Charlie speaks..... Finally!!!

**Zero327** · 11-14-2007 09:57 PM

What is it with customers and HD programming? It's like the affordable Shelby GT these days... If I tripped over the HD cord I wonder if half the customer base would drop dead...

"If you don't carry SciFi HD by the end of the week I'm cancelling!!!!"

See ya!

**dishcomm** · 11-14-2007 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by WiCkeDuDe

There are problems that have been causing E* customers to leave for alot longer than 6 months. It is true that many customers just switch back and forth between providers when their contracts end but I think this could be reduced, along with retaining longtime customers if just a few simple things were fixed. These are the problems I see with echostar that if fixed would greatly increase customer count and/or happiness. These are ranked in order of importance.

#1 - Train your CSRs to do something other than read a script. If they had the knowledge to solve a problem we wouldnt play CSR roulette would we. And can't a CSR inform the customer a dual tuner needs to be plugged in to the phone so the tech doesnt loose 30 minutes explainin this on the install????? If a cust calls in a simply feels they are being helped rather than feel they know more than the CSR it would help SOOOOOOO much!

#2 - Offer better deals to existing customers for HD upgrades ,etc. The current DIU deals have come a ways with this but you cant tell me a HD customer paying over $100 a month is not making alot of money for E*. Let them upgrade if they want without raking them. This customer is likely to stay rather than the new customer you just handed free equipment to.

#3 - Upgrade computer systems/scheduling system!! How hard is it to call to say a appointment is rescheduled? Many people are so pissed off before a tech ever installs the system they go to another provider.

#4 - Update Web Pricing/ Simplify price structure!!! The price packages need simplifying. Look how much better the info is presented even in this form under E* pricing. Get rid of the damn individual pricing for each fee, just build them in to the package like they did with DVR advantage. Then just add $10 or so on up each package.

It would help so much if they built in the phone fee. They wouldnt have to say anything about it and if the cust plugged it in they save $5. How many customers are going to complain about a $5 savings compared to the ever present "Im not paying the phone fee!"????

#5 Fix the 129 bird!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, Ok, I realize this isnt 100% percent thier fault. With the bird dying and the launch failures I can see why this is a issue. But in many ways its E*'s own fault for not planning ahead. When they had more HD than D* they did NOTHING. D* played catch up and now will pass E* for some time because of a lack of planning.

I mean clearly customers want HD content and soon all most all content will be HD in a few years. The service is growing so why not grow your system? This is clearly where TV is headed. But no they put HD on the worst bird you can at 129. Too small, not powerful, limited bandwidth. Use old technology to power your new and high tech HD service? How ironic is this?

Also how much money and time has been lost with the 1000.2 design, 2 dish 500 /300 installs, and more dish 1000 repoints and service calls than one can count? All because of a lack of planning.

#6 - Dont load DNS tech up with 90 points a day. Treat techs with respect and they might stick around, rather than quit after 6 months. Doing so would give better installs, lower trouble calls, and form better customer relations, not to mention giving time to educate the customer.

Im sure there are more but these are the big problems I see right now and were the most complained about to me and other techs.

I agree. To that I add ......Either discard the phone line fee, tell all sales partners and Dish CSR's they must tell the customer about it or build it into the price.
Pay the techs more money. $11.75 an hour is bringing in ....$11.75 an hour people. They think the job will be easy. The first time they run ionot a difficult job they learn quickly to blow them off as NLOS or some other garbqage excuse. DNS should train their people better and not load them up with 15 hrs of work.
I have seen and been told of both by former DNS techs/ FSM's.
bTW D* is so busy that the D* HSP called us to see if we could help them out. Can ya beat that. A D* HSP asking an E* contrasctor for assistance.
Anyway, unless the D* HSP wants to pay us the same rate as E* my employer isn't going for it. I won't do them anyway if I have to run phone lines for free either. Screw that.
But the point is D* is getting it done on the HD side and it is clear that they are much busier than we are on the E* side.
One other thing. I read on skyreport that Charlie is blaming the stock performance on not answering the phone and installs not being done right..
The nerve of that guy. The stock tanks because Wall Street changed their recomendation from a "Buy" to a "hold' and Charlie tries to lay this on the techs. The nerve.
We are slow right now. Getting about 75% of the work we normally do. Far less new connects. DNSC is keep in them for themselves

**vegassatellite** · 11-15-2007 12:01 AM

The principle law of business is "Compete Or Die!"

That said, it would be foolish of Charlie to let Dish fall by the wayside in terms of keeping up with or surpassing the competition. Customers don't care for setbacks like birds not getting up in the air. They go with whoever has what they are looking for. The big push right now is HD and for the time being, DirecTV is out in front. Charlie doesn't have an option of just sticking it out with the current volume of HD content, he has to put up more or his business dies. The question is, when?

In the absence of getting those satellites up, there are some things he could possibly do to lend a temporary fix to the situation.

Looking for other birds for which he could lease transponder space.
Re-focus on quality of field operations. Increase install payments to retailers. Raise the pay and reduce installer churn at the DNSCs. Aggressive handling of service issues. Ramp up QCs.
Offer some exceptional upgrade offers to current customers. Many customers feel like they have been forgotten about in light of all the "new customer" promotions that don't apply to existing customers.
Any existing customer with a dual tuner who is paying the phone line fee, offer them free wireless phone jacks or a homeplug adapter for ViP receivers to get that fee off their account. Save a customer $10 on their bill and then DirecTV or Cable programming ends up being that much more expensive than Dish.
Increase compensation to dealers who have 'GREEN' staus. Those are the ones taking care of your subs. It also helps them resist the temptation to push more DirecTV by making Dish an even more profitable sale for them.

I realize these suggestions can be expensive, but we're talking a year or two at max and in the meantime the customer retention won't be hurt as much.

**Zero327** · 11-15-2007 01:37 AM

Originally Posted by vegassatellite

The principle law of business is "Compete Or Die!"

That said, it would be foolish of Charlie to let Dish fall by the wayside in terms of keeping up with or surpassing the competition. Customers don't care for setbacks like birds not getting up in the air. They go with whoever has what they are looking for. The big push right now is HD and for the time being, DirecTV is out in front. Charlie doesn't have an option of just sticking it out with the current volume of HD content, he has to put up more or his business dies. The question is, when?

In the absence of getting those satellites up, there are some things he could possibly do to lend a temporary fix to the situation.

Looking for other birds for which he could lease transponder space.
Re-focus on quality of field operations. Increase install payments to retailers. Raise the pay and reduce installer churn at the DNSCs. Aggressive handling of service issues. Ramp up QCs.

Wow, didn't read my earlier post huh? Charlie doesn't believe in compensation justifying work ethic. He believes regardless of what he pays his employees that it's acceptable to expect highest quality work as if he sent out a member of DISH's Board of Directors to go complete a trouble call. (At the previously mentioned $11.75/hr rate.)
Offer some exceptional upgrade offers to current customers. Many customers feel like they have been forgotten about in light of all the "new customer" promotions that don't apply to existing customers.

They don't just feel like it. It's actually true. Existing customers aren't monetarily worth the same as a new customer after twelve months. Contracts take care of most cases. My customer service theory is treat all customers equally, either like crap or like the most important asset you have but pick one. Charlie likes working in the "gray".
Any existing customer with a dual tuner who is paying the phone line fee, offer them free wireless phone jacks or a homeplug adapter for ViP receivers to get that fee off their account. Save a customer $10 on their bill and then DirecTV or Cable programming ends up being that much more expensive than Dish.

Spend money to do the existing customer base a favor? At $49.00 a piece, roughly the price of the Phonex brand jacks DISH distributes, Charlie would have to spend $666,400,000 to supply them with one jack each. Nevermind those customers with multiple duals. Charlie's too cheap to increase the parking areas at his corporate headquarters, and that wouldn't cost a quarter of that. What makes you think he'll spend that on people he already has his claws in?
Increase compensation to dealers who have 'GREEN' staus. Those are the ones taking care of your subs. It also helps them resist the temptation to push more DirecTV by making Dish an even more profitable sale for them.

I realize these suggestions can be expensive, but we're talking a year or two at max and in the meantime the customer retention won't be hurt as much.

Okay, you need to go over to the installer forum and read my rant. Your CRP rating is about as important as the rear license plate on my car and has even less uses. As stated, ten people, give or take, know about or care about your CRP rating. Most of them aren't important. But smile, if you're Summit Elite you get a credit for RSVP'ing.

The principle law of business FAILS to apply to existing MULTI-BILLIONAIRES. If DISH tanked tomorrow, he'd walk away with enough money to buy his own private island.

I agree, Charlie should invest in his company and spend some money to make it; get some of those things taken care of finally. But he's never been good about spending money, and I don't think he's about to start. Charlie has made his, and that's the problem. There's no more incentive for him to keep trying, and it seems all that wealth he built into DISH, is now firmly in his personal gross profit margin.

**vegassatellite** · 11-15-2007 01:53 AM

Originally Posted by Zero327

The principle law of business FAILS to apply to existing MULTI-BILLIONAIRES. If DISH tanked tomorrow, he'd walk away with enough money to buy his own private island.

I agree, Charlie should invest in his company and spend some money to make it; get some of those things taken care of finally. But he's never been good about spending money, and I don't think he's about to start. Charlie has made his, and that's the problem. There's no more incentive for him to keep trying, and it seems all that wealth he built into DISH, is now firmly in his personal gross profit margin.

So what you're saying is Chuck is cheap?

**charper1** · 11-15-2007 01:59 AM

"Charlie doesn't believe in compensation justifying work ethic. He believes regardless of what he pays his employees that it's acceptable to expect highest quality work as if he sent out a member of DISH's Board of Directors to go complete a trouble call. (At the previously mentioned $11.75/hr rate.)"

Now I am not going to say if I think that rate is worth the job or not, BUT this is such a bogus and BS over-played excuse. To not have any work ethic and pride in yourself is just plain garbage; regardless of what you do or get paid. If you don't like a job, the hours, the pay, the benefits, whatever; JUST QUIT; but don't do half-assed work; taking a job as offered is an agreement that you are accepting of ALL the terms. What a pant load!

**skottey** · 11-15-2007 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by dishcomm

I agree. To that I add ......Either discard the phone line fee, tell all sales partners and Dish CSR's they must tell the customer about it or build it into the price.
Pay the techs more money. $11.75 an hour is bringing in ....$11.75 an hour people. They think the job will be easy. The first time they run ionot a difficult job they learn quickly to blow them off as NLOS or some other garbqage excuse. DNS should train their people better and not load them up with 15 hrs of work.
I have seen and been told of both by former DNS techs/ FSM's.
bTW D* is so busy that the D* HSP called us to see if we could help them out. Can ya beat that. A D* HSP asking an E* contrasctor for assistance.
Anyway, unless the D* HSP wants to pay us the same rate as E* my employer isn't going for it. I won't do them anyway if I have to run phone lines for free either. Screw that.
But the point is D* is getting it done on the HD side and it is clear that they are much busier than we are on the E* side.
One other thing. I read on skyreport that Charlie is blaming the stock performance on not answering the phone and installs not being done right..
The nerve of that guy. The stock tanks because Wall Street changed their recomendation from a "Buy" to a "hold' and Charlie tries to lay this on the techs. The nerve.
We are slow right now. Getting about 75% of the work we normally do. Far less new connects. DNSC is keep in them for themselves

They only pay $11.75 to their techs? Are they contractors or full time employees with benefits. how crappy... I am truly sorry you guys and gals that are techs. No wonder I have read the horror stories of drunk techs and techs that don't have a clue what they are doing coming out.

**Stargazer** · 11-15-2007 03:20 PM

You can only screw the retailers for so long before it catches up to you. I believe DirecTv increased their commissions but even though they may not still pay quite as much as Dish Network, it is less of a pain to deal with, from what I have been told, with fewer issues. I believe many Dish Network retailers are now pushing DirecTv even more or have quit selling Dish Network altogether.

**iceondsom** · 11-15-2007 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by dishcomm

One other thing. I read on skyreport that Charlie is blaming the stock performance on not answering the phone and installs not being done right..
The nerve of that guy.

He was referring to DISH's call centers not being able to handle the call volume. That wasn't directed at the retailers.