Navigating the Perfect Storm: Why You Need To Become an Experience Provider

A perfect storm is brewing—federal funding decisions, regulatory changes, increasing competition, and new industry innovations—that will drive unprecedented transformation in the broadband industry over the next few years. To succeed, broadband service providers (BSPs) must evolve to differentiate on experience (not speed or price). That’s why now is the time to transform into a broadband experience provider (BXP).
 

But how do you do it?

Laying the Groundwork for a Differentiated Customer Experience

For customer support, it requires strategic decisions on talent, leadership, and partnerships—and a relentless focus on the subscriber journey. Here are two steps to lay the foundation for becoming a BXP.
 

Step 1: Optimize Your Team

Evolving into an experience provider is like setting sail on a long, challenging voyage. The captain (BSP leadership) can see the destination ahead and must navigate the journey with a crew (your staff)—bringing together a mix of mindsets and skill levels. Some are eager to adapt; others are skeptical but open to guidance; and some resist change and create friction that slows progress.
 

To navigate these uncharted waters, BSPs must:

• Set the vision. Reframe your mission around lifestyle enablement, not just connectivity. You’re not just providing internet; you’re delivering connected experiences. 
  
  
• Redefine your offers. Make the shift from selling speed and price to value-based bundles tailored to lifestyles.
  
  
• Upskill your team. Train for digital tools, proactive service, and outcome-based conversations.
  
  
• Foster a learning culture. Create feedback loops, test new ideas, and celebrate quick wins.

Without the right crew, the ship risks drifting off course or never reaching its destination. Success depends on assembling a team that is willing to learn, grow, and overcome challenges together. BSPs that adapt will chart a course toward BXP success.

Step 2: Optimize Your Subscriber Journey

BXPs create end-to-end experiences that subscribers love—consistently executing a seamless subscriber journey with cross-department accountability for every interaction. To deliver service excellence, BXPs:

• Organize around the subscriber journey. Align teams to key subscriber moments from onboarding to support and retention.  
  
  
• Measure what matters. Track Net Promoter Score℠, app engagement, and digital adoption—not just uptime.  
  
  
• Move from reactive to proactive. Take advantage of data-driven insights to solve problems before the subscriber feels them.
  
  
• Drive digital adoption. Make your mobile app the “front door” to experience and self-service.

You will leave a lasting impression by engineering the subscriber experience to consistently deliver high points—creating brand advocates and boosting referrals. For instance, perfecting the installation experience (whether it’s self-install or onsite) helps establish strong subscriber relationships, build loyalty, and reduce support costs from day one. When in the subscriber’s home for onsite installations, your field tech represents your brand. That’s worth investing in. It’s also critical for leadership to listen to frontline teams—removing friction, fostering employee engagement, and underscoring this team’s pivotal role in forging amazing subscriber experiences.

Supporting Your Evolution to BXP

Evolution is a process, but you don’t have to do it alone. Calix is here to guide you every step of the way with training, resources, and best practices to ensure your entire organization delivers on your vision for exceptional, unified subscriber experiences.
 

With the right team, a well-defined subscriber journey, and a trustworthy partner to enable your success, you will be equipped to weather the storm and transform into a BXP to achieve long-term success.
 

I’d love to help you navigate your transformation journey. Please find me on LinkedIn or email me at john.durocher@calix.com.
 

Net Promoter®, NPS®, NPS Prism®, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld. Net Promoter Score℠ and Net Promoter System℠ are service marks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.