Rogers makes waiting for the cable guy less terrible with new tool

It's no secret that waiting for the cable guy is one of the biggest annoyances in the world, next to stubbing your toe or getting pineapple on your pizza (seriously, what's up with pineapple?), but Rogers wants to change that — the first annoyance at least — with its new EnRoute tool.

Debuting a month after its latest app-based ability to track data usage in real time, EnRoute allows cable customers to track their technician within a specific two-hour time window, rather than the "9 to 5" absurdity most cable customers are used to. Once an appointment is made, customers receive a unique URL over email or SMS that allows them to track the service time and see a map of where that person is.

The appointments themselves can be booked using a variety of methods, including Twitter, Facebook Messenger, on-site chat and over the phone. The URL is generated as a ticket, which is sent to the waiting customer. Rogers says it receives 260,000 calls per year pertaining to the arrival time of a technician.

EnRoute is rolling out to customers in Hamilton first, with a broader expansion early next year.