No more demarc?
What happens when your subscriber no longer believes in a demarcation point—that point where your responsibility as a service provider ends? Service providers have traditionally made it clear that “service ends at the side of the house” and that subscribers are responsible for everything inside the home. However, subscribers rarely demonstrate an understanding of this.
As a subscriber, if I can’t use the service I’m paying for, I consider it your problem.
As I’ve conducted conversations with numerous service providers, I’ve consistently heard that anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of trouble calls are in regards to issues with Wi-Fi inside the home. Many of these are driven by subscribers purchasing an inexpensive consumer grade router that does not have the capability to support the speeds they subscribe to. Or alternatively, they are using a router that they purchased 7 years ago, that doesn’t have the capability to support what they are trying to do today. The question to ask yourself is this – if my subscriber believes their Wi-Fi experience is my problem, should I take ownership of that experience?
Yes! Own the subscriber experience!
Today, subscribers primarily use the service you are providing over Wi-Fi, as very few devices in the home use wired Internet today. So how can you adapt to these shifting subscriber expectations?
In our most recent Subscriber Experience Spotlight Webinar, we conducted a poll to ask how service providers are handling Wi-Fi for their subscribers. Respondents could select multiple responses based on what options they have available for Wi-Fi today.
- 10 percent: The customer provides their own router
- 16 percent: We will sell them a router
- 30 percent: We will lease them a router
- 40 percent: We include Wi-Fi with our Internet service
- 50 percent: We have a managed Wi-Fi service for an extra monthly fee
It was encouraging to see that 50 percent of respondents are already taking responsibility for this service and also looking at this service as an opportunity to grow ARPU. Another popular model is including Wi-Fi with your Internet service plans. This can be a fantastic way to see reduced support calls and other operation efficiencies, by making sure ALL your subscribers have a managed Wi-Fi experience. However it is important to still explain the benefits of this service to your subscribers. It still has tremendous value.
If you are selling, leasing, or including “hardware” for your subscribers, this is a missed opportunity. Instead, provide a service, don’t talk about hardware. If you are providing a managed experience, the subscriber doesn’t have to worry about the hardware. This is an opportunity for you as a service provider to take ownership of the experience inside the home. Not only can you manage that experience, you have tools to be able to proactively take care of your subscribers. This managed platform also provides the foundation for new revenue generating services you can offer in the future.
To hear how Five Area Telephone is addressing their changing subscribers’ needs, make sure to check out the replay of the webinar. To hear more stories about how managed wi-fi is transforming the subscriber experience join us at ConneXions and don’t miss our Subscriber Experience Webinar series.
Your subscribers no longer believe in a demarc, and neither should you!