Skinny Jump exists to provide affordable internet access to households that need it most. Every year Spark NZ invests millions of dollars in the programme, with one of the largest costs being the purchase of new modems. Every modem that is returned when no longer needed can potentially be refurbished or reissued, helping more families access affordable internet while making the programme more sustainable.
Recent analysis of Jump records has shown that many customers have been issued with multiple modems without any record of earlier modems being returned. This year alone, we have recorded 560 instances. While some of these cases have genuine explanations, others suggest opportunities for improving our processes and reducing unnecessary replacement issues. 22 partners were invited to provide feedback on why this occurs and how it might be reduced. Their responses revealed many common themes and practical ideas.
Most partners are not asking for more complex systems – they are asking for a more consistent process:
- ask the customer if they have already had a modem,
- check the Jump Register if in doubt,
- verify replacement requests or ask the customer to contact the Skinny Care Team,
- do not issue a replacement modem unless the faulty modem is returned,
- reinforce these practices regularly with staff.
Partner feedback presented a very clear message:
The prevention of duplicate issues depends more on consistently following a few simple processes than introducing new rules.
We have developed a Partner Guide, based largely on the feedback from partners. This Guide outlines a simple 5-step process for use by all Jump partners when issuing replacement modems. You can also find a link to the Guide on the Skinny Jump Partner Resources page on our Stepping Up website.
And you can check how you are doing by keeping an eye on line 5 of your GSheet. Cell A5 records the number of duplicates issued so far this year – note this excludes ‘legitimate’ duplicates, such as faulty replacements, or replacements for lost or stolen modems. And if you want to drill a bit further, scroll along line 5 to find the number of duplicates issued by month (cells I5 to T5). Line 5 is shaded turquoise blue, the colour we use to identify duplicates.
And another note, if you find your Line 5 is not shaded turquoise, that means we haven’t updated your GSheet yet – this is a work in progress – with 264 sheets to update, this takes a while, and we have prioritised the most active partners.
Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa 