Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Comcast: "I feel absolutely good that we were able to chat together."

Last night when I finally persuaded my husband that my outbound e-mail was "clogged," Craig got on the horn with our service provider. I then watched my dear husband (normally a calm, collected, easy-going guy) turn several shades of aggravated, dealing with the customer service rep. "Yes, my wife works from home and uses e-mail for her business dealings. No, she doesn't routinely send messages to more than 25 at a time, though it does happen from time to time. No, you CAN'T interest me in a business account, when you aren't even servicing this one properly."

Phone went dead, and Craig used a colorful word. Which did the trick: magically, my e-mail service was restored. Until this morning ... When we lost e-mail, cable, and phone all in one fell swoop. This time my DH (who was at work) contacted Comcast through their website, and had the following exchange.

Craig > Our service is all down: Phone, Internet, Digital Cable, and Analog Cable
Charmaine> Hello Craig_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Charmaine. Please give me one moment to review your information. How are you doing today?
Craig> OK
Charmaine> It is a nice feeling to know that you are doing that way, Craig.
Charmaine> I understand that you are having an issue with your Comcast services, is this correct? [Insert head smack here. Well, DUH!!!]
Craig> Yes
Charmaine> We appreciate the time that you're taking to chat in today. Thank you for always making us a part of your day. It is with regret that we inform you of a very temporary interruption on our Comcast services.. However, we are also happy to inform you that we are now currently improving our connectivity. We are doing this to continue our quest for excellence with our services and features enhancement. Please do give us some time while we complete the Upgrade process, rest assured that you will enjoy more your services the time everything is done. Your service will usually be back within 2hours.
Craig> So you're saying that this a planned upgrade? Do you know that for certain?
Charmaine> I am so sorry but it is an unplanned service upgrade, Craig since your services has to undergo a system maintenance to regain connectivity.
Craig> OK it looks like it's back up again.
Charmaine> That's awesome! Is there anything else that you would like me to assist you today?
Craig> No, I'm good.
Charmaine> I have just send hits to your equipment to regain connection. It was a great experience assisting you today. I felt absolutely good that we were able to chat together for your concern.
Charmaine> To close this chat, will it be okay if you click on the "END SESSION" button and proceed with answering our short survey please? Please, Craig?
Craig> OK
Charmaine> Thank you so much for bringing Comcast into your home! Comcast appreciates your business and value you as a customer. If you need further assistance, you can chat with one of our Customer Support Specialists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at http://www.comcastsupport.com. Have a Comcastic day! Charmaine
> Analyst has closed chat and left the room

"Have a Comcastic day!..." She took the words right out of my mouth!

Is it me, or are robots getting a lot smarter -- and friendlier?

3 comments:

Customer.Connect.Melissa said...

Hello!

I'm sorry for the problems you experienced, but I'm glad that you were able to get your issues resolved quickly. If you ever need assistance escalating a problem, please feel free to email our team at We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com. We're here if you need us.

Kind Regards,
Melissa Mendoza
Comcast Customer Connect
National Customer Operations
We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com
@ComcastMelissa

Denise said...

Looks like the customer service dept. is very sensitive to blog posts! I wonder if Charmaine is actually living across the ocean from us and doesn't speak English as her first language. I would think a computer would be programmed with better syntax.

Have you seen the United Airlines customer service post?

Customer.Connect.Melissa said...

Hi Denise,

I work for Comcast Corporate HQ in Philadelphia. Reaching out in social media spaces is just an effort on our part to keep up with the times. In today's technologically driven world, people are more likely to blog or tweet about their problems before they call. It's just another way for us to reach you and try to help out.

Enjoy your weekend, everybody!

-Melissa