Cox Communications is a multi-service
broadband communications company
with approximately 6.7 million total
customers: 6.4 million of which are
basic cable subscribers. As one of the
nation’s top three cable television providers,
Cox provides an array of communication
and entertainment services,
including a local and long distance
telephone service, high-speed internet
access, and commercial voice and data
services. The company is committed
to excellence in customer service and
long-term shareholder value.

The Omaha, Nebraska division of
Cox Communications consists of
four locations: only one of which,
the Midtown location, accepts cash
payments. About 75% of the 2,500 to
3,000 customers seen weekly at the
Midtown location pay in cash. Front
counter manager, Chrissy Andersen,
was concerned that the higher
transaction and wait times, a direct
result of customers paying in cash,
were negatively impacting customer service. She was also worried about their
inability to inform Spanish-speaking
customers that a bilingual employee
was available to assist them. She needed
increased staff at this location, but was
unable to provide documented proof to
justify her requests.

Fortunately, she learned of Q-Matic
while visiting Cox Communications
in Northern Virginia. They had just
completed renovating and transforming
their location from a customer
service centre to a retail centre, which
incorporated Q-Matic Corporation’s
customer flow management solution
with the new design features.

Q-Matic’s customer flow management
software tracks peak traffic times,
number of customers per service
category, language preference
selections, employee productivity, and
more. This information is available on
a daily, weekly, and monthly basis and
provides vital information to schedule
staff members at appropriate times,
review employee productivity, and
evenly distribute the workload.

How it works:

• Upon arrival, customers approach
  a self-service touchscreen kiosk
  where they select a language and a
  type of service. They receive a ticket
  with a ticket number and are free to
  walk around the store and browse
  through Cox Communication’s
  many other offerings like high-speed internet access
• The system automatically adds
  them to the queue and informs
  the counter representative of their
  presence
• Digital signage placed strategically
  throughout the store and audio
  voice units call customers to the
  counter in the order and priority
  they came in
• Counter representatives are free to
  transact business and up-sell other
  features and services rather than
  manage a line of people
• Q-Matic technology measures and
  monitors the entire customer flow
  experience and provides statistical
  information that pinpoints peak
  service times, and tracks wait and
  transaction times
• Managers are provided with exact
  numbers that show how many
  Spanish-speaking customers they
  attend to

Thanks to Q-Matic, management at the Cox Communications
Midland location was able to justify their need for additional employees at peak payment times. “We can prove how long a transaction takes and that we need a certain number of employees at a certain time of day,” said Chrissy Andersen.

With Q-Matic, they know precisely:

• How much time employees are spending with customers
• 5% of their customer base consists of Spanish-speakers who require language assistance
• How long specific transactions take
• Which employees are able to up-sell additional services

Staff morale has improved at the Midtown location because the
even distribution of workload among counter representatives
provides all employees with an equal opportunity to up-sell and
ultimately receive higher commissions.