Blue skies for British Sky’s customers

British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) is following through on a pledge to upgrade services to its customers. A new CRM solution will allow subscribers of BSkyB’s digital television service, Sky digital, to access account, billing and other information and services at any time over the phone or the Internet. Also, planning is underway for customers to access that information through Open, BSkyB’s interactive television service, and through Internet-enabled mobile telephones.

The contract to develop and implement a new customer service system was awarded to EDS, following BSkyB’s announcement last year that it would upgrade its customer contact facilities with state-of-the-art technology and processes. At the heart of the new system is CRM software from Chordiant.

Richard Freudenstein, BSkyB’s chief operating officer, says, “This selection will enable the integration of information from a number of sources, allowing us to gain a more complete picture of the customer. This in turn enables us to launch and support compelling new services across varied platforms and to market these accurately to new and existing subscribers.”

According to Freudenstein, the solution will contribute to the digital broadcasting company’s “drive to lead innovation in customer service and maintain Sky digital’s industry-leading levels of customer retention.”

The CRM solution will be implemented in refurbished customer contact facilities in Livingston and Dunfermline in Scotland, each of which houses more than 1,000 customer service representatives.

British Sky Broadcasting provides sports, movies, entertainment and news to more than 9 million households throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its digital TV service had attracted more than 4 million customers by the end of September 2000.