Looking To Boost Efficiency and Fuel Growth? The Answer Is in the Cloud

Ask any broadband service provider (BSP) support leader what their top priority is, and the most likely response will be maximizing efficiency. Given this, support teams strive to improve efficiency wherever possible—reducing inbound support calls, cutting unnecessary truck rolls, and resolving issues faster. Thanks to today’s cloud-based support solutions, support teams can make efficiency gains that have a major impact across the entire business. By increasing first call resolution by just 1 percent, BSPs can cut operating expenses (OPEX) by 1 percent, increase subscriber satisfaction by 1 percent, grow upsell opportunities by 20 percent, and reduce churn by 5 percent.

Simplifying and Streamlining the Support Experience 

Efficiency is especially valuable when you maintain superior support to subscribers who demand quality experience. To do so, BSPs are deploying an end-to-end view of the subscriber experience that can identify and resolve issues, oftentimes before subscribers are even aware. That requires visibility into every system, software, and connected device you use—a “single pane of glass” view for support teams. That’s precisely why we created Calix Support Cloud (Support Cloud)—and why we continue to enhance it with every quarterly product release.
 

The latest version of Support Cloud gives customer support representatives (CSRs) access to even more actionable data, allowing them to troubleshoot issues faster and more efficiently. New features and capabilities help support teams:

• Gain greater visibility of subscriber-impacting issues in the access network. The deeper integration of Calix Operations Cloud (Operations Cloud) and Support Cloud gives CSRs immediate awareness of optical network terminal (ONT)-level issues, such as network outages or system health, directly in Support Cloud.

• Solve complex issues through the expanded subscriber QoE score. Updates to the holistic subscriber QoE score in Support Cloud enable CSRs to see the exact time and impact of a subscriber problem. These insights can help support teams identify the root cause of problems faster and avoid costly escalations.  

• Monitor and analyze support call dispositions with mandatory call outcome logging. Support leaders can now enforce call outcome logging, so they know the disposition of every support interaction. Role-based access, which gives flexibility to which support team members have this mandatory setting, allows support leaders to track key support center metrics like call type, frequency, and resolution. They can also identify and respond to trends that impact subscriber experience, such as repeat calls or call escalations. 
   

Arkansas-based WAVE Rural Connect takes advantage of the integration between Support Cloud and Operations Cloud to dramatically improve efficiency. Their support and network operations teams have access to the same information, presented in a familiar, intuitive UI. With no need to constantly switch between systems, support teams can now pinpoint which subscribers have been affected by a fiber cut, identify where they’re located, and get field technicians out to fix it. Thanks to the end-to-end Calix platform—including Calix Cloud—WAVE Rural Connect increased their first call resolution to 78 percent, while driving an impressive 80 percent take rate for their managed service offering, powered by the Calix SmartHome™ home internet managed services ExperienceIQ^®and ProtectIQ^®.

Fueling Growth Into New Markets

Beyond enabling new levels of efficiency, Support Cloud helps BSPs capitalize on growth opportunities, such as the burgeoning small business market. Adding new services doesn’t automatically mean more complexity. Support teams can rely on one familiar support system to serve all subscribers and managed services across residential, community, and small businesses. 
 

In our latest release, Support Cloud extends support for SmartBizWorx, which is the software package including enhanced networking and security, cellular backup and customer portal supported on GigaSpire and GigaPro systems for the Calix SmartBiz™ managed service. Support includes new CSR troubleshooting capabilities for network resilience as well as network management features that let small business owners specify who has access to their Wi-Fi network and when. And we’ve added French Canadian language support, so BSPs can provide personalized support to more than 250,000 Quebec-based small businesses.
 

Even as networks become increasingly complex, with more connected devices and new services to launch, support, and scale, Calix is helping support teams become more efficient and proactive than ever. Calix is committed to continuously enhancing Support Cloud to improve the support experience and position support teams to fuel their companies’ growth.  

Want to learn how Calix Cloud can help you achieve new levels of support efficiency? Check out the e-Book: How You Can Scale for Growth and Deliver an Exceptional Subscriber Experience.

¹SQM Research https://www.sqmgroup.com/, August 2020