Category: Skinny Jump

Could there be some confusion about handling returned modems?

After three partner calls today about modem return processes, I thought it might be helpful to restate current procedures.

A Modem Returns Form must be completed for every returned modem. Any modem that has been issued to a customer and returned, or any partners who experience problems when assisting partners set up a new modem, must be put through our modem returns process. Please do not contact Skinny about these, by email or phone. This just wastes your time and theirs, as queries inevitably come back to us at DIAA.

We do our best to try and stop partners having to deal with returned modems at all. Please stress with your customers that they should always contact the Skinny Care Team on 0800 475 4669 to report any faulty modems; the Care Team then completes the Modem Returns Form, saving partners the time and effort.

We know this doesn’t stop your customers just turning up on your door-step saying their modem is faulty, and thank you to all partners who do their best to help. We also know that some Skinny Care agents incorrectly advise customers to go to their nearest Jump partner – we are trying to fix this with the Skinny Jump team with regular reminders. But there will always be some agents who get it wrong, especially if they are new ones, and we must accept that that is life – none of us are perfect.

Helpful tip: If any customers returning faulty modems claim that Skinny told them to go to a partner, please ask your customer the day and time when they received this advice and if possible the name of the Skinny agent that told them to do this. All calls to the Care Team are recorded for training purposes, so if these details are known the Skinny Jump team can find the recording of the call and find out what is causing the wrong information to be given – it is not always the fault of the Care Team; some customers can be very difficult, as I am sure you well know, even when they are benefitting from such a wonderfully subsidised service like Jump.

So what happens next? Modem Return Forms populate a shared GSheet that is used by the Skinny Support Team to advise the next steps. If the modem is truly faulty, they will ask us (DIAA) to send a replacement and recover the faulty unit for repair. By the time this arrives, normally within 2-3 days, the faulty modem has been delinked from the customer’s account, and the customer can proceed to set up the new modem with their same email. If they have residual funds on their old account they can also call the Skinny Care Team and ask for these funds to be transferred (they can not do this if they use a new email to set up their new modem).

Some partners have reported challenges when completing Modem Returns Forms as they don’t have all the details to hand. Don’t be put off – if there are any data fields you don’t know, then simply enter “not known” and the form will let you proceed to the next field. What is most important is that the Broadband number is entered; if you don’t have this then we you suggest you just contact Shelley (0800 463 422) and ask her to send you a return courier bag, as without a Broadband number, the modem is automatically faulty. The Skinny Care team can not initiate the modem reset and de-linking process if they don’t know the Broadband number, so there is no point in carrying on with our wonderfully thought out processes – just short-circuit straight to Shelley.

I know this seems like a lot of words to explain things – if you prefer a better version please work through Tawera’s fabulous new online Jump training modules. I know many of you are and are enjoying the experience.

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.

Partner Pathways a hit!

Did you miss Sue Kini’s Jump eNewsletter sent earlier this week? We know that half of all Jump partners have read the exciting news about the Partner Pathways now being live, but maybe the other half are still on holiday and just catching up with their emails?

Anyway, this is absolutely something you don’t want to miss, especially for partners where new team members are helping with Jump sign-ups. 

Just one day after the new online training materials were launched, 83 Jump partners had registered. We want to see all 312 active Jump partners register by 23 February and have a chance to win some treats (check out Sue’s Newsletter to find out more about these treats).

And the feedback coming from partners who have dipped into Partner Pathways is fantastic:

“I think that the information around the 3 C’s was excellent, as it really explains the ethos and how to approach conversations with care, compassion and empathy, while also being firm to ensure that those who need it most are most likely to receive service”

“I absolutely love this new portal, and think that this will be a truly invaluable tool for all jump partner organizations to keep on top of training! I would love to have the opportunity to help if at all possible.”

“I feel completing the course will improve my delivery of Skinny Jump to customers.”

Keep it coming – we love getting your feedback – the good and the bad!

Now to get to the point of my post this morning – next week, starting on Tuesday 30 January, Sue and Tawera are hosting a short webinar every day at 11.00am for any partners who have questions about the new Jump training programme. Sign up here to join one of these sessions and we’ll send you the zoom link.

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!

Shout it from the rooftops – Ciena extended for another year!!

The Skinny Jump team has been negotiating with Ciena, one of Spark’s equipment suppliers, to extend the Ciena programme for another year.

Today, Ciena said yes! Thank you to the partners who provided feedback on how much the programme is appreciated by their communities. This feedback was shared with Ciena and I am sure this helped secure the extension.

All Jump customers with an existing Ciena plan (over 800 families) will automatically have their free internet connection extended for a further 12 months and all new signups will receive a free connection until the end of December 2024. An email was sent today to all existing families advising them of the good news.

While the number of new connections is limited, we are keen to accelerate the signup rate so that as many families as possible get the benefit of a full-year’s sponsorship. We are working on some ideas with the Skinny Jump team, but do let us know if you have any suggestions. 

Free Jump data boost for Summer

The Skinny Jump team is gifting all regular Jump customers a free data boost for the next two months – the standard 15GB free data allowance has been doubled to 30GB for the 2023/2024 holiday period. Jump customers received their first 30GB data boost on 1 December 2023 and another one will be applied on 1 January 2024. On 1 February 2023 it returns back to 15GB.

This data boost is only available to standard Skinny Jump customers, not those on sponsored plans like Ciena, MoE or OCHT.

The data boost is provided on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis, i.e. unused data doesn’t rollover at the end of the month.

For new customers signing up during December, the 30GB is not applied at the time of modem activation but is automatically added on the 1st of January 2024 (around 12:00 AM for late night revelers*)

All eligible Skinny Jump customers were sent an email, advising them of this data boost, informing them of this great news! But please pass this on to any Jump customers you come across.

*reveler: a person who is enjoying themselves in a lively and noisy way

Possible delays with Jump modem de-linking

The Skinny Care team has advised that there could be some delays in de-linking and resetting modems; some staff have been temporarily diverted to assist with call queues.

Their goal is to action all de-linking/ reset requests lodged through the Modem Return form within 36 hours.

This is just a heads up in case your customers expect you to arrange instant de-linking of faulty and returned modems. Do remind them that the correct procedure is to report the fault to the Care team and this will trigger a replacement modem being couriered to them. By the time it arrives they can be 100% sure that their faulty modem has been de-linked and they can use the same email to set up a new Skinny account with their replacement modem.

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.