Author Profile

Bill Wright

Bill Wright

I started with WOW! , in February 2001, as a T2 (technical support) with about 25 others in the call center. Those 25 included: T1, T2, Management, HR, NOC and the SVP. After 6 months and the purchase of Americast Cable, I was promoted to the position of T2 supervisor. At that time, I was the only T2 supervisor. I spent 4 years in that position and when the opportunity arose, I moved into the position I currently hold as the CEO Customer Advocate.

As the CEO Customer Advocate, my duties include: Listening to customer concerns and the resolution, responding to government agencies (FCC, Attorney General, PUC, BBB, etc.) and monitoring various websites for possible issues. My additional duties include assisting with the training and coaching of our Escalation Line Customer Care Reps and the coordination of visitors to the Customer Care Center.

Interests:
• Family
• Traveling

Random Fact:
I have visited more countries than states
o States – California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, Iowa, New Mexico
o Countries – Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Sicily, Mexico, Tunisia

Bill Wright's Blog Posts

For Your Convenience…

Every company has a buffer between the customer and management. This is not to make matters worse, it is typically in place to better help the customer.

At WOW!, we empower our Escalation Line personnel to take care of just about any need of the customer, as if they were the supervisor or manager. These individuals go through an extensive training program which they are coached on: Active listening, Empathy and Negotiations as well as a series of general communications skills.The individuals you would be speaking to are hand picked, from upper management, because of their all around abilities to help our customers.

There are policies and procedures that need to be followed by everyone in the company and there is still an escalation chain. Not to say that everything can be resolved by one of our Escalation representatives but most issues can. Give them a chance and you may be surprised how quickly any question you may have is answered.

0 comments
In: Customer Experience & Support September 2, 2010 at 9:05 am

Why do our employees love working here?

Good question, glad I thought of it :) . It all starts with the hiring and screening process. The HR department does an extremely thorough job of making sure the candidates for hire, fit in with the culture that WOW! has established. This doesn’t mean that the potential employee needs to be overly qualified for the position but it means that the attitude they bring will also fit in.

After the decision is made for hiring the individual, the next step would be on to the training department. The energy this team brings is contagious. Every class they are involved in, are always very upbeat and keep you focused on the subject for that particular day. While passing the training room in the hall, I can always feel the energy that is coming from that room. Once in a while ( ok, quite a bit) I will come by to just sit and listen to the class and absorb the energy. I can tell you this: If you are ever tired and run down, go by the training room and your whole attitude will change for the better.

When the training is complete, the individuals are assigned to the suitable supervisor in their appropriate departments. The supervisor’s job is to take these newly developed people and mold them into a lean, mean helping machine. The individuals are continuously coached on policies and procedure as well as new products and services available. The job of the supervisor is not only to be the developer but also to ensure their individuals are taken care of physically (i.e. the ergonomics of the desk they are in, height of the chairs, etc…) and remain enthusiastic about the job.

The turn-over rate for a call center is typically very high, while the WOW! centers are very low. I have seen people leave from here, to find that greener pasture and return almost immediately. Stating they didn’t know how well they had it until they left. No matter what department the newly hired are assigned to, the result s are the same: Create an experience that lives up to our name, WOW! and have a great time doing it.

0 comments
In: Customer Experience & Support August 26, 2010 at 8:26 am

We want to know what’s right for you

   Have you ever been sold something you really didn’t need? Or find out after you bought the item that you really couldn’t afford it but was told that you “had” to have it? Well, you won’t have those problems here at WOW!.

  The WOW! Sales staff understands that not ever customer’s needs are the same. They also understand that the economy has not been the best lately, as well. The WOW! sale staffs are not only trained on the product knowledge but also how to “Right-Size” the customer to what they need. If you are only using the High Speed Data for checking your email, you probably do not need the fastest speed of service. Or if your idea of watching TV consists of the local channels, then a premium package may not be for you.

  When you call in to order new service, or change your existing service, let the sale staff know what your needs are and they will make sure that services you buy are the “Right-Size” for you. A salesperson is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling: 866-496-9669

0 comments
In: Customer Experience & Support August 19, 2010 at 8:00 am

The WOW! Customer Experience

  I have had the pleasure of working with this wonderful company since before we had a single customer.  My job, as the CEO Customer Advocate, is to listen to issues and concerns of our customer’s and resolve them if possible. I correspond with the BBB, FCC, Attorney General and the Public Utilities Commissions, as well as taking calls, emails and letters directly from our customers’. Our philosophy has always been to treat the customer with the utmost respect and we will keep them forever. This philosophy has made WOW! the winner of numerous awards in our areas of interest:
  http://www.jdpower.com/telecom/ratings/high-speed-internet-service-provider-ratings/north-central

  Recently, I have had the displeasure of hearing a few customers stating they are not being treated the way they once were.  This is unacceptable to WOW! The reason that WOW! has been successful is due to the “Customer Experience” we provide.  These concerns, no matter how small in figures they may be, are very upsetting to WOW! as a whole and to  me personally.

   I would love to hear back from anyone who feels that their experience has been anything less then what they expected from WOW!  and what WOW! could do to make it better.  Your concerns are our concerns.

2 comments
In: Customer Experience & Support August 12, 2010 at 10:07 am

A Day in the Life of a WOW! Lead Dispatcher

The last group, in the Day in the Life series, is another “behind the scenes” department, here at WOW!  It is the WOW! Dispatch department. This group will interact with the external, as well as internal, customers directly to ensure their concerns are addressed promptly.
I was able to get a few questions answered by one of our Lead Dispatchers, Deanna, and here is what he had to say:

• Tell me what a typical day in the life of WOW! Dispatcher is like?

Deanna – It’s running reports and reflecting on how well or not so well we do on a daily basis so we may improve as individuals and as a team. It’s maintaining an empathetic point of view when customer service calls into push in more work and finding someone to help the customer as soon as possible. It’s communicating openly with teammates and sups so we are all aware of who’s working on certain projects, who can help if needed and who would not be available to help.  It’s making calls to customers to trouble shoot issues to try to save a truck roll. It’s tons of small tasks that make our department a large asset to this company.

• What are the tools you have available to do your job?

Deanna – We have tools such as the Modem upgrade tool, Alopa, Task Manager, Tech Grid, Telephony Ops chat tool and business chat tools to help us trouble shoot work orders.

• What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Deanna – It’s coming to work knowing a lot is going to get accomplished. It’s a series of multitasking, keeping a great attitude not only for us but to help the technicians who are usually swamped with work & have us call them to add on more to it.

• What training do you have to go through to do your job?

Deanna – We go through WOW!’s billing system) Basic training, telephony training, customer service training and there are also National Cable Television Institute (NCTI)courses available.

• What’s the most asked question you get?

Deanna – Can Dispatch push in a customer’s appointment today that is already scheduled out for another day and time
I hope you have enjoyed the “Day in the Life” series. Unfortunately, I was not able to interview everyone that makes a difference around here. There is so much going on to make sure our customer’s are recieving the best experience possible.

Have a wonderful day!!!

1 comment
In: Customer Experience & Support August 5, 2010 at 11:22 am

Bill Wright's Recent Comments

  1. I am so sorry you had such a bad experience with members of our WOW! team. I would like to discuss that further , if you have the time.
    There is an “opt-out” option on the search page, for customers not wanting to be redirected. Once you opt out, you would see an error message instead of the website suggestions. Let me know if you need any assistance.

    In Customer Experience and Support posted December 15, 2009 at 10:54 am

  2. Raising rates is not something we want to do. WOW! takes many variables into consideration before any increase to our customer’s is made. For example, the use of the Internet has increased over the last few years, with the popularity of online video and downloadable content. Also, with the amount of bandwidth consumed, combined with the ongoing improvements to our network, are also contributing factors. WOW! does everything it can to not pass these costs back to the consumer, but the reality is, operating expenditures do increase
    I hope you will understand that WOW! will always do its best to balance the needs of our customers as well as the costs of doing business.

    In Supporting WOW! Customers posted January 12, 2010 at 2:01 pm

  3. Thank you so much for the positive comments. I am very glad you enjoyed the article.

    Bill

    In Creating A WOW! Employee posted May 21, 2010 at 9:46 am

  4. Thank you for the wonderful comments! It makes me happy to know that you are happy. I will take your suggestion directly to the source and see what we can do to make us better.
    Have a wonderful day!!
    Bill

    In The WOW! Customer Experience posted August 16, 2010 at 2:39 pm