Skip to main content
Feb 27, 2018
4 min

Turn Wi-Fi Interference into a Great Subscriber Experience and Competitive Advantage

 

Your subscribers will stop at nothing to figure out how to get a great Wi-Fi signal - from tin foil antennas to speed tests. With 50 percent of subscriber calls related to Wi-Fi issues caused by interference, don’t you think it’s time to find a proactive solution?

Let’s talk about proactive subscriber care and call avoidance: how you can detect coverage issues inside your subscribers’ homes before they make a support call or buy more tin foil. This will enable your call centers to focus on more complex network or subscriber issues, as well as, increase subscriber satisfaction. 

In North America, it is estimated that the average home can see six 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi access points. In an apartment building or densely populated area, that number can jump to as many as 40. Yet 2.4 GHz only has three non-overlapping channels, so the average subscriber using Wi-Fi has some level of interference or congestion. This can lead to a myriad of issues, service interruptions, and an overall poor experience.

Coverage issues: A major cause of subscriber complaint calls.
We know that the ability for a Wi-Fi access point to provide coverage to the whole home may be impacted by anything from square footage, device placement, building materials, noise (interference) from other Wi-Fi sources, frequency used… the list goes on and on. But CSRs don’t always have access to that information when a subscriber calls in to complain. What if you could proactively identify interference issues – no matter how big or small the residence, where the devices are located, or what the building is made of – how would that impact your call avoidance strategy? And let’s say you could also market a solution to subscribers that could improve their subscriber experience and further reduce support calls overall? It can and should be done, and not with tin foil wrapped antennas or foil hats.

Monitor and resolve Wi-Fi interference before subscribers even notice, let alone call for support.
Calix Support Cloud helps service providers monitor network performance and the quality of Wi-Fi for each of the devices inside their subscriber’s homes. This includes monitoring RSSI levels, percentage of time, and over how many days the devices have been connected. With this rich set of data, CSRs can automatically generate a report listing subscribers and the devices experiencing poor Wi-Fi service.  This network intelligence enables CSRs to determine the next step before subscribers call with complaints. With this knowledge in hand, CSRs may choose to:

  • Login to Calix Support Cloud and proactively correct interference issues with a simple one-click fix per subscriber.
  • Proactively call the subscriber and address the issue before the subscriber calls you.
  • Recommend Calix Mesh-Enhanced Carrier-Class Wi-Fi, a solution that addresses many subscribers’ coverage issues. You’ll be able to identify how many mesh units are needed and help guide the subscriber though the placement and set up of the devices quickly and easily.

What’s more? We announced yesterday, that coming soon to Calix Support Cloud, the ability to proactively resolve these issues without manual intervention. Zero clicks to a loyal customer.

Mesh: Monitor, manage and support subscribers with confidence through any Wi-Fi related issues. Here’s the cool thing: You not only can identify interference issues, you can identify subscribers ready for an upgrade and right-size their service. Calix Support Cloud enables service providers to easily and efficiently support a mesh offering to subscribers. Mesh units placed in subscribers’ homes are automatically and dynamically assigned to the subscriber in Calix Support Cloud. This gives CSRs the capability to easily monitor, manage, and support your subscriber through any Wi-Fi related issues increasing efficiencies by decreasing call volumes and times. Shorter calls or no calls: imagine how far your proactive efforts to deliver excellent service will go in the minds and hearts of your subscribers.

Now that’s a great way to deliver a memorable subscriber experience that inspires loyalty – and gain a great competitive advantage – no tin foil needed.  

Global Director, Field Strategist, Calix

Bob Carrick is the director, global strategy, Calix Cloud at Calix. Bob brings 16 years of subscriber experience management, and over 20 years of broadband call center experience.  He specializes in remote management of the subscriber experience and analyzing call centers for process and tool improvements. 

Related Articles

Latest

Mar 08, 2024 | 3 min
Jan 25, 2024 | 3 min
Dec 15, 2023 | 3 min