Customer service has always been an integral part of every organization. It is more pertinent today than ever before because of rising competition and the growing expectations of customers who are demanding companies to elevate their quality of customer service. Moreover, every bad experience is immediately posted in social media, thereby affecting the reputation of companies. Hence, companies are forced to improve their customer service.

One company that has been making changes to its customer service is Comcast. To counter the breakdown of its customer service this summer, the company has appointed Charlie Herrin as Senior Vice President of its customer service department. With this appointment, Herrin will be in-charge of more than 50 call centers and thousands of customer service representatives and technicians. He was earlier responsible for Comcast (News - Alert)'s Interactive X1 TV guide, and in this role, he had changed the way customer's perceived X1. He is expected to bring the same level of focus and commitment to his new role as well. Under Herrin, Comcast believes it can notch up its customer service. Herrin reports to Neil Smit (News - Alert), the CEO of Comcast's cable division.

Herrin has vast experience in the cable industry and specifically Comcast, as he had been with this company since November 1999. Prior to joining Comcast, Herrin was the Director of Business Development for Qwest Communications, and was the Account Manager at AT&T (News - Alert) before that. He graduated the University of Washington with a degree in economics in June 1992. He even has a patent for automation personalization under development—a system for user experience based on a user's profile.

With this appointment, Comcast plans to turn the tables in its favor. Along with Time Warner (News - Alert) Cable, Comcast has the worst track record for customer service and its reputation is low among customers. It remains to be seen if Herrin can improve customer service over the next few years—only time will tell.