In checking the WOW! internal customer service announcement page (the main place our customer service reps go to regularly for helpful information) for a good educational topic to blog about, a blackout announcement was right there on top. There’s a blurb about the Cleveland Indians game with the Chicago White Sox on WGN on August 30th and it occurs to me that football season is upon us. Oh wait a minute while I google it. It’s baseball, not football. Sorry, I’m not a professional sports fan although I do have a special place in my heart for the Colorado Rockies and notice, as I was googling about the other teams, that the Rockies just beat and stunned the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Way to Go Rockies! Most often though, I have a hard time telling one team from another. But, I do know there’s always the start of a professional sports season lurking in the near future, so blackouts are a good topic to refresh everyone on. To do this, I reached way back into our archives to an article that Bob Pech contributed early in the year about blackouts. I thought it was a good one, one that you’d enjoy reading again if you’ve been following our blog, and if you’re new to the site, you’ll enjoy it as well. Click here to read it.
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
The Little Cable Company That Could
Once upon a time (2001) there was a little cable company with about 60 employees that decided to try and climb the hill of success… in spite of a fiercely competitive market with companies that had much, MUCH bigger engines. This little cable company called WOW! said to themselves, ‘We think we can, we think we can… if we can just live up to our name.’
In their first year of business they added internet service to their video products and started hiring and training employees to deliver a ‘memorable experience.’ Lo and behold, many residents started to switch to WOW!. Encouraged by the progress, the little cable company started hiring even more people who held the same core values: Respect, Integrity, Accountability and Servanthood. Business became brisk!
Much to the little cable company’s surprise a large percentage of their NEW customers were a direct result of their CURRENT customers sharing their happy, positive experiences. The company invited their customers to ‘refer-a-friend’ and continued their focus on exceptional service. The little cable company was proud to have employees who made such a good impression, so they made a steady practice of recognizing and rewarding their employees’ outstanding performances. They shared out the annual profits with everyone who worked there.
One day, a customer wrote a complimentary letter that talked about how the little cable company had ‘WOW’ed her’ and POOF! the WOW! Moment was born. Now the little cable company focused on providing WOW! Moments for their customers and for each other. The little cable company added phone as a third primary service, and kept chugging along, hiring really good people with strong, service-oriented values.
Eventually this little cable company grew to be 1300 strong. Over the years they won customer satisfaction awards from famous sources like JD Power and Associates, PC Magazine and Consumer Reports. But the little cable company didn’t take this for granted. Not at all. Always mindful of the bigger engines making noise on the tracks, the little cable company taught its employees that it was an honor and a privilege to serve others. The employees embraced this philosophy and always tried to leave their customers smiling.
Today, the little cable company is planning for its future by looking at the next hill and being fueled by appreciation for everyone who contributes to its success. ‘We think we can, we think we can… ’ As long as we keep our sense of appreciation and stay focused on WOW! Moments, the next hill will never be too big to climb.
Now The Bachelor Pad, What Next?
Tonight we get to witness Ali choosing her husband to be or maybe not. But who cares about that when on last week’s tell all, ABC was hyping up their new series The Bachelor Pad. In Bachelor fashion they are bringing back some of the past seasons notorious bachelors and bachelorettes to duke it out for $250k. Let’s see, men and women stuck in the same bedroom fighting for money will definitely give viewers something to watch.
But what next? Does it ever end? Do we as a viewing public get tired of watching the same stuff season after season with no couple ever getting married with the exception of two?
The jury is out until next week.
Video Servers–TiVo
A couple of years at the NCTA (The Cable Show) I spent some time in the TiVo booth, talking with representatives of the company on how they were moving their product forward. At the time, I was struck by the elegance of their on-screen GUI, the intuitiveness of their remote, and in general, the direction the company seemed to be heading. Like the SA/Cisco DVR, a TiVo box is not a server in the classic sense of a DLNA based system, (more of a client really), but, like AppleTV, can function as a server for a single video system. TiVo has enough uniqueness that I feel it bears some discussion here.
TiVo is representative of an increasing trend where video consumers purchase hardware that allows access to a number of digital video and music sources; i.e., cable, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, etc. TiVo can function as a classic DVR, with the full feature set associated with that device. But in addition, all of the new TiVo products are internet savvy, which allows access to popular digital sources available on the internet as well.
One of the most controversial aspects of TiVo is the monthly subscription fee, which, unlike cable video services or Netflix, does not buy access to any content. It only buys access to the programming guide which is tightly integrated into the DVR system. Cost per month varies from about $12.95 to a little under $7.00, depending on how long a contract is chosen. Without the service contract, according to TiVo, the box “will have very limited functions…the only thing you would be able to do is record live TV.” Basically a paperweight…
While as mentioned before, the box (currently the Premiere® or the Premiere XL®) is well designed generally, there are a few goofy things that should have been anticipated by the company. For example, it lacks a built-in 802.11n network access point, and, if you want the internet enabled features over wireless, you must plunk down another $90 for the external adapter (another wired goober to hide somewhere). If you have wired ethernet near your video set up, no problem. But this is a design flaw that the company should have anticipated with its new set top design.
Most of the folks I have talked to that have the TiVo service think it’s great–it enhances the experience from cable, Netflix, and other video services. The TiVo system does have a 30-day money back guarantee.
As we have covered some of the new generation HD sets available, it appears that many of them are incorporating internet savvy applications to access video content from a number of sources. I’m anxious for the day when it will be possible to interface an external hard disk to the TV, and DVR functionality would then be part of the set’s interface. That may not be that far off.
In the meantime, TiVo is a viable option out there to increase access to and usability of digital content in a sophisticated home theatre set up. Whether it’s precisely the best alternative for you (as a video server or client) depends on your needs and tastes.
Until next time….
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