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viable, this moment won’t. What will separate success from ‘getting by’ will be the degree to which those delivering broadband service to their customers prepare themselves to succeed.” ISPs in the meantime have a lot on their plate; investing heavily in a competitive marketplace, pivoting quickly to focus on customer service, dealing with a complex infrastructure and bearing the heavy weight of expectation, all without a word of thanks. If broadband is really considered a utility like any other, it is worth looking at those other utilities and how they are currenty faring in the public eye. The water companies are in a scandalous mess, almost as much of a mess as our rivers and beaches, facing fines in the hundreds of millions, their reputations in the toilet (sorry). The energy companies have just had a shocking (sorry) couple of years with bills skyrocketing, government assistance to households and companies going into administration; their reputations aren’t a lot better. But broadband just quietly keeps ticking over. It could be worth a cross-industry campaign to remind the public just how successful this fibre-roll out has been, against some pretty considerable odds, and how seamless connectivity continues to be, at such a competitive price, with customer service a number one priority. It truly is a success story to be proud of. ISPs may find themselves being thanked by a few grateful customers after all.
problem when I switch? Because if there is, my life will be hell.”
in the process. They risk losing their customers. One Touch Switching means there’ll be more fluidity in the marketplace, because there’s less friction, it’s therefore easier and less risky to move.” It will also impact ISPs in terms of resource and likely impact consumer behaviour too. The seamless switching between broadband providers will possibly make the first group, the agile switcher, even more agile; looking up between credit card comparison sites, they will not hesitate to move for a better deal. (But when I think of my late parents, who would have seen no reason whatsoever to move providers, even though their service ticked none of the boxes we’ve highlighted, it might persuade some resisters, but perhaps only some.) Data science is evolving all the time, aiding ISPs in understanding consumer behaviour, and AI will do much to help with the customer service journey, hopefully beyond the often frustrating, usually inadequate chatbot exchanges we are enduring now. Virtual assistants, using predictive analytics and personalisation will soon be able to handle routine inquiries and provide instant support, freeing people up to focus on more complex issues, including One Touch Switching. Joe Frendo, Senior Director, Global Services at Ciena Corporation sums the landscape up well. “We’re at a confluence of opportunity—end-user demands for ‘everything from home,’ societal expectations for digital equity, and massive public and private investments. And while the market will long remain
He said, “We have these weird conversations sometimes with customers, which is, “Yes, I know I’ve got a much slower service. Yes, I know I’m paying much more for a slower service and yes, I know the customer service I get is poorer.” Customers do understand that actually there are differentiations on product, price and service. The challenge really is about the inertia behind getting people to move, he adds. Arguably broadband is too new a utility to have earned the hallowed levels of brand loyalty you might encounter with supermarkets, banks or newspapers for example; there is no Waitrose of ISP, no M&S of broadband provider, but you can see the larger companies throwing huge sums of money at creative agencies (and Kevin Bacon) to earn that reputation. In a few years this conversation may well be different. One Touch Switching This is an Ofcom initiative due to be implemented in September and will put the onus on ISPs to facilitate the switch between themselves for the first time, taking the pressure, stress and risk aversion away from customers. Its launch takes place at least a year and a half later than intended. Why? Rampling explained, “Obviously the big national players fight very hard; they’ve won that customer to try and retain that customer, they given loads of discounts, and the one-touch switching takes away that interference
SEPTEMBER 2024 Volume 46 No.3
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