Dear CNSNext Customers:
The last several months have been a time of transition for CNSNext. We have consolidated billing platforms, moved to a new Customer Support location, and launched a new video platform. While these are all exciting additions to our offerings and will ultimately benefit our customers, they have not been without challenges. Our goal is always to provide our customers with the best service possible, and for more than 25 years, we have done exactly that. We pride ourselves on being a strong community partner, responsive to our customer needs. At the heart of it, we are your friends and neighbors, with local service and a commitment to provide the best in telecommunication products and services.
Unfortunately, we realize that we have fallen short of meeting those expectations and for that, we offer a sincere apology to our loyal customers. However, we want to provide some clarification as to what our status is with several items we have consistently heard from our customers who have encountered difficulties. First, there is some misinformation that the disruption that some customers have been experiencing to their video service is intentional. This is not true. We have not ‘shut off’ video service to any of our customers. What these customers have experienced is related to equipment failure. As we communicated to our customers several months ago, our legacy system is at end of life, which is why we are transitioning to NextStream. We are extremely disappointed that information provided to us by our partners related to our set top boxes has proved inaccurate. Quite simply, we were assured that what is happening would not occur until year’s end, if at all. With this in mind, we made the decision to move our deadline to transition customers from our legacy system to mid-November.
Restoring services to the impacted equipment was not simply a matter of ‘turning it back on,’ again as some have implied. However, we have identified a solution that has been implemented and will avoid any additional equipment failures. While this will allow us to continue serving our customers on the legacy system, it is important that all customers transition to NextStream soon. Customers who wish to transition now have the option to self-install our service, which will allow you to access your video content immediately, or to schedule an installation appointment. Devices that are compatible with NextStream include some smart TV’s, Amazon Fire Sticks, Roku devices, Apple TV’s and a new set-top box that allows for seamless transition to our service.
Related to NextStream service, most customers who are experiencing buffering or tiling issues will find that this is because their Internet service is not sufficient to support their household needs. To alleviate these issues, we have implemented a fix that will hopefully address this problem. Should you still experience a problem with your service, we encourage you to report it to CNSNext staff or call to upgrade your package to a higher bandwidth.
The second item we’d like to clarify is related to our responsiveness to customers by telephone. Please understand that CNSNext is actively serving our customers both in person and by phone daily. However, we are experiencing an unprecedented call volume, upwards of over 1,000 calls daily. This is accompanied by walk-in traffic averaging 200 customers most days. Because each call and customer interaction are important, care is taken to assist each customer fully with their needs. Unfortunately, this means that the hold times are longer than we’ve ever experienced. We recently learned of the call failure/disconnect that was happening and have addressed system settings to help with these issues. We are adding additional resources to assist with call volume this week so that hold times are lessened and more customers are assisted in a timely manner. Again, we are deeply saddened that the customer is the one impacted by these shortfalls, and we apologize for any inconveniences that have been experienced.
This communication is not intended as an excuse for the service some of our customers have experienced over the last few months. Rather, as long-standing partners in our communities, we feel an explanation to our customers is warranted so that they are aware of the intense pressure that is present. We have always prided ourselves on our outstanding commitment to exceeding customer expectations, and we are working hard to once again deliver that level of service to every customer of every community.
Thank you again for your incredible patience and loyalty. CNSNext is a part of our communities. We are the sponsors of your events, teams and festivals that makes our hometowns special and unique. We are the partner to our schools, industries and small businesses. We are your friends and neighbors, and we do not take that role lightly. Rest assured that everyone at CNSNext is determined to be the CNSNext that each and every customer can depend upon for excellent service, now and in the future. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
Warm regards,
Your CNSNext Team