COVID-19 has shaped how people engage with customer service in profound and long-lasting ways. It’s no surprise that more people than ever are turning to contact-less, digital options for quick and effective support and troubleshooting – and it’s a trend that is here to stay. A recent survey of consumers* shows:
42 percent of consumers say they’re using digital channels more frequently to engage with customer service than they did prior to COVID-19.
Roughly 2 in 3 consumers who have had a customer service engagement since March 10 have become more comfortable using digital customer support.
Nearly half of those that have engaged with customer service since March 10 expect to use digital channels more frequently post-COVID-19.
Xfinity Assistant is an always-on digital customer service platform available across all of our products and services that helps customers get personalized, quick, guided help.
At Comcast, we see millions of interactions happening every day with our customers. The need for simple, digital solutions has never been more important, and our multi-year investment in digital platforms and capabilities are paying off.
At the heart of our digital customer service experience is an award-winning platform called Xfinity Assistant, which is available across all of our products and delivers personalized solutions to each of our customers.
It’s available 24-7 to answer questions – saving our customers time so they don’t need to stop what they’re doing to call us. And if for some reason the Xfinity Assistant can’t give customers the answer, it will get them to an agent who can. Or, customers can schedule a virtual hold “call back” or “text back” so they can avoid hold times and quickly get a call or text back when an agent is available.
Common questions and commands:
- What’s my WiFi password?
- When is my appointment?
- Reschedule my appointment.
- Restart my cable modem.
- Pair my remote to my TV.
- Why is my bill different from last month?
- Why is my internet slow?
- When will my xFi pods arrive?
Today, the Xfinity Assistant is helping our customers about 400,000 times every day, compared to before COVID-19 when it averaged about 60,000 interactions a day – demonstrating the incredible demand for digital solutions. It is available across X1, Flex, the xFi app, Xfinity.com, MyAccount, Facebook Messenger and more, giving our customers choice in how and where they want to contact us. Additionally, our customers can text, chat, or call us for support.
400,000
Customer interactions daily
Customers who use the Xfinity Assistant, and other digital options, report higher satisfaction
We have seen a 445 percent increase in the use of Xfinity Assistant during COVID-19 and digital troubleshooting on Xfinity.com is up 83 percent. But most importantly, our efforts around enhancing our digital support solutions are driving a measurable improved customer experience:
82%
Customers who used a Xfinity digital channel in April successfully got the support they needed without talking to an agent over the phone.
60%
Increase in customers downloading our xFi app.
+20
20-point increase in customer satisfaction when activating their internet service through our digital tools.
We have also increased proactive text messaging for our customers, including for some service interruptions and its anticipated repair time. Trials show that customers appreciate the transparent and timely information, with more than 99 percent of customers opting to continue receiving the messages.
COVID-19 has also inspired our teams to create new digital ways to solve for customers’ needs.
As social distancing took hold in the US, protecting customers and employees from unnecessary in-person contact became a top priority for Comcast. We limited technician interactions in customers’ homes, and are piloting flipping our technician business model by taking a role that is always on the road and adjusting it so our technicians could serve customers from the safety of their homes.
In just 30 days, our developers designed, prototyped, and piloted a new virtual technician experience. Partnering with Twilio, a cloud-based communication platform, customers can now interact with a Comcast technician to troubleshoot and repair their connection using only the camera on their smartphone. There’s no need for the technician to ever step foot in the customer’s home.
Since mid-April when we launched the pilot, thousands of customers have used our virtual technician experience, and we are seeing an average 4+ star rating out of 5 for customer experience. This solution provides a quick, seamless and virtual solution to ensure the safety of both our customers and technicians.
