We would do things like help people set up their WiFi, or tackle issues that would prevent standard Internet connectivity (e.g. malware).

We were basically tech support over the phone. We would use remote tools for the more complex stuff, or basically follow a script for the easier things, such as directing someone how to set up a WPA2 passphrase.

There were some incredibly annoying issues, though. One of the worst was certain Xbox 360 consoles outright refusing to connect to an Arris wireless gateway. There was a longstanding firmware fix to resolve that issue, but it took Comcast months to resolve it. Meanwhile, people were forking over money (not much - something like $5 IIRC?) to talk with us about it, only to be told to swap out the wireless gateway with something else or to install their own, dedicated wireless router.

Some problems were fun. That was around the time that ZeroAccess was all over the place, and the FBI malware was at its peak. The more senior employees would make scripts to identify and defeat malware, and with the high call volume, we'd often see the newest infections out in the wild.

The highly technical problems that made me think were what kept me going at that job. I loved working out solutions that weren't as simple as loosely following a script. It was immensely satisfying to connect to a customer's PC after several minutes of failure. The HTML Help tool (hh.exe) was often used to direct customers to our site in the case that their browsers were completely hosed.

The semi-transparent integration with Comcast's standard call centre was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it made it really easy to get the customers service. But on the other, people would connect with us and have certain expectations of what we could do. Our sales team was based internationally and communication issues could cause headaches for us; for the customers; and for Comcast employees. Never fun to have a customer pay to talk to us only to find out that they just want to bridge their wireless gateway, which really is a Comcast-only possibility. Though near the end of my stint there, we did get basic access to view some modem stats and whatnot, which was a huge timesaver.

Honestly, the entire scheme was just too convoluted to be successful, in my opinion. The idea seemed sound, but everything was so bureaucratic that sometimes getting even basic things done was a chore. And I do attribute a large part of that to the international sales team too. That team was outsourced before I started at the company, but coworkers had complained that quality really took a nosedive after the transition.

Pair bad communication with excess bureaucracy and you have a recipe for disaster.

Working from home was really cool, though. Arguably the most comfortable working environment I've been in, but my current job comes close.