Customers

We value our relationships with our customers above all else. It’s more than just the great programming; we always remember that people make a choice to join Sky. So, as part of our commitment to customer service, in 2010 and 2011 we conducted a comprehensive review of the interactions between our people and our customer service advisors.

We have taken the feedback from this review and improved our systems, particularly relating to how we sell products and services. All teams within our customer-facing operation have now been brought together as our Customer Services Group; we’ve established new, smaller customer contact centres and started additional skills training for all our staff to ensure they can deal with issues first time. We’ve also invested in a sales platform that means that all our customers only have to give their information once and we’ve provided specific customer service training to 800 leaders in our business over the past year.

In November 2011, Ofcom rated Sky number one in the UK for overall customer service for fixed broadband, pay TV and landline services.

We constantly think about how to expand and improve the programming we offer our customers. In 2011 we added free Sky On Demand to all our Sky TV packages, as well as Sky Atlantic, the UK home of HBO, more original British commissions and a dedicated Formula 1 channel, free to customers with Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2.

Our business relies on us taking appropriate care when collecting and maintaining customer data. Like many businesses, the protection of our customers’ information is one of our core responsibilities and we have rigorous policies and clear lines of accountability in place for the management of their data and their privacy.

All Sky people are required to pass our online e-learning module on data protection and security, and we have a range of dedicated staff resources relating to data protection. A Data Governance Committee, chaired by a member of our Executive team, promotes best practice and helps to ensure compliance with relevant legislation. We never sell customer data to third parties and we contact customers for marketing purposes only in accordance with their stated preferences.

In the last year we’ve started retaining a greater level of customers’ viewing data in order to learn more about what content they value. We took a transparent approach which included writing to all customers advising of the change and offering a simple way for them to opt-out of this data collection. The vast majority chose to share this data with us in order to help us improve what we offer.

We’ve also implemented the requirements of the new EU Cookie Law (e-Privacy Directive) in line with guidance provided by the Information Commissioners Office.

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We’re constantly improving the accessibility of our products, content, services and support.

We do this by seeking feedback from visual or hearing-impaired customers at the design phase, investing in specialised technology and services, and supporting our vulnerable customers with a dedicated and highly trained accessibility team.

We provide Audio Description services for visually impaired customers, exceeding the quotas required by Ofcom. As well as expanding Audio Description to an increasing amount of our most popular content, we’ve also worked with other broadcasters to encourage greater use of the service.

In 2010 we launched Sky Talker, in partnership with the Royal National Institute for the Blind, which vocalises parts of Sky’s Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) for customers with visual impairments. We continue to actively promote our Age OK Accreditated Easy Grip Remote Control to our customers with mobility issues.

For people with hearing loss who use British Sign Language, we support the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust (BSLBT) to offer sign-presented programmes for broadcast on the Community Channel.

In order to continue improving the support we provide to customers with disabilities, we conducted comprehensive customer research in 2011. The results will help us to prioritise our work for the year ahead.

We ensure that all of our customers can use our products safely. We protect their personal information, and give parents the tools and information needed to control how their children use television and the internet.

We provide all of our broadband customers with free McAfee Parental Controls and in 2012 began applying default filters on our public WiFi The Cloud, so that inappropriate adult content cannot be accessed in public places like cafes. We’ve also provided comprehensive advice on how our customers can protect themselves and their families on the Sky Security Centre website.

For our television services, we provide market-leading parental control technology including the ability to set a bespoke watershed, age-rating filters or restricting access to specific channels.The default settings on the Electronic Programme Guide mean some age-rated programming is restricted by PIN controls at appropriate times during the day.

Within Sky we’re running the Sky Child Safety Forum which reviews how best to address the challenges of child safety, both on screen and online, advising on our policies and ensuring we continue to support customers in the right way.

Sky acts as a distribution channel for advertising from companies all over the world. The codes set out by the Advertising Standards Authority are designed to ensure that advertisements are suitable and appropriate for airing.

With many hundreds of ads running every week, we follow this well-established process, designed to ensure that checks and balances are in place to prevent inappropriate or misleading advertisements appearing on Sky.

We are clear that the airing of advertisements on Sky does not mean that we endorse a given company or their products.

Beyond compliance, we engage with our industry, government and non-government stakeholders on responsible advertising. We are currently developing our thinking about the role advertising plays in influencing society.

Many people take the opportunity to place a bet on a sport they enjoy and through online gaming can connect with a community of players who share their interests.

We know we need to provide services in a way that encourages responsible gambling so that we make sure Sky Betting & Gaming is a successful business. Tools such as deposit limits on accounts help our customers stay in control of their gambling. We make filtering software available so that parents can prevent children accessing gambling websites.

We are very proud that all our services are GamCare accredited, one of a number of independent charitable organisations with whom we work closely, who offer confidential help and support to our customers. And in 2011 Sky Betting & Gaming was named Socially Responsible Operator of the Year at the 5th International Gaming Awards in recognition of our commitment to delivering the highest standards for customer protection.