Cox Communications Uses Virtual Assistance to Support Customers While Social Distancing during Coronavirus Crisis

Cox Uses Augmented Reality and Video Chat, Troubleshooting for Customers Outside of their Home.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – April 23, 2020 – From helping customers self-install their cable modem to checking their internet and wifi connections, Cox technicians are serving customers in a new way with the launch of “On-site with Virtual Assist,” a tool to enhance customer service while better protecting customers and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Piloted in California, Cox partnered with Help Lightning, a leading supplier in remote expertise technology, to bring this new service to market nationwide. Now, instead of entering a customer’s home to troubleshoot, Cox technicians can handle service requests from outside. To access On-site with Virtual Assist support, Cox customers simply request help as they normally would through the Cox website or Connect app. A Cox technician then contacts the customer to get their preferred method of communication – i.e. call, text and/or video chat – and sets up a time to troubleshoot outside of the customer’s home.
 
If a customer prefers video chat, the Cox technician simply sends the customer a text message with a link to connect. All the customer needs is a smartphone with a rear-facing camera. Additionally, Cox technicians can use augmented reality (AR) to guide customers through in-home set ups and common issues like tightening the fitting on the back of a cable box.
 
The On-site Virtual Assist offering was first available in California an early adopter of shelter in place, but is now available in all Cox markets, for both residential and business customers.
 
“We’ve been investing heavily in our network for years, and On-site Virtual Assist has been a priority for us. As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated, it was critical to identify and launch a virtual assistance in California sooner than planned so that we could continue serving customers during this time,” said Sam Attisha, senior vice president and region manager for Cox Communications in California. “It’s been great to hear feedback from our techs and customers who said they appreciated working virtually through the app to get the help they needed while maintaining social distancing. Our customers have been great in understanding the balance between health and safety and working with us to keep them connected.”
 
Cox is working on the next phase of its virtual support model to further enhance remote customer service.
 
Cox has contributed nearly $8 million in cash and in-kind COVID-19 related contributions throughout its Southern California markets, including San Diego, Orange County, Palos Verdes and Santa Barbara.  For more information on Cox’s coronavirus relief efforts, visit cox.com.
 
About Cox Communications
Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through broadband applications and services. The largest private telecom company in America, we proudly serve six million homes and businesses across 18 states. We're dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that makes each one unique. Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in1898 by Governor James M. Cox.