The WOW! Buzz

Once upon a time (2001) there was a little cable company with about 60 employees that decided to try and climb the hill of success… in spite of a fiercely competitive market with companies that had much, MUCH bigger engines.  This little cable company called WOW! said to themselves, ‘We think we can, we think we can… if we can just live up to our name.’

In their first year of business they added internet service to their video products and started hiring and training employees to deliver a ‘memorable experience.’  Lo and behold, many residents started to switch to WOW!.  Encouraged by the progress, the little cable company started hiring even more people who held the same core values:  Respect, Integrity, Accountability and Servanthood.  Business became brisk! 

Much to the little cable company’s surprise a large percentage of their NEW customers were a direct result of their CURRENT customers sharing their happy, positive experiences.  The company invited their customers to ‘refer-a-friend’ and continued their focus on exceptional service.  The little cable company was proud to have employees who made such a good impression, so they made a steady practice of recognizing and rewarding their employees’ outstanding performances.  They shared out the annual profits with everyone who worked there.

One day, a customer wrote a complimentary letter that talked about how the little cable company had ‘WOW’ed her’ and POOF! the WOW! Moment was born.  Now the little cable company focused on providing WOW! Moments for their customers and for each other.  The little cable company added phone as a third primary service, and kept chugging along, hiring really good people with strong, service-oriented values. 

Eventually this little cable company grew to be 1300 strong.  Over the years they won customer satisfaction awards from famous sources like JD Power and Associates, PC Magazine and Consumer Reports.  But the little cable company didn’t take this for granted.  Not at all.  Always mindful of the bigger engines making noise on the tracks, the little cable company taught its employees that it was an honor and a privilege to serve others.  The employees embraced this philosophy and always tried to leave their customers smiling.

Today, the little cable company is planning for its future by looking at the next hill and being fueled by appreciation for everyone who contributes to its success.  ‘We think we can, we think we can… ’  As long as we keep our sense of appreciation and stay focused on WOW! Moments, the next hill will never be too big to climb.