QUISPAMSIS, NB – From a technician who skipped his own dinner party on the Friday night of a long weekend to help a new digital customer, to a cable company that sourced a used TV for an elderly customer who couldn’t afford to repair her old one, Canada’s smaller television and communications providers often have a unique way of serving – and giving back, to their customers and communities.
The Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA), which represents more than 100 local providers across Canada, is promoting customer service stories like those to help demonstrate the unique connection that these providers have to their communities, and as the basis for a new initiative known as I *Heart* Local Cable. In addition to celebrating excellence in cable service delivery, community-mindedness, and content development, the campaign seeks to remind the CCSA member companies, their customers, and the politicians and regulators whom CCSA members worry forget about them when forging policy, all that local cable companies do for their communities, from providing affordable local broadband, phone and video, to community media and local jobs.
“At the beginning some people were unsure, rather cautious, about how this would all turn out but it’s been a true success story”, CCSA president and CEO Alyson Townsend told Cartt.ca of the campaign, which was first unveiled at the organization’s annual general meeting last September.
Building on the success of the CCSA’s community channel awards, I *Heart* Local Cable called for nominations from providers and their customers in the categories of best customer service story; best public service/community building effort (donations, volunteering, etc.); best local cable personality; and best local programming in the areas of news/issue coverage, sports coverage, and entertainment programming. More than 100 nominations poured in between December 1, 2013 and January 31, 2014, and the shortlist of 24 nominees, released February 14 on I *Heart* Local Cable Day, represent 11 CCSA members from coast to coast. Voting closes June 30 and the winners in each category will receive a cheque for $1,000, made out to their favourite local charity.
“Last year we had a panel of judges… but this year it’s the customers that are doing the voting, kind of like American Idol”, Townsend continued. “This has really captured the imagination of the public. We knew that our members were important to their communities but this is really demonstrating how their community cares about them and vice versa. It’s been a great way to celebrate the local distributor and demonstrate to the public at large, as well as the regulator and government policy makers, that these independent companies go above and beyond to serve their customers, and that they are, and will continue to be, an important part of the communications industry.”
Townsend said that the campaign has sparked some friendly competition between the nominated cable companies, some of whom have actively, and creatively, encouraged their customers to vote for them. At press time, the campaign has received more than 297,000 votes. The winners will be announced in July and receive their awards at this year’s AGM, the Connect 2014 conference scheduled for September 21-23, 2014 in Banff.
“It’s all about celebrating what (local cable companies) are doing for the community and demonstrating that to people who may not be aware”, Townsend added. “Cable television gets a bad rap a lot of the time from the public, so we’d like to be a part of changing that perception. We think a positive approach is the way to illustrate our value.”
