To help support anticipated growth for its Dish Network
direct-broadcast satellite services, EchoStar Communications Corp. said it will triple its
number of call centers.
According to Dish Network president John D. Reardon, the
company plans to open its second customer-service center March 9, following the move of
company headquarters to Riverfront Center in Littleton, Colo.
EchoStar is also in negotiations to open a third call
center outside of Colorado.
Dish Network currently operates a customer-service center
in Thornton, Colo., where its approximately 850 customer-service representatives operate
in three shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That call center will continue to
operate.
EchoStar plans to hire about 350 new CSRs for the Littleton
call center, Reardon said. 'We're making a huge commitment to customer
service.'
Reardon said he wanted to be able to 'stay ahead of
the curve' as he introduces new products and services throughout the year.
EchoStar has been rolling out its local-channel service in
selected markets, and it hopes to deliver local programming in as many as 20 markets this
summer. The company also plans to deliver new data services for personal computers this
spring.
At its headquarters, the Dish Network management team will
be located on the opposite side of a glass wall from the new call center, allowing Reardon
and others to keep a close eye -- and ear -- on their customers.
Dish Network's commitment to customer service is one
more way that the company hopes to distinguish itself from cable.
'Customer service has been the Achilles' heel of
cable for the past decade,' Reardon said. 'The lesson hasn't been lost on
Dish Network.'
The 350 new CSRs are among the projected 1,000 new
employees that EchoStar will add during the course of the year.
