Yes, you read that right…
Hold on to your hats, because I’ve actually got something good to say about a recent experience I had with a cable company.
Obviously, this is a very qualified Getting CX Right example: Xfinity, historically is one of the worst brands I’ve ever encountered when it comes to CX. Now, I rarely write long-form about negative experiences with brands as I prefer to call out the good when I see it instead of naming names when it comes to CX failures (sure, I’ll write about them, but usually I’ll mask the brand itself). If you read carefully enough, plenty of my examples about what not to do come from dealing with this very brand.
And it’s true: Their digital and over-the-phone support systems and experiences are, frankly, enraging. More on that in a second.
But the other day I paid a visit to my local Xfinity brick-and-mortar location in Silverthorne, Colorado.
After years of being gouged by Xfinity for cable TV and Internet connections (to the tune of three hundred bucks a month), we decided to cut the cord and just go with streaming services. This required a visit to the store to return equipment for the TVs as Xfinity charges their Customers rent, basically, for each set-top box they have…the boxes aren’t yours, they’re Xfinity’s.
Now, the day prior, I’d gone online to search out what my options were as far as TV-less services…how fast is the Internet in Summit County? Can or should I upgrade to a faster service? What’ll be my new monthly fee? Etc. That online digital experience was what I’d come to expect from Xfinity…not unlike oral surgery when it comes to ease, convenience, and comfort. There was no information online; even when logged into my account I couldn’t see what my current services were, let alone what other options were available. Naturally their chatbot was completely useless, and even when I got through to a person to inquire, I was told by their flesh-and-blood chatter that, indeed, the lack of visibility into my own account settings and options was deliberate on their part…that in order to see what my choices are and/or make changes, I’d have to call. And I know what that experience is like.
So, I Googled “Can I make changes to my Xfinity account in person at a store?” (I’d looked all over their website and found exactly zip in terms of information about that pretty straightforward question.) AI told me that, yes, one could do all his account maintenance and make service changes at their location in the strip mall. That may seem like a pretty obvious conclusion to draw, but years of dealing with Xfinity (and that very moment’s frustration with their chat) left what should have been an obvious presumption—that, of course, you can do that in a store—somewhat up in the air. Considering I knew I’d have to make a visit there to drop off equipment anyway, I figured I’d knock out two birds with one stone.
And what a brilliant decision.
I walked into the place on a Friday late-morning and two dudes (I choose that term deliberately…they were very chill, laid-back guys who you’d maybe expect to be working at a strip mall retail cable location during shoulder season in the mountains) were helping a Customer. One of them split off immediately when I walked in and asked what I was looking for. I motioned to the bag in which I’d conveyed my three set-top boxes and remotes and announced I was ready to cut my cord.
Very friendly and efficiently, this guy took me over to his work station, sat me down next to him, and scanned one of my boxes’ QR codes which brought up my account immediately on his screen. No questions asked, he was able to knock the cable TV from my services, inquired if I’d like to upgrade my Internet speed (we’re pretty satisfied with it, and had even been streaming with our Roku boxes for the past few days to test it out, so no need), and informed me that my new bill would be about $125. Yes, about a third of what it had been. He said, “I want to give you an updated modem, too. Just take this one home, follow the instructions, and bring your old one back sometime in the next couple weeks, no rush.” That was easily done and we were passing through there the next day and dropped it off.
The guy was jovial and in great spirits the entire time (and we were jawboning a bit with the other employee and Customer as well), and I was really taken aback by the welcoming and pleasant atmosphere. In fact, as we were wrapping up (the entire experience took all of about five minutes), I said, “You know, if every experience I had with Xfinity were like this, I’d probably not hate your company at all.” They appreciated the levity and good humor with which I’d delivered the ribbing line and even seemed to acknowledge (while of course, not badmouthing their employer) that this experience was not necessarily representative of what most people have come to expect from their brand.
So, kudos to them for sure! Later in the day we were having some wine with friends and I mentioned to them that I’m never using Xfinity’s phone or digital channels again for service or help (I’ll still log on to pay my bill). Whenever I ever need anything from them, I’m going into one of their stores.
As a fitting conclusion to this experience, a day later I received an invitation via text to offer my feedback. Naturally they employ the ridiculous “NPS” question as to whether or not I’d “recommend Xfinity to friends & family.” I gave them a 10. When the response came back inviting me to elaborate, I wrote that I literally had just recommended in-person visits to friends in fact, so the question was actually appropriate in this case. I even mentioned that their other channels could probably learn a lesson from their physical retail locations.
Now as a kicker, and as if they were wanting to actually demonstrate just how bad they are at CX (this awesome experience notwithstanding), the next question texted to me asked if my issue was resolved. I responded “Yes!” and the system immediately and automatically replied with “I’m sorry, we do not recognize that response. Please re-enter your response as ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.” If you’re in CX and don’t laugh at that, you have no heart at all!
