keralamonitor.com June 5, 2002.

ADD REGRETS DELAYS, PLEDGES ACTION FOR GULF CUSTOMERS

Major Pay TV operator working round the clock

Dubai,ADD, the fast growing Middle East satellite pay TV platform management company reveled plans to boost customer satisfaction and services across the region after a wave of customer service delays experienced by customers across the GCC region. "When you aim to take pay TV from a luxury item something everyone can afford you can expect to make a few waves" points out Vinod D' Mello, ADD's Executive Vice President of Marketing and Network Development.

ADD was the first pay TV operator to introduce BUY THRU' subscription options catering to Arabic, Western & Asian market segment in the region in 2000. Since then ADD say they have grabbed over 60% market share of the fiercely fought over Pay TV market in the Middle East.

The firm's core strategy was to recognize that the key to successful pay TV operation was to address the cost of entry into Pay TV and periodically have introduced flexible subscription options starting from US $ 16,00 / month.

Obviously with the market acceptance, aggressive marketing, flexible subscription & pricing options the Regional Call Centers in the GCC has been receiving increased call center traffic and with that the challenge of meeting increased customer satisfaction levels.

In an in-depth interview on how the regional pay TV operator is coping with the unfolding situation We talked to ADD's Vinod D'Mello to identify what are their plans are to satisfy consumers:

Q1 : Subscribers complain that they cannot get through to your call centers?

D'Mello : We realised that the increased traffic was introducing delays for our customers and we have undertaken a number of steps to help them:

a. ADD has a wide dealer & distributor network in the Middle East ( 50 Distributors, and more than150 Dealers). They should contact them for post sales services relating to installation, technical assistance, technical service etc
b. ADD has a dynamic website - www.addunivese.com which provides an online helpdesk feature with the latest updates including the recent addition of loyalty & rewards programme to our subscribers ADDvantage etc . Also subscribers can subscribe or renew online using our website
c. Our regional call center based in Jebel Ali Free Zone is shifting to a new premises in June 2002 which will give us an opportunity to serve our subscribers even better:
i. Increased call center & customer services agents
ii. Extended operating hours to 24 hours
iii. Increased incoming digital lines & the First Pay TV operator to introduce Full digital IVR (Interactive Voice Response) which provides unique features like Programme Schedules, Technical Assistance, Customer service fax back options, World Cup 2002 or information on special & exclusive events etc
iv. We have added a third party call center handling increased load
v. On Line subscription & renewal options on www.adduniverse.com

Q2. We have received comments from subscribers that they have lost some of their channels?

D'Mello : Since the launch of flexible subscription options we have actually added more channels including the move of all 11 Star Channels to the ADD platform.

With the introduction of Star Channels we had offered our existing subscribers a chance to sample Star Channels for a period of 60 days and requested them to upgrade to continue watching their favorite channels

With the introduction of Star Chanels we had offered our existing subscribers a chance to sample Star Channels for a period of 60 days and requested them to upgrade to continue watching their favourite channels. When this finished those that did not avail themselves of our new offers certainly found that they had a reduction in the number of channels - but this was perception not reality as the channels were for a limited period of viewing only.

Again, we introduced a new subscription option catering to the Kids & Knowledge theme of programming. This is again a first for a Pay TV operator to cater to this segment which is very large when you consider the large youth population the Middle East.

Upgrade options are also available to make it easier for our subscribers to watch their programs of choice on Al Awael, Pehla or FirstNet Lastly, at present we are contacting subscribers who haven't yet upgraded to upgrade in order to enjoy watching additional channels.

Q3. Another comment from subscribers is that they have frequent technical interruption on services?

D'Mello: Those experiencing technical interruptions should be aware of the following:
a. We recommend our subscribers only purchase approved boxes ( SMS, UEC, EuroBox, Pace, Alfa Gold, Technosat, Panasat). Use of non approved boxes may result in frequent interruption since we constantly upgrade our services via an Over the Air Download to these boxes and this may not be received by non-standard/approved decoders

b. Many subscribers do not leave the smart card in the box : like all pay TV operators, we urge our subscribers to leave the smart card in the decoder, Not to turn off the decoder but instead leave it on standby mode when they have finished their satellite viewing and refrain from removing the smart card from the decoder.

c. Renew prior to the contract end date : Also, we would request our subscribers to visit our extensive distributor / dealer network via our website : www.adduniverse.com, call our call centers and renew their subscription prior to their contract end date

d. We frequently upgrade our services and this may require a visit by our representative. It is vital that all our subscribers provide us with their full contact details - Residential Address, Location, Alternative contact numbers - Residence, Work, Email, Cell Phone etc which would enable us to contact them immediately & send out our technical representative.

e. Satellite televison is subject to weather and from time to time. For any technical interruption they may call our extensive distributors network for post sales services and in the even they are unable to get the necessary services visit our website or alternatively call our newly upgraded call centers with their smart cards numbers for immediate reference.

Q4. Credit Card billing is another area where in subscribers are dis-satisfied?

D'Mello: We have a large percentage of subscribers preferring to pay monthly thru credit card. The billing is currently manual and we are moving very shortly into an automated process to eliminate errors. Subscribers need to be aware that the first payment is pro-rata, for example, if a subscriber signs a contract on the 12th of any month , he will receive the first transaction amount for 18 days for that month PLUS next months subscription since that's our credit card billing rules.

As regards to refunds we actually initiate the process within 24/48 hours, however it may take a bit longer for the actual refund to be reflected in our subscribers accounts as the banks send the instruction via an external process.

In order to simplify this issue, ADD is offering very flexible payment options : Cash, Direct Debit, Credit Cards as well as the recently introduced Prepaid Payment Card in UAE & KSA.

In the UAE the Prepaid Payment card is widely available via EPPCO outlets, supermarkets and groceries stores. We will also be introducing the prepaid payment card in other markets shortly.

Q5. Is there enough Information on programming supplied by pay TV operators in the region?

D'Mello: ADD circulates more than 200 thousand copies of its monthly highlight guides. Information on programming is available on our web site www.adduinverse.com or alternatively they could get a fax back option from our Inter Active Voice Response (IVR) in UAE & KSA

Q6. Some complain that distributors or dealers don't provide the desired post sales services?

D'Mello: Like most pay TV operators we rely on our distributors to provide the bulk of post sales services to our subscribers in the region. To do this we provide them with the necessary tools E.g.:
a. First Pay TV company to provide distributors a fully enhanced B2B solution which includes activation & renewal requests to be sent directly to our regional office
b. Chat line in addition to telephone support thru dedicated account executives and on line complaint booking modules
c. In addition to the above we have also provided an outlet via our website- www.adduniverse.com to register concerns/complaints
d. We also have a dedicated team who frequently visit distributors & dealers to provide operational, product & technical training
e. Renewal of subscriptions are handled online from distributors & the turn around time is now less than 6 hours

Q7. You are offering exclusive coverage of World Cup 2002, how have you prepared to handle the increased subscriptions, upgrades & information to consumers during this heavy period in demand?

D'Mello :We recognized that the demand for subscription during the FIFA World Cup 2002 will be tremendous and had actually offered an early bird offer starting March 2002 however the market reacts quite different in Middle East & we are geared to meet the challenge & expectation from our subscribers & potential subscribers and are relying on our automated infrastructure to cope with this.

Our call centers & operational teams are working 24 hours shift and all activations will be handled within 24/48 hours but we still request subscribers to confirm their subscription immediately to enjoy watching every exciting 64 games. The earlier the public subscribe the better.

Q8. What are your plans moving forward to cater to the increased demand for your services?

D'Mello: We like to see ourselves as a caring pay TV company and sincerely thank our existing and new subscribers for their patience co-operation and support. In order to provide all our subscribers the expected level of service we are enhancing our entire infrastructure, this will entail:
1. Full CRM module integrated with our SMS system
2. Increased training to all our business partners
3. Extended operation hours
4. Enhanced portal - www.adduniverse.com
5. Recent introduction of loyalty & rewards programme- ADDvantage