Dish Becomes First Pay-TV Provider to Support Apple Business Chat

Dish today announced that its customers can now start support conversations using Apple Business Chat, a feature that Apple launched in iOS 11.3 in March that lets users interface with businesses right in the Messages app.

With the new support, users can connect directly to a Dish customer service representative in Messages on iPhone and iPad, marking the first time a pay-TV provider has supported Business Chat. The other companies making use of the feature include Apple itself, Aramark, Discover, Four Seasons, Harry & David, Hilton, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Marriott, Newegg, T-Mobile, Ameritrade, Wells Fargo, and 1-800-Flowers.

“TV should be simple, so we’ve made reaching our live customer service representatives as easy as sending a text,” said John Swieringa, DISH chief operating officer. “Adding messaging with Apple Business Chat is a powerful way to connect with us, giving another choice so you can pick what fits with your life.”

When talking to a Dish agent in Business Chat, the company says that customers can ask questions, make account changes, schedule and appointment, use an on-file credit card to order a pay-per-view movie or sporting event, and more. Dish promises that contact information is not displayed to agents, “so customers are in complete control of whether they want to share any contact information and can authenticate their account to make changes or purchases.”

Customers can start conversations and pick them up later on different devices signed into their Apple ID, with the company promising that conversations never time out and only end when users delete the message thread in the Messages app. To kick off a Dish Business Chat, search for “Dish” on iPhone or iPad, tap the Messages icon that appears next to the Dish search result, and send your first message.

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