Dis-EMBARQing with YouTube

This week EMBARQ announced that customers no longer have to call the customer service number to get all of their questions answered; now they can just go to YouTube with the launch of the YouTube Channel, featuring instructional videos to help answer some of its top customer service inquiries.

EMBARQ, citing media statistics about how many people watch online video, wants to leverage this medium, because it believes this is what customers want and this is where its customers are – online.

According to the press release, “Customers can visit the channel to watch how-to videos on a variety of topics such as how to install High-Speed Internet.” I find that particularly interesting, because if I am looking at installing High-Speed Internet, I probably can’t watch anything on YouTube to begin with!

Additionally, this move also seems to disregard its long-term, committed customers – those who are keeping their fixed line service. I am pretty sure my parents won’t visit YouTube for their customer service issues.

Finally, the site simply needs better organization; it is difficult to determine what I would want and/or need to view.

To promote its new channel, EMBARQ is also launching a video contest. According to EMBARQ it takes approximately 48 seconds to load a web page over a dial-up connection. As such, they believe there are better things that can be done with those 48 seconds and wants to know what YOU can do. The winning entry will win $5,000 and a year of free EMBARQ High-Speed Internet. The first 50 people to upload a qualifying video will win $50, and the five video finalists win a Flip Video Ultra Camcorder by Pure Digital.

I wonder if they realize that I can probably change service providers in 48 seconds.

Teresa Mastrangelo is principal analyst at broadbandtrends, a service of The Windsor Oaks Group LLC, which is an independent market research and consulting firm specializing in the coverage of network transformation activity related to broadband infrastructure and services, including IPTV, VoIP and NGN.

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