"Sure, we'll be there between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. Thank you for your business."
OK, so the quote above is a bit of an exaggeration but if you're a cable customer you get the idea. Cable isn't exactly a business known for its timeliness or perfect customer service. Although, I will tell you this. I'm a Time Warner Cable costumer and they came on a Sunday two weeks ago and the "cable guy" showed up exactly when he said he would and even confirmed with a call 15 minutes before he showed up. It was great.
But, the cable and paid TV industry is frequently slammed for long wait times and generally crappy service. Some of the criticism is justified.
Time Warner, though, as I noted above has been pretty good and is out to make even bigger changes with ALL of its service and installation appointments now happening within a one-hour appointment timeframe.
That's right, Time Warner Cable customers in Wisconsin, the company says, should now enjoy some of the shortest waits in the home service and delivery industry.
"Our customers have better things to do than sit around and wait for cable service and installation," said Marci Pelzer, senior director of communications Time Warner Cable. "One-hour appointment windows are one more way Time Warner Cable is making life simple and easy for customers."
"Our 1,000 techs, engineers and customer service employees across Wisconsin listened to the needs of our customers and worked together to make this happen," said Pelzer in a news release. "There is a great sense of local pride that we are giving back precious time to our friends, families and neighbors."
In addition to offering shorter service windows at no extra charge, Time Warner Cable now estimates approximately how long it will take to get the job done. Seems basic. But, it's never been done. Great idea.
The first appointment of the day begins at 8 a.m. with the last appointment arriving at 7 p.m. Time Warner Cable service technicians also perform installations and service calls on Sundays (as they did for me) and holidays.
So, tell me, have you tried this new one hour service?
Let us know via the talkbacks.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
