Frequently Asked Rate Adjustment Questions- 9039

Resolution Steps

    1. Which adjustments do I use first to retain the customer?

      A great place to start with any call about price increases or retention is the Simon article Retention Options for the retention process. It outlines how best to handle these conversations and creates the flow for the negotiation. Here is a quick recap of how this should go.

        • Educate the customer on reason for the increase; then review services the customer has and ask questions to see how they are using these services

        • Offer account level discount based on the amount of the increase. The qualifying amount is located under the Marketing IDs in BOLT

        • Offer to remove any services that the customer feels that they are not using or want anymore. This includes higher cable tiers, premium packages, etc.

        • Customers may only be repackaged in the following circumstances:

          • The customer transfers to a new address and all of the existing promotion and/or package codes are not available at that location

          • The customer wants to add or drop a line of business

          • The customer wants to downgrade their level of cable service (Preferred to Basic Only)

          • The customer requests a speed change and that speed is not available in the current promotion/package codes

          • The customer has older (legacy) service codes (such as pre-conversion service codes for an acquisition market) and it isn’t possible to add discount codes without repackaging

          • Non-Pay (hard) disconnect and the customer wishes to re-establish service

 

    1. What should I tell my customers when they ask how long this price is good?

      All of our promotional pricing pertains to the specific package/service to which the discount is applied. The length of the promotion does not change due to the rate event.
      We adjusted the rates for services that fall outside of a promotion or for fees and surcharges that help recover the cost of the increase.
      Simply, let the customer know that the items that just increased are good until our next rate event. Then disclose how long their other promotions are set to be on the account.

 

    1. Why is rate increase happening earlier?

      Great question! The change in timelines are due to the ongoing alignment and standardization of the many brands that we service within our company.

 

    1. What are legacy cable customers?

      The term Legacy cable customer refers to a customer that subscribes to traditional cable services instead of IPTV or pass through services.

 

    1. Will we be offering free speed upgrades to add value?

      Offering a speed upgrade is always a great retention strategy to add value, but we will not be building speed upgrade offers specifically in response to the rate increase event. Please use existing retention upgrade offers available.

 

    1. What does right sizing mean?

      The term right sizing means that we should review the customer’s services and determine if they need the services that they already have or if they need more. In order to make this determination, you will need to need to ask appropriate questions about how they use the services or expect to use the services.

 

    1. Do we have to right size data only customers?

      The retention process outlines the need to right-size cable customers. This is because cable customers typically see the largest increases in their services, since the cost to provide those services dramatically increase. The need to right-size data customers would depend on what is uncovered during the connecting with the customer phase of the process.

 

    1. Why do I have to provide the cost of cable and its breakdown?

      Due to a federal regulation called Truth in Billing we’re required to disclose all charges associated with cable, even if they have bundled services.

 

    1. Will customers see their 12-month notices for promotions rolling off on the rate increase notice or will it be a separate notice?

      Yes, if a customer is getting a promo roll off at the same time as the rate increase, they will be quoted the full amount of their increase.

 

    1. What is included in the notice for paperless billing customers?

      The paperless billing customer will receive the same notice that a paper customer would receive.  The only difference is the method in which they received the notification.

 

    1. Will customers that are on the COVID relief program have the same rate increase notifications as everyone else?

      Yes, those who are on a relief program will receive the same notifications

 

    1. How can we see the letter/email a customer received for rate adjustment?

      This information can be viewed in BOLT under the View Bill/Notices button.  The customer’s notice is included with their normal monthly bill. They will also receive a bill notification on page 1 to highlight the rate adjustment.

 

  1. Are these surcharges a government tax or fee?

    Unless otherwise notated, the surcharges, costs, and/or fees listed are neither government mandated nor a tax, surcharge, cost, or fee imposed by the government. They are either a surcharge, cost, and/or fee the company assesses and retains

Article ID: 275
Created: February 2, 2024
Last Updated: February 2, 2024
Author: [shekhar.bhanot@teamhgs.com]

Online URL: https://agentx-astound-kb-qa.hgsdigital.com/article.php?id=275