Today we launched the first ever Dell Mobile Activation Center!
With technology I have always wanted to buy something and for it to just work. Well, that is what a group of us inside Dell has been working on for our customers who want to activate Mobile Broadband for their Dell products. Now you can buy and activate all within one store in the Dell cart at www.dell.com/mobile.
If you've bought a mobile device with mobile broadband support in the past, you know the typical frustrations. Activating mobile devices can be time consuming via the phone or in store. Do you contact Dell or the wireless carrier? Does it require visiting a store? Can I add it to my existing plan or is it a new plan? Do I have to sign over my first born?
Obviously there is a customer pain point here: Customers like the option of adding mobile broadband with its pervasive connectivity – they don't like the complexity involved with activating that service.
Thus, the birth of Dell's Mobile Activation Center. It's a service that we are rolling out to customers in the United States and look to expand the functionality to other countries later in the year.
Here's how things work with the Dell Activation Center. When you go to Dell.com and buy a Dell netbook or notebook with an AT&T or Verizon Wireless data card, upon checkout you'll be prompted to activate the data card. From there you can select from multiple plans, add to your current service or open a new account, and receive approval very quickly. Certain plans even qualify you for a hardware discount at Dell which will be populated in the Dell cart immediately upon wireless carrier plan approval.
It wasn't a simple fix — integration with multiple carriers around the world is complex, and we needed to provide secure, seamless activation of mobile broadband for enabled devices and wireless carriers right from the Dell.com shopping cart.
We worked to make it a simple process that saves you from having to call or visit a store. During pre-launch testing, we received thumbs up from customers who have bought mobile devices and activated on them on Dell.com – they appreciated the seamless simplicity. In the spirit of Dell, we listened to our customers and are finding ways to simplify technology.
Please check out www.dell.com/mobile for more details.