Are BIS Email Activations via Online Portal Soon to be a Thing of the Past?

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Starting as of September 10th, BlackBerry users will have to their BlackBerry device to register any email account they have. Rogers is the first to drop the online web portal in an effort to reduce support costs associated with offering the service. All of this according to an email that Rogers has sent to their reps. This is due in part of the high volume of support calls asking for password resets. This is a move that other carriers may look at to reduce their support costs.

Here is the email that the carrier sent out to it's reps:

Quote:

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**BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) Update**

Email setup is now only available on the BlackBerry for new customers

Beginning September 10, 2010, new BlackBerry ® customers must use their BlackBerry device to set up their BIS email address. The online activation/set-up option is no longer available to new BlackBerry customers.

Please note that existing customers using the online functionality will not be impacted and may continue to use the online BIS activation/set-up option.

Why are we removing the online set-up functionality?

Customers attempting to manage their email addresses on rogers.com often forget their password, which results in a high number of password-related calls in to the call centres. Customers who set up their BIS email on their device don’t need a password since the device saves their username and password after initial setup.

What changes on our websites?

New BlackBerry customers will no longer have the option to create a new account using Research In Motion’s BIS email website located at rogers.blackberry.com . Customers must be directed to their device to set up their email.

For more information, please contact your Rogers representative.

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[blackberrycool.com]

Since the device does not require a password to setup your email account's we may end up seeing this trend with other carriers sooner that later.

What do you think? Is the online portals really necessary since the device does a pretty good job in setting up your email accounts?

The device does require a password and a username.

I rarely use my web portal but it is important if you need to go into the settings if you have lost your phone or something like that.
The web portal lets you cancel all the email accounts right away rather than some clown in an office or call centre in India passing the instructions on three days later, after your account(s) have been hacked.

A good web browser on the PC also stores your username and password if you want, but you don't always want it to save them, do you? Why would you want a mobile device to do the same? If you loose it you are compromised! and you are more likely to loose a mobile device that the big old PC sat on the office desk!

Stupid idea that will result in more call backs to Rogers i think.

IMHO