E* Customer Service Ratings Drop

[dishcomm]

Yes it is. If you do not design your entire support system, from the ground up, to deal with ignorant customers, then you are going to pay a heavy price.

If you make the assumption that customers are going to read the manuals, and you build a support center that isn't designed to handle the load of calls that will come in as a result of people not reading the manual, and you don't have your agents trained to give answers that are in the manual, then you are doomed to failure.

That's just the way it is.

The only way you can run on a thin call center is to make your product extremely simply to use.

Right now Dish is not making something about their products easy to use. Whether that is the product, the upgrade options, the installation process, the equipment, whatever, I don't know. What I do know is that Dish is driving their customers to make more calls than their competitors. And because of this, Dish is having more of their revenue eaten up in support cost.

And all of these complexity is making it more difficult for their CSRs to quickly answer questions. This is making Dish customers less satisfied.

Most likely this is due to Dish rolling out too many products, upgrades, services, and equipment changes without taking into account the human support factor. Perhaps the engineers or marketers have had too much power in their decision making.

Look at Dish's product lines. They have D500, D1000, D300, D1000+, SuperDish 105, SuperDish 121 satellite dishes. Satellites at 61.5, 105, 110, 118.7, 119, 121, 129 and 148. More receivers in play than almost anyone can name. Family Pack, AT60, AT120, AT180, AEP, locals, HD-Bronze, HD-Silver, HD-Gold, HD-Platinum, Superstations, Sports packages, PBS, Several premium movie packages & combinations, tons of foreign language channels, public info channels, multiple music channel packs, and more. Then there are several different switches and LNBs. Different service plans. Different lease options. Different trade-in programs. PPVs. Billing problems (and a very unfriendly, hard to interpret billing system). Multiple programmable remotes.

They are trying to provide support on this extemely complex product offering through multiple call centers located around the world. And to top it off, their automated problem resolution solutions are below average.

This is a company in DESPARATE need of a simplified product line. At some point, they are going to have to bite the bullet and start de-supporting older products.

I know a little bit about this because one of the operations I oversee for my employer is a call center. Dish has created a call center nightmare environment.

number one complaint from my customers..They can't stand the foriegn call center.
Next most popular complaint is they don't understand the use of the EQ...
This one really gets me....These people have just ordered a satellite system to be installed in their home and thewy know absolutely nothing of what they have purchased...They ask ME what their mothly rate is going to be!!!! The haven't a clue of the concept of a dual tuner reciver..Quite frankly, dish should stop pushing these receivers on people of limited technical ability..I get pretty sick of the deer in the headlights look I get from some customers AFTER the product demo.....Customers seem to think they have no resonsibilties...
I think Dish in it's haste to be first to to put new technology on the market has left them vulnerable to excess customer complaints....

 

[Zero327]

Here's what I love about that fact. A lot of what Tom mentions is true. Counterargument, those same customers, the clueless, techno-inept, incapable, uneducated or otherwise confused customers, are the ones calling and SCREAMING at CSRs to not give them one of whatever the newest DVR happens to be, but usually two. Customers care more about having the newest whatever regardless of what it is, (Is a satellite receiver a status symbol like a Porsche? I could write a paper.) If you think that's untrue, let's watch the 222 and ... well you'll have to wait for the facts blast on that one.

Customers consistantly purchase equipment they don't know anything about, have any idea on how to operate, and only care that they have one..........until they try and turn it on...because they were paying attention during installation.

If you buy a car, go to the pump and put Diesal in it its first new tank...then something goes wrong, do you get to call and scream at the car manufacturer? There's also something wrong in a high-end high-tech industry where you have to dumb-down the equipment to meet the customer's understanding, not innovate the equipment to meet the customer's understanding. If a customer doesn't get it, they shouldn't buy it...but they're going to, DISH is going to continue to be blamed for it, and life goes on.

It's logically irresponsible to blame DISH for a customer's inability to comprehend. It's ..."odd" to then expect DISH to make a simpler product because some (not all or even most) customers can't seem to get it. The ones that do love it, that DISH is even competition for DTV let alone on their heels tells you that. But you don't change your business to suit a minority. That's not wise business judgment.

 

[dishcomm]

Here's what I love about that fact. A lot of what Tom mentions is true. Counterargument, those same customers, the clueless, techno-inept, incapable, uneducated or otherwise confused customers, are the ones calling and SCREAMING at CSRs to not give them one of whatever the newest DVR happens to be, but usually two. Customers care more about having the newest whatever regardless of what it is, (Is a satellite receiver a status symbol like a Porsche? I could write a paper.) If you think that's untrue, let's watch the 222 and ... well you'll have to wait for the facts blast on that one.

Customers consistantly purchase equipment they don't know anything about, have any idea on how to operate, and only care that they have one..........until they try and turn it on...because they were paying attention during installation.

If you buy a car, go to the pump and put Diesal in it its first new tank...then something goes wrong, do you get to call and scream at the car manufacturer? There's also something wrong in a high-end high-tech industry where you have to dumb-down the equipment to meet the customer's understanding, not innovate the equipment to meet the customer's understanding. If a customer doesn't get it, they shouldn't buy it...but they're going to, DISH is going to continue to be blamed for it, and life goes on.

It's logically irresponsible to blame DISH for a customer's inability to comprehend. It's ..."odd" to then expect DISH to make a simpler product because some (not all or even most) customers can't seem to get it. The ones that do love it, that DISH is even competition for DTV let alone on their heels tells you that. But you don't change your business to suit a minority. That's not wise business judgment.

I sit on the fence sometimes on issues such as this..I see both and inadequate Customer service system and a less than techno- savvy consumer base....
While it is almost insulting for,say a seller to ask a prospect if they are able to operate a product, it is also quite evident that many consumers go through life disinterstested in their purchases.....I have found that most customers do litle or no reasearch on satellite tv before making a purchase...upon my arrival at the custs home I explain how the job is going to be done, placement of dish etc..The second I mention "dual tuner" that's when the fun begins...I would estimate it takes at least 20 mins to explain this concept..Some people catch on, many do not...DVR's are another issue....No offense but if during precall I find my customer to be elderly, I make sure I bring single tuner receivers with me...Most thank me for talking them into the single tuner boxes....
On the call center side my biggest concern is Dish's policy of allowing CSR's to recommend trouble shoots over the phine to custs..Bad move..By the time I get to that service call the customer is so pissed off, they take it out on me...
IMO whn acustomer calls in for a service issue, the first and only response from the CSR should be " ok we'll seend a technician out to take care of the problem...Why Dish encourages customers to tamper with theiur EQ is a mystery to me..Now, just running a check switch is not tampering but checking cable fittings for tightness, moving that satellite receiver around to look at the back,disconnecting one port,or both from the seperator etc..This is tampering...Perosnally, I don't want customers to even breathe hard on the EQ...how the hell can you trust soemone who cannot grasp the concept of a remote control on -off buttton to start diagnosing a signal issue..
One last itme..Trouble calls...Retailers don't do many of these but......Dish issues non pay trouble call work orders for the stupidest crap...Here's an example..I installed a system not long ago. I get a trouble cal work order about a week later..Says there is a video probelem..Customer not getting picture on main tv....Ok I figure the receiver has gone bad...Turns out he cust bought a new TV and couldn't figure out how to connect it to the receiver....No big deal but here in lies the problem...Dish WILL NOT charge that customer for that service visit even though THEY caused the problem..In turn, we do not get paid for that service visit...IMO this is not right..If we screw up that's one thing..But if the customer causes the problem ,they should have to pay up...

 

[ToddMeister]

Well, here is a good CS post, FWIW.

My last three CS calls went flawlessly. The most recent, I didn't even talk to a person, I was able to change my programming thru the phone menus, and it was pretty simple. Programming changes appeared on the receiver within a half hour. Previous two calls before last one were about checking the status of a used receiver purchased to replace an older model, and then to activate the "new" used receiver.

 

[Zero327]

I sit on the fence sometimes on issues such as this..I see both and inadequate Customer service system and a less than techno- savvy consumer base....
While it is almost insulting for,say a seller to ask a prospect if they are able to operate a product, it is also quite evident that many consumers go through life disinterstested in their purchases.....I have found that most customers do litle or no reasearch on satellite tv before making a purchase...upon my arrival at the custs home I explain how the job is going to be done, placement of dish etc..The second I mention "dual tuner" that's when the fun begins...I would estimate it takes at least 20 mins to explain this concept..Some people catch on, many do not...DVR's are another issue....No offense but if during precall I find my customer to be elderly, I make sure I bring single tuner receivers with me...Most thank me for talking them into the single tuner boxes....
On the call center side my biggest concern is Dish's policy of allowing CSR's to recommend trouble shoots over the phine to custs..Bad move..By the time I get to that service call the customer is so pissed off, they take it out on me...
IMO whn acustomer calls in for a service issue, the first and only response from the CSR should be " ok we'll seend a technician out to take care of the problem...Why Dish encourages customers to tamper with theiur EQ is a mystery to me..Now, just running a check switch is not tampering but checking cable fittings for tightness, moving that satellite receiver around to look at the back,disconnecting one port,or both from the seperator etc..This is tampering...Perosnally, I don't want customers to even breathe hard on the EQ...how the hell can you trust soemone who cannot grasp the concept of a remote control on -off buttton to start diagnosing a signal issue..
One last itme..Trouble calls...Retailers don't do many of these but......Dish issues non pay trouble call work orders for the stupidest crap...Here's an example..I installed a system not long ago. I get a trouble cal work order about a week later..Says there is a video probelem..Customer not getting picture on main tv....Ok I figure the receiver has gone bad...Turns out he cust bought a new TV and couldn't figure out how to connect it to the receiver....No big deal but here in lies the problem...Dish WILL NOT charge that customer for that service visit even though THEY caused the problem..In turn, we do not get paid for that service visit...IMO this is not right..If we screw up that's one thing..But if the customer causes the problem ,they should have to pay up...

You make some good points. The customer troubleshooting is just a cost efficiency would be my best guess. I think sometimes DISH overestimates its customer base. Now that's not a bad thing, but a customer's ability to operate let alone diagnose a piece of equipment they barely if even know how to turn on makes my skin crawl. So I'm with you there. But alternatively, if two or three customers actually get the point and manage to bring their system completely back online, that's money saved, so I see that side of it as well.

As for the work order, I would have called in an had a modification to a reinstall so I could charge. I recommend that course of action the next time. E-connect work order descriptions are based on what's assessed at customer call-in, not necessarily a true statement. What customer do you know that's going to say "I wanted new equipment, unplugged everything, put my new TV in place, but I can't figure out how to put my receiver back together again." I mean it happens, but not often.