MI-Connection unveils new site & online tools
Posted By David Boraks On November 1, 2010 @ 1:33 pm In Business,Cornelius,Mooresville,Town Hall | Comments Disabled
MOORESVILLE – MI-Connection Communications System, the local television and internet network owned by the towns of Davidson and Mooresville, was expected to unveil a new website today (Monday, Nov. 1) with a goal of improving service for existing customers and making it easier for prospective customers to learn about its services.
Screen shot of the new MI-Connection Website
The new design at www.mi-connection.com simplifies the site and tries to reduce the number of clicks required to find key information, marketing manager Ellen Baker said Monday.
“Our goal was to be more consumer friendly, easier to navigate, easier to get the information they need without having to through too many click-throughs,” Ms. Baker said.
She also said the revised look meshes with the company’s recent branding – both in terms of its look and messages. It includes new interactive tools to let consumers compare pricing packages, she said. And she said it will have a community section to showcase its community sponsorships and other activities in the towns of Mooresville, Davidson and Cornelius.
NEW TOOLS
MI-Connection said the redesign was based in part on feedback from current customers. It includes:
- The Bundle Builder – an interactive tool to help customers choose a bundle of services.
- Complete channel lineups and TV listings
- A Cable vs. DSL Speed Test
In a press release, general manager Alan Hall said: “We are confident that the new site will give customers a better online experience and provide them with the information they need in a fun and exciting way.”
MI-Connection website before redesign.
FACING COMPETITION
The redesign comes as the company struggles to hold on to cable TV customers while at the same time growing its newer businesses in high-speed internet and telephone.
The company faces intense competition from satellite TV providers, telephone companies that offer similar services and rivals who are attempting to win customers at the edges of its Lake Norman-area territory. This summer, officials unveiled a new “community-focused” marketing strategy that they hoped would boost growth and help generate revenues need to pay off tens of millions of dollars of debt.
Davidson and Mooersville borrowed $92.5 million in 2007-8 to buy and upgrade the MI-Connection network. The state-of-the-art network now offers more channels; digital, on-demand and high-definition TV; and faster internet speeds than most competitors offer. But so far, customer growth has not taken off as predicted. Both towns are subsidizing the system’s operations, at a cost of $6.5 million this year.
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Comments Disabled To "MI-Connection unveils new site & online tools"
#1 Comment By Rick Short On November 1, 2010 @ 8:10 pm
David, Is there a link available to the most recent quarterly results? The public may be interested to see the progress being made towards the 15,000 RGUs needed to eliminate the public subsidy towards the operation.
#2 Comment By David Boraks On November 1, 2010 @ 9:06 pm
Sorry, I was out of town Thursday and couldn’t get to this meeting. I got the numbers today and I’m working on a story for Tuesday. Headlines: Customer relationships, RGUs, revenues were all up slightly in the quarter, expenses down a hair. Haven’t had time to study the numbers yet. Stay tuned.
#3 Comment By Nickolas Gibietis On November 2, 2010 @ 3:51 pm
I am a new customer to MI-Connection. I signed up for Internet and video service. I will share a more comprehensive opinion later but at this time here are my thoughts:
– Cable/Video compared to Direct TV. – A letdown at this point. The quality of channel lineup is less than competitive. The quality and quantity of the channels HD or standard is lacking. The HD receivers themselves are not top quality and difficult to use. Overall I feel like I am not getting my money’s worth compared to Direct TV.
– Internet/Cable Modem is much better and the download speeds are almost as advertised. I used speedtest.net to test the speeds. But overall a better value than the AT&T DSL line I had prior.
– The overall purchase/order process was OK but it seemed the staff was very confused and unorganized. The installer showed up on the wrong day then did not show up at the agreed time. The MI-Connection staff only agreed to reschedule the same day when I escalated the issue to two level of management.
Again, I am equally concerned about this investment by the town. I look forward to see how things progress.