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Time Warner needs a better national policy with consistency. Equipment and basic policy varies widely from division to division. I get why they want regional pricing which allows them to gouge by location, but policy should be the same nationwide. At one point, they were at least talking about a nationally consistent channel line up.
Time Warner Cable-Inconsistent Interstructure
Time Warner Cable's whole inter-structure is so inconsistent. I have sources who tell me the Universal Theme Line Up is being worked on for the East Coast, just as Remote DVR Manager is being worked, on. Digital Phone is being worked, on, Navigator is always being worked on. For six years, everything has been "worked on."
But the results are much to sporadic to effectively establish consistency and uniformity from division to division. I believe that too many divisions rely on "Scripted" form speak. The CSR's, the field techs, everyone just has to depend on what division managers give them, or don't give them. Many of the tech guys are better than others. For example:
1.) Is there a standard set of training protocols for CSR's concerning the knowledge and experience with TWC products and services? How well do the independent contractors at TWC know their products? Let alone the field techs? If there is consistency and uniformity among divisions, why are some TWC offices very good with communication and information, while others don't know their rear-end from a hole in the ground. That's the problem.
2.) It could be that the whole TWC infrastructure has gotten so huge, that it may be impossible to standardize things like box/software updates, and establishing knowledge proficiency of TWC personnel who distribute them.
I think a huge factor is that TWC no longer sees the set-top box as a money making industry for the company. Going with this theory, they don't see the need to work at standardizing equipment, because there's no money making incentive for them to do this. TWC finds it the most cost effective to hold on to older equipment, update it only as needed, throw everything against the wall, and see what sticks (works) and what doesn't stick (fails.)
2.b.) TWC only cares about what fails, or doesn't stick if the failures are money makers for them. This is why High-Speed Internet and Digital Phone have a high success rate. TWC makes money off of them. Customers love TWC Internet and Digital Phone. In contrast, customers have lost interest in cable TV. Subscribers have never really liked the boxes all that much in the first place, even in the days before Navigator. Customers have chosen other providers for cable TV services, such as over the air, Internet, mobile technology trends, or a combination of different company offerings. However, many people love TWC phone and Internet. Most despise Navigator.
TWC can't get it through their skulls that a color change palette does not make a better guide. Better reliability and functionality does.
3.)
TWC fails to realize is that the loss of cable TV revenue could gradually be reduced by offering customers a better guide, or at least make the current system work reliably across divisions. However, the apathy of upper-division management refusing to work to make the Navigator Guide more reliable, makes that a difficult task. I think if the set-top box could be a money maker for TWC, they would care more about them. One cannot dismiss the fact that developing an in-house guide in Navigator to save money, with minimal testing, and a terrible software development team, did damage to TWC that they are having difficulty recovering from six years later. Had TWC remained with the Passport/SARA software, the reliability of the on-screen guide would be so much better.
Why fix Passport/SARA, when it was never broken?
Jack
Edited by Satch Man - 1/4/13 at 10:42am
