03-23-1992 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Vei7 Personalized Service in St. Paul r ... ; tfM •*.* .n‘i o f !HM‘, cqh: SoMKd.iv tfi* V be used for ; . r .. . i Continental Channel Caters to Subscribers Bjr Matt Stump__________ I MAGINE A Setup in which a subscriber turns I on his TV set and a L SR demonstrates how to hook up a VCR or operate a converter or remote contro!. And it's a private, two-way audio, on-^ way video conveniation. lo boot. irnaf^ne the cable op>eraU)r nsinij such a per sonalizeci video comrnunicctioris link lo help "save* subscribers wfio plan to disconnect or lo help sell subscribers new services. Sound like 1999? Try February 1992 in St. Paul. Minn. Since September. Continental Cablevision of St. Paul, which server 59,000 aistomers in eiKhl communities. Ii.is be^n making video house See ST. PAUL on page 15 SiilPaul System Dedicates a/Video House C 8T. MUL dfUtinuedfivm page I * '.j • V clan make a service call. ^ I.' :{v| *; 4 *With vidco house calls, we can have ' ContiAehtal ii using the phone for the audio hooku0, Uthough the system can send audio down the unscrambled channel. Becau^ ID 59,000 subaaiberS have addressable b<dte0, any subscriber can see the CSR When the home is Indl- 'vidually addressed, '’*■ ^ • The video house call CSR has a self- contained bfflee, with S0edal signs in the backgrouftd for the set She also Is part of the system'^ tdephoAe dnnip, so she 'makes bon-vlded calls W subscribers. .* When compression SiTlves, Coleman sees 20 or more channels that could be : turned over to direct mail businesses that codW frt4rry''VMed with ihdr sales pitches. Jewelers could display mer chandise. And Stockbrokers could sell services ualnit the personalized video in teraction. Then. Colenuul Said, there's the per Bonal side. DoflS Singing telegnims to birthday and Snnlveraary greetings. Coleman tested a birthday wish using a / cartoon figure for a children's birthday t pirty and the children loved it, he said. Titi/’"We hare Jirtt begun to ei^jWt the coo- Of ohAww video phone calls for tele- ;;tfaarkedrtg and euitomer sendee appHca- tiottl'* UM PllD ZedL who maP4«es the . aysterti and bterdinaiM the video house Tcal| prtledi 'We*t< using the video ser- i/ykt to wdeofne WW subscribers, resolve ' tedifikal duSStfodS, add new services and answer Oiisfomers* questions.” ^' •-*• -i ■ ■ •1 ___1- ctlla; One ^.SR's job includes calling ^ /aubsdribers, asking them to turn to,l channel 64, and walking them through/ whatever problems they have - . ! '' That kind of customer service is only ^ ! the dp of the iceberg, aocoeding to RandaH ’ ' Oilenian, district manager for ContinentaJ^ Cablevlaion. When channel capacity ex<>^; panda, Coleman enviskms a hatfdozen orv more channels specifically aet aside for I customer sendee and pereonaUzed sales. • , He also sees the pitMpeds for f ■ Bringing famous figures such as Santa Claus into the home. /j ■ Birthday and anniveraary greetings. ' . ■ New-product demonstr^ona. '"‘■Spedallaed tutoring.* Personalized home shopping op> ' porhinitlet. 9? So6 liolild calls' - The ayatdn has made more than 600,, video house calls since September and "people knre it,” Coleman said.' < • ^ ^ > .1', . *■. Giving curiomers the bppdrhinity to , ,4ee the person they’re talking tP on ptraoe la making a cHtfodl differoned in:i system revenue and bi geneHdilg'pnai-^) tiv6 fedimps Amontf *It la difficult to ten sbnieofieover wil' phone how to hook up a VCR,* Cdlemart 'J said. “Many times we wiU need to sched-; ;• ule an appointment and have I'techdl-^ " it-. If ,8 technician appear on camera to j demonstrate how lo hook up a VCR, or a *hew cable converter box or hOw to use ^their universal remote control." ln4ioiiie tervico ^ 1*1 Although the video link goes one ’ way, "It helps for the custom'*r to be able ^ to sec what the service representative nr technician is talking about,* Coleman ”' aaid. "Often we can clear up a problem without having to Schedule an In-hotre ^ ■ service call without the customer having.', to wait for an appointment" ' " The CSR who deals with video house calls handles business replies, VCR and ^ converter attachments, sales calls and whaievf.' else may warrant the video ap- \ proach. The video house call CSR also wotkd to savedistomers from downgrad-^' Ing, and that has helped increase the sys'* tern’s save rate from 39 percent in Jaa- *iuiry 1991 to 59 pefocflt in January 1992. n**’*The ayatem also has used video ' • house ctifo to.biarket I package of Min- % ,' nesOta Noi^ Stars games on pay-per>J jhelpofviov.jhouse calls. •' s ^‘“ ; The Cdst lo Set up the opeTadoil w4sT; 'minimal Severs] thousand dollars for^ •.the stationary canseri, a modulator and ’ ^rk sUUotL;f jt**'; > -W' ' ‘, •*’ A A ' 4