanted to call them first to give them my news.  It occurred to me then, that if my local cable provider was anything like WOW!, I may have 3 way calling.  If I did have it, I thought, I could talk to both of my sisters at the same time and still make it out the door on time.  I thought I’d give it a try, just to see what happened.

  • Dialed first sister’s number and explained what I was doing.
  • Pressed Flash button.
  • Heard, beep, beep tone, then dial tone.  (So far so good.)
  • Dialed second sister’s number and explained what I was doing.
  • Pressed Flash button, said “hello, hello” and all three of us were connected!
  • Gave them my good news.
  • Made it out the door on time.

The message here is, try 3-Way calling if you haven’t done so already.  It’s not a feature to be neglected.  It will save you time, is easy to use, and it’s included in your phone service at no additional charge.  The best thing about 3-way calling is relational.  If you have two best friends, two brothers or sisters, two children, or just two special people to share conversation with in a limited amount of time, you don’t have to chose one over the other.   You can talk to both of them at the same time.  Go ahead.  Give it a try.  Use 3-way calling and let me know how you like it!

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Quality, The WOW! Way.

In: Customer Experience & Support

By: Bill Wright on Dec 24, 2009 at 8:00 am

The Columbus Quality Check Team goes above and beyond to ensure each and every new installation is performed in a manner that exceeds new WOW! Customer expectations. This is one of the many differences that sets us apart from the competition and leaves a positive impression on our subscribers. This collective effort makes our new customers feel at ease having our professionals in their home to complete their installation in a friendly and efficient manner. Our Quality Check Process starts from the moment the installation begins when the technician introduces him or her self to the customer and provides the local Executive Customer Advocate’s contact information. This provides a means for new customers to express any concern they may have during and after the installation. All feed back from our new customers are taken in to great consideration and we utilize every resource to care for any issue that may arise during this “Moment of Truth”. Should an issue arise after installation, the Quality Check Team is in place to identify, accept, and care for the issue. As we anticipate our customer’s wants and needs in advance, our Quality Check team goes back to a large percent of our new installations to make sure the tangible aspects of broadband installation are well executed. For example the routing and placement of the service drop, remotes programmed correctly, proper wiring installation, general workmanship, and clean up in and outside our customer’s home. The QC Team also makes sure the intangible aspects are cared for as well. This includes making sure our customers know how to use their services, and listening to and reacting on overall impression of their WOW! Experience. The extra steps we take before, during, and after the installation, often leaves new WOW! subscribers compelled to share this positive experience with their family and friends. Paying attention to detail and swiftly turning less than ideal situation in to a positive memorable experience is what the WOW! Quality Check Team is all about!

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Contrast Ratio in HDTV

In: Technology

By: Steve Stanfill on Dec 23, 2009 at 8:00 am

We’ve talked generally about how LCD HDTV has improved substantially over the last few years. One of these specification improvements is contrast ratio, expressed as “xxxxxx:1. It is an expression of the difference between the “brightest white” and the “blackest black” that a display can muster. Over the past few years, set specifications have improved considerably in this area, and most would agree that newer LCD sets are indeed more capable of displayed greater contrast detail than they were a few years ago.

The problem is that the published specification itself has become almost meaningless. Set manufacturers have created a numbers game, some claiming a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 or more. Some years ago, a very good panel set would publish a contrast ratio of 1,000:1; now that same television would likely sport a specification of 20,000:1 or greater, simply because manufacturers have changed the way in which they measure this specification in the race to win against competition. The only real “standard” out there is a ANSI based test using a checkerboard pattern like that displayed here and a standard testing procedure to measure performance in this area–a completely valid test, but one which produces numbers that are much lower than the present competitive market will bear.

I haven’t run into any consumer quality manufacturer who publishes the specifications associated with this standard test much anymore; They typically use self defined standards like “dynamic contrast ratio”. What does that mean? It means that the set manufacturer is publishing a specification that is essentially meaningless, and inflated relative to the sets actual ability to perform in this area.

Just for illustration, one of the world’s most popular professional digital cinema projectors, the Christie CP2000 DLP Cinema, has a contrast ratio rating of only 500:1 ANSI, and, it produces a very good image, with very subtle differences in grey scale and color. The specification here that is perhaps most telling is that Christie claims the ability to produce over 35 trillion colors/levels of grey on screen. This projection system is widely deployed in cinema theatres throughout the world.

The point is this. In this particular, trust your eyes to make the judgement on the ability of the HDTV to produce a lifelike picture with as much detail as possible, and contrast between black and white. Choosing one HDTV over another based on the difference in published contrast ratio alone wouldn’t be prudent in the current environment.

There are signs that some manufacturers are “wising up”. Several have stopped publishing a contrast specification altogether, acknowledging the numbers game is counter productive. I applaud that approach–a better one would be to consistently use the ANSI standard for this specification to allow true comparisons between sets. But even then, the eye really is a much more sensitive and accurate device in determining ultimate picture quality.

On another subject, it is the wish of the Technology Team at WOW! that all of you have a very peaceful and joyous Holiday Season.  Best Wishes to you and yours.

Steve Stanfill

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Culture for the Cable Guy?

In: Culture

By: Sherry Zachary on Dec 22, 2009 at 6:15 am

Why would a cable company include a section about culture on their blog? Perhaps because within the company there is heartfelt commitment to the philosophy that satisfied, engaged, and appreciated employees will create happy, satisfied, loyal customers and ultimately the company’s success in a competitive service industry. When it proves to be true, it is worth talking about.

Respect, Integrity, Accountability and Servanthood are the core values by which WOW! manages its strategies and its day-to-day operations. They are the framework of our culture. Here’s how WOW! defines them:

Respect : Treating others as you wish to be treated
Integrity: Choosing correctly between right and wrong
Accountability: Owning your part of any situation and working toward a solution
Servanthood: Embracing the attitude and honor of serving others rather than being served

People who embrace these values at a personal level are attracted to WOW! …and are successful at WOW!.  Those who do not, are not.

What does it mean to live by these values in an employment situation? It means WOW! fosters a Servanthood perspective in an environment that is respectful and holds people accountable. Who do we serve? First we serve our customers. Therefore, the most important employees at WOW! are the people who interface directly with them. The rest of the employees at WOW are there to serve and support those front-line employees.

WOW! has a unique organization structure that demonstrates the interdependency and support status of all departments; it shows how we serve the employees who serve our customers. We call this our Internal Service Structure and it is the brick and mortar to the core-value framework of our business.

Would you call these statistics indicators of a successful business?
- 22 consecutive quarters of customer growth
- 37% new customers from existing customer referrals
- 10 J.D. Power & Associates Customer Satisfaction Awards in the last five years
- 5 consecutive years of profit sharing distribution to employees
- 94.3% overall employee satisfaction

These truly are measures of success and the leadership team at WOW! is convinced our culture drives such performance. Our commitment to Servanthood means we don’t assume basic compensation, decent benefits and a safe work environment for employees will cause them to happily exceed customers’ expectations. Our culture seeks to value, nurture and reward the human spirit – recognizing that employees are people first and wage-earners second in the hierarchy of their needs. We work hard to recognize accomplishments, reward performance and appreciate when someone goes above and beyond. We create opportunities to have fun at work. Most importantly, we encourage everyone in the company to do these things for each other.

The business indicators listed above are only one measure of our success. We get literally hundreds of customer compliments and ‘atta-boys’ every month. Our customers and our employees are passionate about ‘The WOWWay’ of serving and our mantra has become ‘It’s not what we do, it’s how we do it.’ Employees are proud to represent WOW! and customers are anxious to brag about their service experiences, or WOW! Moments as we like to call them.

So that’s why we have a category for ‘Culture’ on our blog. Future articles in this space will include stories that demonstrate our Core Values and our commitment to Servanthood… because these are what make us a successful little ‘David’ to our competitor ‘Goliaths.’

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My Holiday Movie Favorites

In: Entertainment

By: Melissa Mondro on Dec 21, 2009 at 9:41 am

Looking for a holiday movie to watch with the family this holiday season but not sure what to watch?  Whether you are looking for a hardy classic or one with a modern twist, my list has something for everyone to enjoy.

 A Christmas Story (1983)

Put away the iPods and game systems and reflect upon simpler times where nostalgia reigns supreme.  Many can relate to this special story of a boy who is on a quest to persuade all those around him that a Red Ryder BB gun is the perfect toy to receive for Christmas.  As the story unfolds, the joys of the family dysfunction and irony in this post World War II humorous tale will delight all.  After watching this enduring comedy, it will definitely spark some good conversations about Christmas past, present and future.

 Home Alone (1990)

Stuck at home this holiday season?  Why not live through the McCallister’s who decide to take the entire family to France for Christmas.  Oops, did I say the entire family?  Not quite.  They forgot their eight-year old son, Kevin at home.  He’s left alone in a big house without realizing that a pair of burglars has set their sights on robbing his family’s house.  Watch Kevin do his best to outwit the bumbling burglars.

 It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

This movie has stood the test of time and for good reason.  It depicts what the real meaning of the Christmas Spirit is all about.  George Bailey is a good man who sacrificed his dreams to establish his roots in his hometown.  He falls on some hard times which lead to some hard decisions to be made.  George is visited by Clarence, a visitor who shows him what life would be like if he did not exist.  I saw this movie for the first time last year (shocker especially since it is played every year on the major broadcast networks) and cried like a baby.  Gather your family and friends and watch this beautiful story unfold before your eyes.

 Elf (2003)

Who says an elf can’t be six-feet tall?  One Christmas evening, Buddy, a human child, is accidentally transported to the North Pole when he happens to crawl into Santa’s toy sack.  He grows up being groomed as an elf but always felt like he just didn’t fit in.  One day he has a revelation and decides that he must find his real father.  Will Farrell is a perfect fit in this family comedy.

 Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Do you believe in Santa Claus?  Doris, a single mother and a Macy’s store supervisor, finds the perfect job applicant to play Santa this year.  He mysteriously goes by Kris Kringle, takes up residence with her smitten neighbor and talks about being the real Santa.  Talk about taking your job a little too seriously!  Kris has everyone’s best interest at heart by playing matchmaker and winning over Doris’ skeptical daughter.  Reality tries to spoil it by proving that Kris may be legally insane.  Will he prevail?  Watch this classic for a surprise ending.

There you have it, my top five holiday movies.  It was very tough narrowing it down to just five but these are my must see.  I would love to hear your favorite movies that you and your family enjoy during this time.

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