A look inside DStv’s new concept store

DStv, the broadcast satellite service of MultiChoice, has launched its new Customer Experience Centre in the Mall of the North, Polokwane.
The concept store occupies 669 square metres over two floors – merging ‘the best of digital and physical shopping experience’.
Customers can access a variety of services including purchasing decoders, testing devices, activating services, paying for subscriptions, and accessing self-service functionalities.
The store is fitted with themed spaces with a sales booth, solution bar, content lounge, entertainment pods to give customers the full experience of DStv’s latest products and services.
The Customer Experience Centre showcases the latest and best DStv has to offer. This includes DStv’s new decoder, the recently launched Explora Ultra with built-in Wifi and access to streaming services such Showmax and Netflix.
“We aim to be closer to our customers through this Customer Experience Centre in Polokwane. It remains important for DStv to elevate the customer experience and continuously improve our customer care support.
“This space also allows us to showcase our leading innovative products and services directly to our customers while attracting new ones,” said Simon Camerer, chief customer officer Multichoice SA.
At launch the store will employ 18 highly trained service consultants.
As with the existing DStv walk-in centres in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, and Pretoria the new Polokwane Customer Experience Centre will observe all Covid-19 safety protocols, the group said.
MultiChoice meanwhile, plans to launch DStv subscriptions bundled with uncapped fibre through South African ISPs in the near future.
The group’s chief executive officer, Calvo Mawela, told MyBroadband that the company plans to launch this product through partner ISPs before the end of its financial year in March 2021.
It will comprise a standalone DStv streaming service which will be bundled with fibre product at a discounted rate, meaning South Africans will no longer require a satellite connection to watch DStv.
Instead, they will use the new DStv Explora Ultra or upcoming Streama set-top box, both of which can deliver the full DStv bouquet over an Internet connection.
“The target is this financial year, but of course this year is one of those big years where we have a lot of things we are bringing out at the same stage, and I think we are trying to make sure that we stagger them nicely and that we give people an opportunity to understand these products,” Mawela said.
“Our view is that we will still be able to roll it out within this financial year – we don’t see any hiccups there.”
He said that MultiChoice is considering its partnerships with ISPs carefully, noting that they do not want to take something to market they are not satisfied with.
“It is an area that is sort of new in a way to us. We’ve never really gone deeper into the Internet links,” he said.
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