Cogeco 2015 Annual Report Download - page 17

16 COGECO CABLE INC. 2015 MD&A
The DTA bandwidth recovery project will continue in fiscal 2016 and will be completed in Altoona, Johnstown and Bradford, Pennsylvania along
with a DOCSIS expansion to 16 QAM and the addition of approximately 35 HD channels.
Also planned for fiscal 2016 is the beginning of the migration to DOCSIS 3.1 capability.
IMPROVING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND BUSINESS PROCESSES TO BUILD ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY
AND RETENTION
We aim for excellence in our ability to meet the needs of our residential and business customers. We recognize that offering a positive customer
experience, resulting from the combination of enjoyable and easy to use products along with superior customer service, is a key brand attribute
that has the potential to differentiate our Cogeco services versus our competitors. We also know that a consistently positive customer experience
earns customer loyalty and retention. Our commitment to our customers is a core value, and we strive to walk the talk every day.
CANADIAN CABLE SERVICES SEGMENT
Progress in fiscal 2015
For the sixth time in eight years, Cogeco Cable Canada was recognized by the Service Quality Measurement group ("SQM"), as the winner of
its North American Call Center Award for the highest level of customer service in the Canadian telecommunications and television industry,
reflecting the focus and very high standard set in our commitment to superior customer service. We also won Bronze of the “Call Center First
Call Resolution Best Practice Award” in the “Real-Time CSR Support Queue” category. These two awards demonstrate our continuing commitment
to improving processes in order to better serve our clients and position our team as a leader in best practices for the call centre industry.
We have selected in fiscal 2015 a new team of agencies to further sustain our brand experience and evolve our communications. TAXI, a renowned
Canadian creative agency, was chosen for its deep understanding of our industry, its experience in brand management and its thoughtful creativity
and is supported by award-winning Touché! on the media front, with the objective to inject some fresh ideas to our customers’ contact with our
brand.
Further to improving our customers experience, it is our desire to be closely involved in the economic development of the regions where we
operate. This is why we announced in April an agreement with the city of Drummondville and Chair of the Société de développement économique
de Drummondville to give Centrexpo Drummondville, one of the most modern facilities of its kind in Québec that hosts various events, the new
name Centrexpo Cogeco.
We improved on our positive customer experience with the launch of TiVo in both our Ontario and Québec markets. Significant install and service
improvements throughout the year resulted from improving the First Time Right program so that we have been able to reduce unnecessary calls
into the Technical contact centre as well as truck rolls in the field. In Ontario, we optimized appointment times for install and service through a
pilot program in Kingston leading to shorter install time frames of 3 hour appointments which yielded improvements in Customer Satisfaction.
This customer experience improvement initiative will be rolled out in fiscal 2016 across all areas in Ontario.
Focus in fiscal 2016
Building on the progress made in fiscal 2015, we will continue in 2016 to enrich residential and commercial customer experience to strengthen
loyalty, engagement and brand advocacy through continuous process improvement and added value products, services and support.
We will expand customer service and Cogeco Cable Canada branding through expanded social media presence and differentiate our customer
experience from our competitors by enhancing our face to face full-service model through the Cogeco Cable Canada store. In addition, we will
reduce customer contact volumes with focus on first-time-right installations and service calls, First Call Resolution ("FCR") in our Burlington and
Trois- Rivières call centres and through supporting enhanced self-care options. We will also improve the utility and effectiveness of agent and
technician tools and processes to improve efficiency and deliver even better customer service.
Detailed planning and communication are already underway in early fiscal 2016 for FCR Program launch. FCR is proven to be the number one
driver of customer satisfaction and an integrated plan is being executed to support these improvements in both Ontario and Québec markets. A
First Time Right program is being delivered for the field operations to ensure even stronger focus on getting it right the first time on installs of
service and service calls in our customer’s homes. Also continuation of Process Improvement focus in fiscal 2016 will yield customer experience
improvements in both the call centre operations and field operations.
AMERICAN CABLE SERVICES SEGMENT
Progress in fiscal 2015
Operational accomplishments in fiscal 2015 include management of a major expansion in South Carolina, the successful launch of two-hour
service windows across all regions, as well as the completion of the second phase of the Interactive Voice Response ("IVR") upgrade, allowing
for automated outbound calling to delinquent customers as well as auto-appointment verifications. Refining care call handling and management
remains a priority as part of continuous improvement efforts. Positive results are evident with steadily improving Net Promoter® Score ("NPS")
and operational metrics in a high-growth environment.
Focus in fiscal 2016
Operational focus in fiscal 2016 is on continuous improvement across customer care, business and field teams with an emphasis on the
development of residential sales and marketing teams and technical teams in support of overall growth.
Specifically, we will continue efforts to expand online services as well as our support and communication channels, we will remain focused on