Amazon has teamed up with Comcast to offer various tiers on its newly minted "Amazon Cable Store."
So far Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is the only cable operator listed in the Amazon Cable Store, but Amazon looks as though it's leaving the front door open for additional service providers to join in. (Because I live in Charter's footprint, none of the Comcast tiers listed on Amazon are available in my area.)
The bundles include broadband-only packages, Internet plus TV and Internet, TV and phone services, all of which are supported by a dedicated customer service team at Comcast.
The Comcast customer service agents for the Amazon tiers are based in call centers in Spokane, Wash., and Tucson, Ariz. Comcast said those customer service agents were specifically trained to handle all Amazon-related customer service interactions from sales and billing to installation and follow-up. Comcast also said they would work across all communications channels including phone, email, chat and social media.
The Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) pricing is the same as Comcast's existing sales channels, but Comcast said the Amazon bundles were another step in its effort to transform the customer experience.
"Amazon is not only the biggest online retailer and a place where millions of our customers shop every day, but it's also a brand that's unrivaled when it comes to customer service," said Charlie Herrin, executive vice president of customer experience for Comcast Cable. "Amazon's new marketplace provides an immersive online destination to showcase our terrific suite of products, including Xfinity X1."
Comcast promoted Herrin two years ago to his current position after several customer service incidents went viral, including one where a customer service rep initially refused to discontinue service at a subscriber's request. While those customer-service issues did give Comcast a black eye during the same timeframe as when it was attempting to purchase Time Warner Cable, they also led to the nation's largest ISP and cable operator improving its customer service efforts. (See Comcast on Service: Why It's Different Now.)
— Mike Robuck, editor, Telco Transformation