Latest from Next TV in Jonesncti

Stacey Slaughter Acquires Jones/NCTI

Jeff Baumgartner — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 14:15:00 +0000

Stacey Slaughter, the CEO and CFO of Jones/NTCI, has finalized a deal to acquire the cable and broadband technology and services training company from Jones International, and plans to keep the firm based in the Denver area.

Slaughter (pictured) said she joined the bidding for the company when the Jones International board decided to seek a buyer for Jones/NCTI, a process that started following the passing of cable pioneer Glenn Jones in July. Jones International Academy closed its acquisition of NCTI,then a rival cable education and training firm, in January 2006.

Financial terms of the acquisition of Jones/NCTI were not disclosed, but Slaughter, who is coming up on her 20th year with Jones International, said she is now the sole owner of Jones/NCTI and financed the deal on her own.

Slaughter said she tossed her hat in the ring when the sales process for Jones/NCTI got underway in the late summer.

“I believe strongly in what we do,” she said. “I believe in this team and believe in the services we provide, the products that we develop and the partners that we have in the MSO industry. I have a strong commitment to see that [business] continue to grow.”

Slaughter said all 30 Jones/NCTI employees (in true Jones form, she refers to them as “associates”) will stay with the company, which will be rebranded as “NCTI" in the coming months.

Plans are also underway to move the company out of its current location, at the Jones headquarters building in Centennial, Colo., and set up new base of operations in nearby Littleton. Negotiations for the new space are ongoing, but Slaughter hopes to execute the move by February 2016.

“I wanted to make sure this team continued on their trajectory,” she said of her decision to buy the company, noting that developing training and courses for DOCSIS 3.1, fiber networks, and WiFi installation and troubleshooting will continue to be a near-term focus. NCTI, she added, will also focus on the “evolving the customer experience” as support increasingly links call centers with field technicians.

“I feel great about our prospects in 2016,” she said, adding that plans are underway to relaunch NCTI’s learning platform in the first quarter of next year.

Jones/NCTI, which has trained nearly 500,000 frontline employees since its founding, also offers a fully-accredited college certificate and degree program through a partnership with Arapahoe Community College.

Slaughter joined Jones International in January 1996 as a staff accountant and worked her way up from there. She was named CFO of Jones/NCTI in 2012, appointed acting CEO in late 2013, and named permanent CEO in 2014, when Glenn Jones was appointed executive chairman of the Jones/NCTI board. She received her undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a Masters’ degree from the University of Colorado in 2001. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Colorado Society of CPAs.

Three Keys to Success for Superior Service in a Merged Environment

Stacey Slaughter, Jones/NCTI — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 10:30:00 +0000

Years from now, we will look back at this decade as one of extraordinary change, a defining time for our industry. Our reflections will be about more than mergers, acquisitions and consolidation. We will measure our progress not just by what we did, but how we did it. This is a time of opportunity. Will we seize it?

Companies merge for well-intentioned reasons: to combine complementary operations, accelerate innovation, and achieve service velocity. And, yet, numerous studies have found that more than half of all mergers fail to deliver intended improvement in shareholder value. For customers, a merger’s success or failure is measured by their experience. They still deeply desire consistent, seamless service. Customers will have many questions about the impact on customer service, product offerings and prices. They want to understand the changes ahead and know there is a place to go for answers staffed by people who are knowledgeable and empathetic.

Naturally, as part of acquisition integration and merger planning, teams will engage in impact analysis and change management activities. There will be operational plans and roadmaps. While all are vital and valuable, teams must also think about cross-company training, reinforcement of soft skills and technology training to ensure customer care associates, technicians and any employee who interacts with customers have sharpened skill sets to act as company ambassadors and customer advocates.

Companies that view a merger through a customer’s lens tend to make better business and integration decisions. Simply put, merger success rests in great customer service. Here are three areas for people investment that will serve a company well before, during and in a post-merger environment.

Invest in Soft Skills

Training employees during and after a merger can be more challenging than other training situations. Employees will have questions of their own. Effective leaders who know how to communicate and manage through change can build trust and boost engagement when productivity is most likely to dip. One study of merger activities verified that productivity may dip by as much as 10% post-merger and often doesn’t rebound for up to three years. Change management training for your leaders is imperative so they know what to expect during the so-called ‘change curve’ and how to manage through it.

Soft skill investment doesn’t stop there. Take time to sharpen customer care associates’ and technicians’ soft skills so they can listen to customer concerns and address their concerns. Consider enrolling frontline, customer-facing employees in customer retention courses – not just those tasked specifically with retention.

Push for Technology Proficiency

Merging cable operations provides unique challenges, particularly for customer care. Customers will have questions about technology configurations, channel lineups, and the design of their bills. Providing easy access to the right systems and proper training to work within them build proficiency across the combined company.

Take an Employees-First Approach

For any MSO in an acquisition, you will rely on frontline employees to deliver an exceptional experience during a time of great change. You may even require a new level of frontline empowerment which can create conflict in command-and-control environments. No matter the method, it’s wise to heed the mantra that satisfied employees make for satisfied customers. Invest in leadership with training to build synergistic teams, foster effective communication and manage conflict.

Mergers by their very nature are hard. But, the integration process brings a natural opportunity to evaluate and even improve the customer experience. Make the customer experience an integral part of merger planning. Find new ways to empower employees so they can communicate with and listen to customers. Done right, years from now we’ll look back at this transformative time as the start of cable’s age of service.

Stacey Slaughter is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Jones/NCTI, which powers frontline performance in the broadband industry.She leads the company’s efforts to help clients achieve measureable results through actionable, timely and relevant learning.

Jones/NCTI to Offer DOCSIS 3.1 Courses

Jeff Baumgartner — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 18:15:00 +0000

Jones/NCTI, the Denver-based provider of training for cable, broadband techs and customer service reps, has struck a partnership with CableLabs that will result in new DOCSIS 3.1 training and course content for the emerging multi-gigabit platform for HFC networks.

Under the deal, CableLabs, which published the original D3.1 specs in October 2014 ahead of certification testing that is underway now and initial deployments expected to begin later this year, will provide Jones/NCTI with DOCSIS 3.1 subject matter expertise on the new courses. Jones/NCTI said it is also integrating CableLabs DOCSIS 3.1 training material into an updated version of the Broadband Digital Installer course for release later this month.

Jones/NCTI said it will develop content for three new DOCSIS 3.1 courses designed for technicians and other frontline employees. The new courses will roll out starting in the late part of the second quarter of 2015 or by early Q3 2015, following CableLabs review.

Training and coursework options continue to emerge as the cable industry prepares for the deployment phase of DOCSIS 3.1. As part of its work with CableLabs, the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) has developed DOCSIS 3.1 coursework and training materials for mid- to senior-level data and headend techs. That four-module course is being offering as a one-day on-site course, and as a Web-based self-paced course.

DOCSIS 3.1, which will make cable spectrum more efficient via the use of blocks of OFDM subcarriers in tandem with a new Low Density Parity Check forward error correction (FEC) scheme, is targeting max capacities of 10 Gbps down and at least 1 Gbps upstream.

"From the Internet of Things to the Connected Home, DOCSIS 3.1 technology will change the way consumers and businesses interact today. This innovative agreement with CableLabs will help advance the industry and ensure that frontline teams stay ahead of fast-changing technology,” Stacey Slaughter, Jones/NCTI CEO, said in a statement.

"With multi-Gigabit services soon becoming a reality for broadband customers, it is imperative that frontline employees are educated on the new generation of capabilities that will be available to consumers and businesses. We are pleased that Jones/NCTI will deliver the necessary training materials to prepare field employees for the deployment of DOCSIS 3.1 solutions,” added Steve Higgins, director of network technologies, CableLabs, added.

Jones International University to Shut Down

Jeff Baumgartner — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 13:30:00 +0000

Jones International University, the Colorado-based distance education school founded by cable pioneer Glenn R. Jones in 1993, will be shutting down due to a sharp decline in enrollments, according to the Denver Business Journal.

The publication said JIU’s decision follows a 55% drop in enrollments between 2011 and 2014, leaving it with about 2,000 students.

The decision will not impact the operations of Jones/NCTI, a provider of workforce education, career planning and performance products for the cable/broadband industry that is headquartered at the Jones building in Centennial, Colo. (pictured). “Jones/NCTI will continue to provide employee training, consulting services, and online educational services for the cable/telecommunications industry,” a spokeswoman said via email.

In a message on its Web site, JIU said currently enrolled students have been alerted to the impending closure and its timeline, along with details about how they can transfer their studies to Trident University International as part of a formal agreement. Trident, founded in 1998, is an online university based in Cypress, Calif.

“Jones International University is committed to a smooth and orderly transition and providing you clear direction and information during this time,” JIU added.

TheDenver Business Journalsaid JIU expects to complete its wind-down over the next 12 to 15 months, noting that students with less than a year left in their studies will be able to complete their courses and graduate from JIU.

JIU, once billed as “The University of the Web,” began to offer classes in the spring of 1995. JIU was the first online university to receive accreditation, obtaining that distinction in 1999 from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. JIU awarded its first graduate degree in 1997.

Glenn Jones, who sold Jones Intercable, once a top-10 cable operator, to Comcast in April 1999, has been a leading proponent of distance learning, going back to Mind Extension University (ME/U)*, an education-focused cable channel that launched in 1987 and was sold to Discovery in 1999, when the Jones-run programmer was known as Knowledge TV. Jones has also authored books about his vision for distance learning and online education, including Make All America A School and Cyberschools: An Education Renaissance.

Jones’s legacy and passion for distance learning will live on at Trident.

"The decision to close JIU was particularly difficult for our founder, Glenn R. Jones, who poured his energy and personal financial resources into making JIU the first regionally accredited fully online university,” Bryan Wallace, JIU’s COO, said in a statement to the DBJ. “In recognition of Mr. Jones’s military service, entrepreneurial spirit and extensive contributions to the fields of business and education, TUI is renaming its College of Business Administration The Glenn R. Jones College of Business Administration."

*The author of this article, Multichannel News technology editor Jeff Baumgartner, was an employee of Jones Education Networks and ME/U from 1994 to 1998, and took several courses from JIU.

Midcontinent Taps Jones/NCTI For Training Help

MCN Staff — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 13:00:00 +0000

Jones/NCTI said it has struck a three-year deal to provide Midcontinent Communications with a suite of learning tools for the MSO’s frontline field technicians and call center teams.

The package includes Jones/NCTI's course material, mobile learning application and career path development tools, as well as LogiCALL customer service support. Under the deal, Midcontinent’s techs and call center staff will get access to Jones/NCTI's Master Technician and Master Representative course materials, and the MSO will deploy Amp, Jones/NCTI's mobile learning application.

Jones/NCTI will also provide opportunities for career planning and advancement with career paths created and tailored for Midcontinent.

Midcontinent will introduce the new Jones/NCTI program to employees in early 2015.

“Our team is excited to deepen our relationship with Midcontinent by providing their frontline technicians and customer care teams with a results-driven learning program that supports a clearly defined career path,” said Stacey Slaughter, CEO of Jones/NCTI, in a statement. “ All MSOs can benefit from the way we have restructured our offerings to integrate with and supplement existing learning programs."

"We're thrilled to provide our team with tools to expand the superior customer service they provide today through our relationship with Jones/NCTI,” added Kathy Green, director of talent development at Midcontinent. “These solutions will deliver on-demand, next-level learning to help our employees on the job as well as throughout their careers. I expect deployment of the Jones/NCTI solutions will have a positive impact on our company, our employees and ultimately, our customers."

Survey Highlights How To Keep Frontline Employees

MCN Staff — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 13:45:00 +0000

Once a cable operator finds good frontline technicians or customer service representatives, they are then presented with the challenge of holding onto what amounts to a sizable portion of their overall workforce.

Jones/NCTI, the Colorado-based provider of technician and consumer rep training and education services, announced the results of a survey that revealed three keys to frontline employee retention:

-A clearly defined career path;

-Learning to support feeling proficient and productive on the job; and

-Compensation tied to professional certifications.

Jones/NCTI published its findings in a whitepaper, basing them on an online survey and routable research of training leaders.

Among the findings, 83% of frontline employees said a clearly defined career path supported their desire to stay with their current company, creating a sense of loyalty to their employer, and 71% said bonuses and pay increases tied to achievement of professional certifications also compelled them to stay with their employer. Also, 79% said they feel positive or very positive about career prospects in cable.

"Currently, technicians and customer service representatives comprise an estimated 35% of the U.S. broadband industry workforce, and as the industry continues to evolve - from cable provider to broadband powerhouse, the growing pressure on MSOs to deliver more services, faster puts incredibly high expectations on these frontline employees," said Wayne Applehans, Jones/NCTI president and chief product officer, in a statement. "Our study finds that the first twelve months on the job are critical in helping these employees to feel proficient and productive in their jobs, and that additional access to learning and development is critical to these frontline technicians who are focused on investing in their own careers. Our seasoned base of frontline technicians tells us additional confidence in their roles and loyalty to their employer translates to improved performance and, ultimately, better in-home service for customers. These are the very metrics our MSO clients are working to achieve."

Jones/NCTI Expands Master Tech Hall of Fame

MCN Staff — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 14:45:00 +0000

Jones/NCTI (booth 1455) said it has inducted more than 120 technicians and engineers to its 2014 Master Tech Hall of Fame. They will be recognized alongside past honorees at the show at the company’s show floor exhibit.

This year, Jones/NCTI awarded 157 certifications, including 24 for senior master technician, to 122 individuals.

Since the program's inception in 2000, close to 4,500 elite technicians and engineers have successfully completed Jones/NCTI's Master Tech Certification requirement, the company said, adding that over 800 members have achieved the Senior Master Technician certification, Jones/NCTI's highest level of recognition.

Jones/NCTI Launches App For Field Techs

Jeff Baumgartner — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Jones/NCTI has launched Amp, an app for front line field tech that delivers on-demand information and training to PC browsers and mobile devices.

The app, called Amp, delivers a range of content to those on-the-go techs, including training content and curriculum materials, and alerts on safety updates and severe weather, and is designed to boost “first call resolution” while aligning field teams with customer service, Jones/NCTI said.

According to the company, Amp provides, “thousands of hours of video” covering demos, on-the-job tips and aids, and tutorials. In addition to Jones/NCTI’s course content, the app can also support custom learning materials and third-party vendor equipment education information.

Jones/NCTI supports Amp on Web browsers and via apps for iOS and Android-powered devices.

"Amp takes learning to the next level, and empowers technicians to do their job accurately," said Stacey Slaughter, CEO and CFO of Jones/NCTI, said in a statement. "As companies require a workforce with more comprehensive skills and education, Amp provides the just-in-time knowledge technicians need to provide an excellent customer service experience 'in the moment.' We are invigorating our products to ensure that Jones/NCTI tools support the way technicians learn today so that they can personalize their experience with bite-size, chunk knowledge, social learning and more."

Armstrong, Jones/NCTI Team On Frontline Training Program

Jeff Baumgartner — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 13:30:00 +0000

Jones/NCTI said it has partnered with Armstrong on the development of new learning tools for the MSO’s frontline technicians.

Under the plan, the new “integrated solution” for Armstrong techs will provide on-demand access to materials and customized career development opportunities.

The program will cover access to Jones/NCTI’s Senior Technician course materials, two new custom learning modules developed by Jones/NCTI to address Armstrong’s specific needs, and access to a new mobile learning app, called Amp, that will be launched in August and will provide real-time info to employees in the field.

Jones/NCTI will also supply career planning and advancement opportunities tailored for Armstrong, which serves parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland.

Armstrong expects to introduce the new training and learning program to employees later this year.

“We look forward to working together to strengthen the learning tools we provide to our frontline team. We pride ourselves on our strong relationships with our customers and the communities we serve, and are confident that Jones/NCTI’s licensed, flexible learning model will help enhance our team’s career paths and on-the-job knowledge. It will afford them the ability to advance in their future careers and assist them in continuing to offer the high level of customer service our subscribers have come to expect,” said Armstrong president Jeff Ross, in a statement.