Chandler’s ‘Cable Guy’ tunes into his community
By Riley Gay
Dan Newham loves his job. But, then again, who wouldn’t?
He can live and work in one of the best places in the country. He has a job that’s on the cutting edge of communications and information technology. And he works with local governments to get directly involved in programs that benefit his community.
Yes, it’s a dream job, all right—even if it is in an industry the public typically loves to hate.
Newham works for Cox Communications, one of those companies people tend to think of as a monopoly that’s uninvolved in its community and insensitive to its customers’ gripes about service.
From Newham’s point of view, such perceptions couldn’t be further from the truth.
As to the idea of Cox being a monopoly, the characterization no longer applies, he points out.
With Qwest, Sprint, AT&T and DirecTV offering similar services, there’s plenty of competition for the area’s TV, Internet and phone subscribers.
As to the level of service Cox provides its customers, Newham says he sees it improving practically daily, with new programs on the horizon to help minimize customer complaints.
On top of that, he says, the company has a number of new services on the drawing board, all of which keep him excited about the future.
Newham’s trek to technology followed a more or less conventional path.
He came to Cox three and a half years ago from General Motors after being impressed with the company and enthusiastic about the prospect of living in the Valley. Those factors made it an easy career decision. He promptly bought a home in the Kyrene Corridor, he said, and has never regretted his decision.
A senior government relations liaison for Cox, Newham helps ensure that the company remains a good neighbor to the areas it serves. So far, he says, it has been.
“Cox really is a part of the community,” he says.
To demonstrate its commitment, Newham says, Cox has initiated or is involved in a variety of programs that benefit the community in the areas of health and education, as well as through sponsorship of a number of civic and cultural programs.
“In fact, what I like most about my job”, he says, “is being involved with the various community programs—especially those aimed at kids.”
Newham also likes the product his company provides—a package of communications, entertainment and data components including TV, broadband Internet and, in some areas, telephone service.
Cox also is preparing to roll out a new, state-of-the-art television service that will bring high-resolution programming to its subscribers.
Of course, to fully appreciate HDTV broadcasts, subscribers will need a TV capable of displaying a high-resolution signal, plus an HDTV tuner, either as part of the TV itself or purchased separately. Cox plans to help by making a tuner available for purchase with its service.
Additionally, Newham says, Cox is looking to make other services and enhancements available to its subscribers in the coming months, including a TiVo-like personal video recorder and a Video-on-Demand service that will let users personalize their TV-viewing experience.
In response to critics who cite service problems with Cox, Newham insists there is often more to it than meets the eye.
For example, he says, the lead-time for setting up new service to most homes is generally about three days. However, in older neighborhoods, the cable running to the home may have been installed back in the ‘70s, when cable first came to the Valley.
Cox has spent $1 billion since 1995 to upgrade this system, but there are still many areas where upgrades haven’t yet happened, according to Newham.
In these cases, he says, it usually takes about a week after a permit has been obtained from the city to replace the existing cable. Sometimes, getting the permit needed to dig up the street can cause additional delays.
The best solution, of course, is to install cable when new home developments are being built, and Cox works closely with developers to that end.
There are times, too, when the equipment used by a new subscriber is not up to the task. Newham cites the example of a local city council member who was unhappy with a new installation.
After an upgrade to his existing equipment, though, all was well.
For most people, life’s hectic pace makes waiting for a service installer to arrive “sometime between 12 and 6 o’clock” a major annoyance.
Newham says Cox has addressed the problem by reducing the installation window to two hours in most cases, as well as by allowing installers more time to not only set up the system but explain it to the customers and answer questions they might have about their new service.
Cox also offers self-install kits through retail channels such as Circuit City that can completely eliminate the need to have an installer even knock on the door.
A videotape is included with the kits to help explain the steps needed, along with a TV channel dedicated to self-installation tips. Newham characterizes the program as being “very successful.”
A common concern of most large utility-service companies is with having a phone support system that can keep up with call volume at peak times, a problem, Newham says, to which Cox Communications is not immune.
To help solve it, he says, Cox is working on a system that aims to reduce hold times by allowing customers the option of having a Cox service representative return their call, to any number the customer may choose, rather than having to wait on hold.
Newham says Cox expects this service to be in place by year’s end.
Cox Communications, according to Newham, is also taking a proactive approach to customer service by surveying its customers to help identify areas that need attention.
So, with all this going on, it’s no surprise that Dan Newham loves his job.
For Cox customers and other residents of the Kyrene Corridor eager to experience an exciting technological future, Newham offers this piece of advice: Stay tuned.
