- Can everything get even faster, please?
- Comcast is responding to the need for speed by offering same-day gateway delivery
- It's also put a lot of thought into its gateway self-install instructions
Taking a page from Amazon’s same-day deliveries, Comcast is now offering same-day Wi-Fi/modem gateways to new Xfinity Internet customers in about 20 markets.
Starting today, same-day gateway delivery is available in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Nashville, Philadelphia and San Francisco, among others, with plans to roll out same-day delivery to the entire Xfinity footprint by early next year.
New customers can either choose same-day gateway delivery to their home, if available, or same-day pick-up at over 700 Xfinity Stores nationwide. Even before the gateway arrives, customers can use their new Xfinity credentials to access the company’s network of more than 23 million Wi-Fi hotspots.
Once they receive their gateway, customers can self-install and activate service through the Xfinity app.
Eric Jagher, Comcast SVP & General Manager, Connectivity, for Xfinity, told Fierce that in the past it has often taken up to a week or more for people to receive their Wi-Fi/modem gateway. “The internet is really important in people's day-to-day lives, and so we want to make sure that they had access to that, and that wasn't a barrier to joining Xfinity.”
Comcast is using a UPS company called Roadie as its delivery partner. “You can order the device up until 3 pm that day, and we'll guarantee you'll get it that exact day,” said Jagher.
Comcast has many retail stores across the country, but Jagher said the majority of its broadband customers sign up online. However, on the mobile side, it’s the opposite, where the majority of new customers come into stores.
As an aside: All new Xfinity Internet customers also receive one free line on Xfinity’s mobile service for one year, with certain conditions.
Jagher said Comcast put a lot of thought into its self-install instructions. “One of our top initiatives over the last couple of years has been: how do we improve that self-install experience?” he said. “We will literally take a conference room and we'll put up on all the walls, really top to bottom views of every single screen that a customer steps through to do that self-install process. It's a key part of ensuring we're delivering not only that gateway on the same day, but that they can self-install themselves and do it in easy fashion.”
If customers run into any problems, they can call Comcast to speak with a technician.
“When you're signing up for something, if that's not a great experience right up front, then that's going to really kind of sour your viewpoint of the product itself,” said Jagher.
Fierce asked where Comcast’s gateways are manufactured, and a company spokesperson said, “We have various facilities across the globe.”
Asked if Comcast is concerned about the FCC’s new requirement that Wi-Fi routers be made in the U.S., the spokesperson said, “We are evaluating the FCC ruling and how that impacts our future plans for device manufacturing.”