Blog | Impulse

The Problem with Large Scale Communication Companies

Written by Sierra Rose | Aug 21, 2014 7:00:00 AM

We’ve all been stuck on the other end of a frustrating phone call with a customer service representative who is unhelpful, unknowledgeable, or just plain crabby.  However, it’s unlikely that you received treatment worse than Ryan Block recently did while attempting to cancel his Comcast service.  You can listen to the call here, in which a Comcast customer service representative flat out refuses to cancel his service for over eight minutes.  

Recently The Verge interviewed current and former Comcast employees and were told the same story over and over again: “customer service has been replaced by an obsession with sales; technicians are understaffed while tech support is poorly trained; and the company is hobbled by internal fragmentation.”

Unfortunately for millions of cable and internet subscribers, it feels like large scale nationwide companies are their only option for services.  That’s where we come in, Impulse is a local boutique communications company, and we strive to provide our customers with the best customer experience possible.  We have a tight knit, nimble team, which allows us to know many of our customers personally.  They become more than just one of millions, they are a customer with a face and a name. 

While The Verge reports, “Comcast’s splintered organizational structure undermines efforts to improve customer service,” Impulse has a solid structural foundation which allows for efficient, top notch customer service.  Our strategy sessions always start with the question, “how can we make a business more successful by customizing the way they communicate?” and not “how can we save a few pennies while decreasing the customer’s experience?” 

The article goes on to say that the difficulties with large scale communication companies, such as Comcast, are “compounded by Comcast’s heavy reliance on contractors in the US and overseas for everything from billing software to customer service to field technicians…quality control is especially difficult with Comcast’s international call centers.”  At Impulse you will work with a local, knowledgable employee located right here in Santa Barbara. 

Do you have your own customer service horror story?