Directv is Transforming Customer Experience With Avaya

DirecTV headquarters
DIRECTV, established in 1994, employs over 10,000 people and serves more than 15 million customers, predominantly across Latin America.

Renowned for its digital entertainment offerings, DIRECTV has always aimed to deliver exceptional service and cutting-edge technology to its diverse customer base. Working in partnership with Avaya, DIRECTV has significantly improved its Customer Experience through digital transformation and aligning processes within its Customer Care team.

employees

customers

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DirecTV van

Challenge

  • Improve CX with the Customer Care team
  • Ensure 99.95% availability
  • Continue digital transformation to enable customer choice in interactions

Value Created

  • Transparent project without interruption or impacts on the business
  • New channels to interact with Customer Care team
  • Managing 6 million monthly calls, 1,300 self-service channels and 2,500 agents working from home

The Challenge

DIRECTV faced several critical challenges as it aimed to enhance customer experience (CX). Improving interactions between customers and the Customer Care team was paramount, especially with the company's extensive customer base and the variety of services offered, including pre- paid and post-paid satellite and streaming television subscriptions.

Ensuring 99.95% communication availability was another significant hurdle. Any disruption in service could severely impact customer satisfaction and trust. Additionally, DIRECTV was in the midst of a digital transformation journey, striving to integrate advanced functionalities to streamline operations and elevate the overall customer experience.

Happy family using ipad together

Why Avaya?

DIRECTV chose to partner with Avaya to deliver the transformational change in CX they sought. Avaya's longstanding reputation for delivering robust, scalable, and reliable communication solutions aligned perfectly with DIRECTV's needs. Avaya’s Experience Platform was particularly appealing due to its comprehensive suite of features designed to enhance customer engagement and streamline communication processes.

Working in partnership with Avaya, DIRECTV has significantly improved its Customer Experience through digital transformation and aligning processes within its Customer Care team.

 

Women looking at an ipad and holding a cup of coffee

Avaya Experience Platform

Avaya Experience Platform was selected for its capability to handle vast volumes of customer interactions efficiently, and globally, regardless of deployment method – on-prem, private cloud or public cloud. This platform provides an all-encompassing solution that integrates various communication channels, enabling seamless customer service operations and enhancing Customer Experience (CX). DIRECTV determined that Avaya Experience Platform would enable it to remain adaptable to changing customer needs and market conditions. Key features that influenced DIRECTV's decision include:

  • Omnichannel Capabilities: Allowing customers to interact through their preferred channels—voice, chat, email, or social media—without losing context or continuity.
  • Scalability: Enabling DIRECTV to dynamically scale operations based on demand, particularly useful during high-audience events.
  • Advanced Analytics: Providing real-time insights into customer interactions, helping to identify trends, improve service quality, and make informed business decisions.
  • Reliability: Ensuring uptime, crucial for maintaining customer trust and satisfaction.

Implementation and Solutions

DIRECTV and Avaya collaborated over nine months to implement the Avaya Experience Platform and Avaya Communication and Collaboration Suite. This comprehensive solution covered seven critical areas, managing 6 million monthly incoming calls, 1,300 self-service channels, and supporting 2,500 remote working agents. The project ensured a seamless transition, introducing innovation without business disruption.

Avaya Experience Platform provided a robust system for managing customer interactions, significantly improving service efficiency and quality. The ‘Solution as a Service’ model enabled DIRECTV to adjust capacity based on real-time needs, ensuring optimal performance during high-demand periods. Advanced monitoring and support services, including a single point of contact and contingency operation tests, maintained high availability and reliability.

Friendly woman in call center service talking with costumers by headset.

The Outcome

The project was completed without interruptions or business impacts, successfully integrating new functionalities and improving service quality. The enhanced communication system facilitated better interactions between customers and the Customer Care team, leading to more efficient issue resolution and higher customer satisfaction.

DIRECTV gained the ability to dynamically scale its services, particularly during high-audience events. This flexibility ensured a consistent, high-quality customer experience regardless of demand fluctuations. With 2,500 agents effectively working remotely, DIRECTV maintained high levels of productivity and service quality, supporting seamless remote work and efficient customer interaction management.

Alejandro Chao, Executive Director of IT Infrastructure and Operations at DIRECTV Latin America, highlighted the strategic partnership with Avaya:

“It was key to work with expert partners who helped us achieve the objectives set in just one year while facing the challenges of a project with these characteristics in a remote working scenario. From the very beginning, Avaya understood the importance of the project for DIRECTV and, using all its experience in global projects, provided a work team focused on reducing the need for on-site work, maximizing coordination and remote technical work, while meeting business and schedule objectives.”

"From the very beginning, Avaya understood the importance of the project for DIRECTV and, using all its experience in global projects, provided a work team focused on reducing the need for on-site work, maximizing coordination and remote technical work, while meeting business and schedule objectives."

—Alejandro Chao, Executive Director of IT Infrastructure and Operations at DIRECTV, Latin America

Future Plans

DIRECTV is committed to further digitizing its services and incorporating omnichannel capabilities. This will provide customers with multiple communication channels and ensure that Customer Care agents can seamlessly switch between them while maintaining the context of each interaction. Looking ahead, DIRECTV plans to integrate omnichannel services, enhancing the customer experience by offering multiple communication options and ensuring seamless service delivery.

Friendly woman in call center service talking with costumers by headset.

Conclusion

Through its partnership with Avaya, DIRECTV has significantly transformed its customer service operations, setting a benchmark for excellence in the digital entertainment industry. This transformation has not only improved customer satisfaction but also positioned DIRECTV for continued success and adaptability in a rapidly evolving market.

Avaya Experience Platform was selected for its capability to handle vast volumes of customer interactions efficiently, and globally.


More about DIRECTV

About DIRECTV

DIRECTV delivers the best entertainment experience. Everyday DIRECTV subscribers in Latin America enjoy 100% digital sound and quality, industry-leading customer service, technological superiority, the most outstanding HD content including transmission of original and exclusive series, complete coverage of the most important events, leagues and sports packages and the possibility of enjoying programming on different screens where and when the user prefers.

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