Category: Skinny Jump modems

Contacting the Skinny Care Team

We love the new tools that the Skinny team has put in place for getting Jump help – interactive voice response (IVR), online chats, email, facebook messaging, – and during March 2024, 60% of all the Care Team contacts by Jump customers used these tools.

But there are times when you really really need to talk to a human. And this is proving challenging for some Jump users. One elderly customer recently gave up trying to navigate the IVR when they were asked to enter their broadband number and verification code, so they called in to see their local Jump partner.

The partner tried to navigate the Jump IVR for this customer to find a way to get around the looped response if you don’t know these details – and failed! Unless a broadband number and verification code is entered, callers are returned to the IVR menu.

I did discover that if you don’t press ‘3’ for Jump, then you do get a press ‘9’ option to talk to a Care Agent, but what this means is that you then join the regular Skinny broadband queue. This is also so counter-intuitive that it would be impossible to explain to customers.

So the advice from the Jump Squad is to explain to customers that even if they don’t know their broadband number and verification code, they must attempt to enter some numbers. When these are entered, the system will detect them as invalid numbers and present the customer with a press ‘9’ option to talk to an agent.

I am aware that some IVR systems default to a live operator if customers reach a dead end and simply wait for 10 seconds. At this stage, the Jump IVR has not been set up this way, but changes could be made in the future.

Stolen Modems – unknown broadband number?

We get regular reports about Jump modems being lost or stolen. This presents a slight dilemma for customers when calling the Skinny Care Team to request a replacement. The IVR for Jump (press ‘3’ when calling 0800 475 4669) asks callers to enter their broadband number and verification code. But this is pretty difficult to do if the modem has been lost or stolen, or in some cases the transparent sticker with these details has been removed.

The good news is that Skinny Jump Care Agents can retrieve these details if they are sure the person calling is who they say they are. Normally, they would request the broadband number and verification code, printed on sticker on the side of the modem. Or they may ask the customer to retrieve these details from their Jump app.

In the absence of these details, the Skinny Jump agents may request the following details to verify the caller:

(1) registered email address;

(2) service address; or

(3) last top-up.

Once the Care Agent is satisfied they are talking to the right person, they will retrieve the modem details and complete a Modem Returns form, including a request for a replacement modem to be sent if this is what the customer wants.

Of course, all this assumes that the customer has been able to reach a Skinny Care agent. If they choose the IVR path (press ‘3’), they will get caught in a never-ending loop, unless they attempt to enter a broadband number and verification code; if these numbers are invalid they will then be given the option to press ‘9’ to talk to a Care Agent. More on this in my next post.

Reset modems – to box or not to box?

Two partners have been in touch this week (and it’s only Tuesday!) about handling modems that have been returned and then reset remotely by Skinny for re-issue.

The dilemma they face (which I am sure is shared by many other partners) is whether to issue the modem without its packaging. As one partner pointed out, it is not very professional to issue a modem and its extras – power supply, ethernet cable, user guide, modem return flyer and ‘keeping your whānau safe’ pamphlet- without some form of packaging. They have used library bags in the past, but these are no more.

Our approach to date has been to encourage partners to issue reset modems without packaging, but we really didn’t think about all the tag-along bits and pieces.

We have raised this with the Skinny Jump team at Spark to see if we could get supplies of new packaging but a good interim step was suggested by another partner – set aside any packaging returned by customers rather than send it back to us.

We are going to do this as well, at least in the meantime – we recover an average of 30 faulty modems every week, and many of these include their packaging; we are going to start retaining the packaging so that we can send some to partners as required.

Couriering a single empty box is probably a bit over the top, but we could possibly package six Smart Modem boxes using the same boxes that the modems arrive in.

If anyone has a better idea, please shout it from the rooftops!

Do not replace old Jump modems if they are still working

I have had a few questions from partners about whether they can replace the older style Jump Modems (B315 and B618) with a new Smart Modem, even if the old modem is still working.

The short answer is NO. In our experience the older modems are more reliable and some customers have even asked us to replace their Smart modem for an older version because they think they work better!

If the customer thinks their modem is faulty, they should contact the Skinny Care team to discuss why they think it is faulty. The Care team will then assess whether the modem needs to be replaced or not.

The moral of this story is that “newer is not necessarily better”.

Annual modem stock-take: who is Georgia?

Over the last few days many Jump partners have received a polite (I hope) call from Georgia to remind you about completing your modem stocktake before 31 January.

Georgia is a 14-year old secondary student, who has had more impact in getting responses from partners than I ever get from my blog posts! 

So thank you to everyone who responded so positively to her request – to those who did an on-the-spot check and relayed the modem IMEIs to her immediately, to those who promised to follow up with an email to jump@diaa.nz with the IMEI numbers of their stock and have already done this, to those who promised to do this over the next couple of days and to those who have cleared their voicemails and will be responding with the IMEI numbers of their stock by 31 January 2024.

Partners who had stock levels that matched our Google doc records were a very small minority – congratulations to you for an impeccable record in ensuring a Profile Form is completed for every modem issued.

Remember it is the Profile Form that manages stock levels and determines when we send you more modems, so if a profile form is missed, then you are inadvertently delaying your next shipment of modems. As a result of Georgia’s calls we have so far discovered 16 partners with zero or very low stocks – one had been patiently waiting since August 2023; another had zero stock, yet our records indicated 17 modems available for issue. We have immediately lodged re-supply orders for these partners.

The good news is that Spark has totally caught up with the lengthy backlogs in the supply of modems; during January, many of our re-supply orders are being processed the same day and shipped the next. So there is no reason why any partner should run out of modems.

I can understand why partners have learnt to be patient when we were experiencing a 2-month lag in modem supply, but hopefully that is behind us, so if for any reason you run out of modems or you find your stock getting precariously low, check your Google sheet to see if more are on order, in which case you can relax as these modems should arrive within 7 days. 

However if you are out of stock and you discover that no more have been ordered, this will mean that some of your team are issuing modems without completing Profile Forms, so do encourage them to engage with Tawera’s fantastic Partner Pathways online modules and get a refresher on the correct procedures. But you can also let us know by emailing jump@diaa.nz and we’ll take urgent action to get some more on their way.

Our objective is that you should never run out of modems; we would like to abandon our waiting list process – this is still reporting 225 waiters across the country and this is not now because of a modem shortage, we understand it is mainly because of the reluctance of many customers to answer their phones or texts and visit a Jump partner when you notify them. 

Our suggestion is that people who do not respond to your notification that you have stock available are removed from the waiting list after 7 days.

Urgent update for Jump modem stock take

Congratulations to the 28 Jump partners who have completed their modem stock takes and are now on the Jump ‘nice’ list. I have forwarded your details to the person in the red suit and he has advised that because of global traffic congestion, he is leaving for his Christmas duties at midday tomorrow (Wednesday 20 December). 

So while he has made it clear that he welcomes Jump partners onto the ‘nice’ list at any time during the year, he asked me to send his apologies to anyone who doesn’t make the list by midday tomorrow. He can’t guarantee he’ll meet the Monday deadline, when the world takes a pause.

Jump Modem Summer Stocktake – make sure you are on the Christmas ‘nice’ list!

Once every year, we ask all Jump partners to check that their modem stocks match our GSheet records. A match means that you should never run out of modems. Our modem supply process relies on a customer Profile Form being completed for every modem issued; we then use this information to update your Jump GSheet, which then alerts us when your modem supplies are dropping and we order some more for you.

Easy as! What could possibly go wrong? Many things it seems, but a stocktake can quickly put things right.

We are asking all Jump partners to carry out a simple stocktake over the summer holiday period, so that we start the new year with a clean slate. All you need to do is count the number of modems you have available for issue and check cell W2 (Actual Stock on hand) in your Jump GSheet. If these two numbers are the same – Bingo! You are definitely on Jump’s ‘nice’ Christmas list.

If the numbers differ, just send us an email (jump@diaa.nz) listing the IMEI numbers of the modems you are holding, so that we can mark the others as ‘allocated’ and you are automatically added to the ‘nice’ list.

If you are scratching your head, wondering how to access your Jump Sheet to find cell W2, we have created a mirror copy here that you can check – note columns B, C and D in particular.

We are worried that some partners appear to be still holding the older B315 and B618 modems (columns E and F in the mirror copy) and that might prevent them getting on the ‘nice’ list. Our records indicate there are nearly 200 of these older modems still in partners’ stocks. We know some of these will be reset modems and provided they are suitable for re-issue, that is fine, but we ask you to issue these ahead of any of the newer Smart modems. However, we suspect that in some cases, this could just be a matter of modems being issued without Profile Forms being completed. Your stocktake will solve this problem and you automatically join the ‘nice’ list.

So, just to make sure you make it to the 2023 ‘nice’ list, please send an email to jump@diaa.nz confirming your Jump modem stock matches our records or advising us where there a differences – either way you join the ‘nice’ list for the Jump Summer Stocktake.

And we all know what happens for people on ‘nice’ lists at Christmas!

Skinny Jump stocktake is coming to town

With a little help from ChatGPT!

Ho ho ho! The Jump stocktake’s on its way,
Gathering data to ensure no delay.
For each modem issued, are your forms complete and firm?
Hurry now, the stocktake’s near, it’s time to confirm!

We’re making a list, checking it twice,
Gonna find out who’s been naughty or nice.
So complete your Jump Profile forms right now,
To make the stocktake wow!

So be good for goodness sake,
Don’t delay, there’s a lot at stake.
For every modem that you’ve issued out,
A form’s needed, without a doubt!

You better watch out, stay on your toes,
The Skinny Jump stocktake, everyone knows.
So let’s get those forms filled out right,
Stocktake’s coming, to bring the light!

When are Jump modems unsuitable for re-issue?

A Jump delivery partner was cleaning out a storage cupboard today and came across three “reset” modems; they were “pretty old and not looking in the best of condition”; one was missing cables and another had very dirty cables. The label with the Broadband number had come off the other modem and had been stuck back on with cellotape.

In her assessment, as well as the person who assigned the modems to the storage cupboard in the first place, these modems were not fit for reissue. Hence they had been assigned to the storage cupboard awaiting a courier bag to return them for repair or recycling. But after about 6 months, when no courier bag had arrived, they were discovered by another staff member.

So what went wrong with our Modem Return process?

When a customer reports a faulty modem to the Skinny Care Team, the agent does their best to fix the problem remotely, but if they determine the modem has a technical fault, they complete a Modem Return form to arrange for a replacement to be sent and the faulty unit recovered.

However if a customer just turns up on a Jump delivery partner’s doorstep with what they claim is a faulty modem, partners have to take this at face value – we do not expect you to try and diagnose the problem or fix it in any way. All we ask partners to do is to complete a Modem Return form and wait for Skinny to reset the modem so that it can be re-issued, or assessed as faulty so that it needs to be returned for repair, e.g. because the SIM card has expired.

Now comes the interesting part. The Skinny Care team can not determine the physical state of the modem; some returned modems have been used as an artist’s canvas (not always to everyone’s taste); others have missing parts and many are physically dirty. Some even come loaded with cockroaches!

So we need Jump partners to make a judgement call – is the modem physically suitable for re-issue? For our library partners, this is something they are used to – at what point are books withdrawn from circulation and send for repair?

Even if the modem gets the green (technical) tick from the Skinny Care Team, partners may need to override the ‘reissue’ judgement with ‘return for repair’, based on a physical assessment.

If it is just a missing ethernet cable or even a missing power supply, we (DIAA), can send you a replacement. But if it is dirty or defaced, then the modem is immediately classified as faulty (based on being unsuitable for re-issue to another customer).

One of the questions asked in the Modem Return form is “Why is the modem to be delinked and reset?”. If you feel the modem is unsuitable for re-issue, please add a comment to this effect. This will result in a recovery courier bag being sent to you. If we don’t have this information, we act on Skinny’s technical evaluation, which often means the modem is relisted in your Google sheet ready for reissue, but in reality it is sitting in a cupboard.

To cut a long story short, please keep an eye on unallocated reset modems in your Google sheets and please advise jump@diaa.nz if the Google sheet does not align with actual stock on hand. And remember, reset modems should always be issued before new stock.

The Great Jump BB Mystery continues

This story could become a TV series! My original post suspected a BB number error (as modems were shipped this week with only six digits after the 0204). However, after some testing by the Skinny Jump team, it was confirmed that these broadband numbers are legitimate and modems with the shorter numbers have been provisioned for Jump. My update post sent us on a different path of investigation – looking at how the BB number is being entered.

We now have more evidence from partners that there is nothing wrong with the modems nor the shortened BB numbers. The difference seems to be how the BB number is entered. The Jump App makes it clear that the BB number must be entered without any spaces, i.e. 0204xxxxxx (for the shorter numbers) or 0204yyyyyyy (for the longer numbers).

But two partners have reported that the App now appears to have a mind of its own and in some situations automatically adds spaces to the BB number (see example below). Note the ! triangle in the broadband number field, signifying an invalid BB number. So this suggests a new line of inquiry.

We were first alerted to this issue by Carla at Hastings Library and she explained a workaround that her team discovered:

Re: Registering customers for Skinny or Ciena Jump

The issue:  The app is automatically putting spaces in the broadband number.

While doing the activation for the modem you may come across an issue where the Jump app won’t let you verify and activate the modem. This means you won’t be able to move forward with the activation. You need to:

  1. Huakina (open) a new incognito window on the rorohiko (PC)
  2. Go to Skinny Jump login and get the customer to uru atu (sign-in)
  3. Click on ‘Activate’ and whiriwhiria (select) ‘Broadband’
  4. Patopatohia (type) the Broadband number and Verification code
  5. Get the customer to restart their Jump app and uru atu.
  6. Continue with usual sign-up.

Kia aro mai (please note) it might take a few seconds to activate but keep clicking on it until the dashboard shows up.

Thank you, Carla, for sharing your solution. This will help keep the Skinny Jump train moving while the investigation continues to try and understand why some partners are facing the ‘auto-fill’ problem while others are not.