15 simple rules to make an install go smooth

[popzezo]

1 after you make your choice of chans, rooms, and receivers, repeat order with CSR... mistakes happen

2 dont order what you will have alot of trouble using, if you arent tech savy then the dvr isnt your friend

3 the day of install needs to be a day that you will be HOME all day.. we can run late or be way early.. it happens

4 make sure you have a NUMBER ON YOUR MAIL BOX/POST/TREE/MIDGET HOLDING A SIGN WITH AN ARROW.. one of the biggest reasons i miss a jobs is no address on the road, we do alot of rural routes and you may go 3 miles with no numbers on the box

5 answer you phone anytime it rings that day before we arrive... i know you like to screen your calls but this is reason two why i miss a job, if i cant find you and you wont answer, i cant do your install

6 have the house ready for us when we get there.. tv's in the rooms, entertainmet centers or whatever your tv is on needs to be two or three feet from walls, we do dish, a uhaul moves furniture( not being nasty, but we dont need to move them because we may damage something in you house)

7 try to make the location by an existing outlets.. nothing worse than seeing a cable that you cant use and having to make a new run, but it is your house and you make the rules

8 the dish needs to be as close as possible, yes we can go up to 150' without much loss of signal, but the closer you are the less strain on the dish lnb

9 when the tech arrives, spend atleast 5 mins going over what you have ordered to make sure its what you ordered.. the end of the job is a bad time to find out it wasnt what you wanted

10 make sure the tech has access to everywhere he needs.. locked doors and gates make for a longer install and irritation to the tech.. so dont relock the door when he goes out

11 listen carefully to the explaination of how to use the system and hold questions until the tech has finished his customer education .. jumping ahead and asking "how do i do ..." will cause problems because you are consentrating on your question and not what your being taught.

12 get the tech to walk you around his install and explain how and why.. this may help later if there is a problem, or you may see something that is unacceptable and have it corrected before he leaves.. it also gives you a chance to see if the tech has done a very good job and made things as astheticly pleasing as possible.

13 follow up with the main office the tech is out of and or call dish network to let them know how much you liked/disliked the install and tech.

14 above all of this. remember for the most of us know what we are doing, and if it sounds like smoke up the backside, it may very well be, but the benefit of the dougt is nice

15 and last of all if you feel that its a very nice job, show your appreciation.. soda for the road and such

 

[micknick]

Excellent!

 

[Zero327]

Nice post, well done.

 

[Smith P.]

I would add - be sure the person who will on customer side is right one with all permissions granted.

Works other day with one guy, later in a middle of bolting a dish under eave close to corner of three store building ( after cutting a lot of branches of close located tree - lots of spikes, man !) an homeowner came and prohibited using the spot for dish, demanded to relocate it up to chimneys.

 

[ciscore]

it sure sucks when you've repeated what you wanted to the CSR at least twice and the CSR repeated it BACK at least twice and they STILL screw it up! How you can tell a CSR you want a 722 with DVR service multiple times and end up with a 622 and no DVR service on the work order is beyond me.....

 

[broncobri5]

Think about your outlets, as a former TWC installer I would ask customers to think about their outlets. You need to make a choice of cable on the outside of your house, a hole in the floor, or extra money for a wall fish.

 

[585960]

AND.............if you currently have a provider (for ex: CABLE) and are NOT switching over exclusively to SAT, make sure its noted on the paperwork notes the tech gets, so he's prepared. That also goes for finished drywalled ceiling basements, 40 foot ladders, etc. An informed/realistic customer is a pleasure to work for!!!

 

[KenB123]

When I first read the Subject line, my initial reaction was: You've got to be kidding. 15 rules!

Should an install really be this difficult? But after reading them, they all seem pretty valid (oh well, maybe #15 could be left out). Replace it with something like keeping your kids and pets out of the way of the installer.

Good post.

 

[drummerguy]

Question: How do you installers feel about the homeowner standing outside watching what you're doing. Being a tech geek, I'm fascinated by what they do, so I'm outside with them, talking to them and asking questions, if appropriate. But I try to stay out of the way. It also helps me to understand how the thing is wired up for later reference.

Just curious...

 

[damjr]

Great post.

I would of added to #3..............................
Make sure the person who is on the contract is home to sign all the ppwk. Not your kid, boyfriend/girlfriend, room mate, grandma/pa, etc.... This is a contract and must be signed by the person who's credit was ran. Just like buying a car, etc....

 

[Kevinw]

Always schedule your install for 0800-1200. That way they will be there and done before 5pm instead of woking into the middle of the night.

 

[585960]

Question: How do you installers feel about the homeowner standing outside watching what you're doing. Being a tech geek, I'm fascinated by what they do, so I'm outside with them, talking to them and asking questions, if appropriate. But I try to stay out of the way. It also helps me to understand how the thing is wired up for later reference.

Just curious...

I like when a homeowner takes an interest. First, its their residence, so know why, where, and how things are where they are. Then if they need to troubleshoot, they won't be clueless. And homeowners, get a feel for the tech. A tech 6 months to a year on the job vs. 3-5 years on the job. 1st tech says it has to go 28' up to get a signal. 2nd tech says,"what? I have a LOS 6' off the ground!". 1 install, 5 techs, 5 different installs. Keep that dish low!!!!

 

[kstuart]

2 dont order what you will have alot of trouble using, if you arent tech savy then the dvr isnt your friend

All of the rules make sense except this one.

A DVR is not any more difficult to use than any other satellite receiver, and it has plenty of benefits to even the most technophobic user.

I think that just being able to pause when the phone or doorbell rings is worth the DVR fee. Any person can grasp the "replay" button or the "skip commercials" button.

I even think that a tecnophobic person can record and playback programs if someone spends the time to show them how it is done, and then watches them while they try it.

 

[GNASH]

Our last upgrade...

it sure sucks when you've repeated what you wanted to the CSR at least twice and the CSR repeated it BACK at least twice and they STILL screw it up! How you can tell a CSR you want a 722 with DVR service multiple times and end up with a 622 and no DVR service on the work order is beyond me.....

I wasn't going to add to this chat, but have decided to after this comment. I called to upgrade to a 722 and HD signal. We have had E* for 9 years. Talked to CSR and explained what we wanted (HD installed, new 722, and a couple of RG-6 runs rerouted to get rooms on correct receivers). Also confirmed what we thought the price was ($149 for install and then monthly programming prices). Everything was setup and then the day of the install came.

When the installer came, it was stated that all that was on the W/O was to move the second TV (which we had already done and it ended up being something we could do by hooking up cables differently). We explained that no it was not all that needed to be done. Finally convinced the installer what should have been on the W/O. He called for the correct parts and they were delivered, installed and work great.

Then we got our bill. A bill that we expected to jump some was almost 3 times our original amount with a ton of double charges and many charges and credits. That night we called to find out what was going on. Turned out that they had put in for a Dish Mover (we had moved 9 months prior, so no new move involved) and had a $199 install fee for the 722 (I had specifically asked the CSR about the price of the 722 being $149 and he said yes - that came from the Dish-n-It Up web page on Dish Network). After approximately an hour on the phone and talking with a supervisor, she finally offered the $50 credit due to what was stated during the initial CSR conversation and us having been with them so long.

I talked with the initial CSR and confirmed several times what we wanted and what initially was to occur the day of the install was no where close to what we talked about.

But everything worked out in the end
Geoff

 

[Claude Greiner]

I know this might sound like an advertisement, but if your going to order Dish directly through DISH Network you might as well call the Dishstore and order through us.

See...

http://www.dishretailer.com/dishstore/dishstore.htm

Its the same thing as going through Dish, but our sales people are more knowledgable and you get some additional savings

 

[popzezo]

to drummerguy....

i dont mind if you are there but if you loom or ask questions that you know i will be sure to answer when i go over the system, i would be bothered... also i like a good convo.. some do some dont, just gotta feel out the tech

about # 15... thats a nice way to say TIP but since its not ok to accept them if you are DNS (cough) i thought id use some subterfuge

id like to add
16 is a big must... apartments, rental property, nursing homes, etc.. you need a permission slip and a list of do's and don'ts. under no circumstance can you be refused permission but they can make choice of how its installed. even if you have signed a lease agreement not to get the dish, you are permitted by the FCC> under federal law you are permitted to have choice of service, but remember.. you have to live with your landlord .. not me

 

[popzezo]

and to answer the why is dvr so hard.. you must have never installed a dvr at an older persons house that has trouble working a vcr or dvd player(yes it does happen, trust me). i mean no disrespect at all but, i cant spend 1.5 hrs explaining the dvr 3 times, and still get a 12 day tc for customer education, kills my pph and my 12tc

 

[Liquidforce88]

and to answer the why is dvr so hard.. you must have never installed a dvr at an older persons house that has trouble working a vcr or dvd player(yes it does happen, trust me). i mean no disrespect at all but, i cant spend 1.5 hrs explaining the dvr 3 times, and still get a 12 day tc for customer education, kills my pph and my 12tc

Atleast we have the seperate power button for the tv now. Man that used to drive me crazy. Ok Sir press the TV button then press the power button. Then press power button, then press SAT, now you can change chanels. Say that again sunny again...again...again... Next three weeks you get service calls to go put the tv back on the right channel.

Atleast then they were not called Trouble calls.

 

[micknick]

When I had my install, it was really fun cause I work for Dish. The installer showed up, I told him go put up the dish and I'll get busy on hooking up the receivers. He gave me a funny look. I had to tell him I was in Tech Support. We were finished in about two hours, I gave him a glass of water and we sat down for a while and watched TV! It was a good team building experience.

Some installers would not want you to follow them around and ask questions but it is nice to have customers who watch and learn how things work...makes it much easier to trouble shoot when I ask them to check cables and such.

 

[iwc5893]

And answer your freaking door when we knock or ring the doorbell!!!!!