Fixing the Great CPE Divide

the benefits you originally sought. This lack of consistency ends in frustrating and unproductive support interactions and an overall poor customer experience. It also leaves support teams with little to no insight into what works best to resolve issues, so they can’t work to alleviate the inconsistency. It’s a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle.

What’s the answer?

As can only be expected in a digital-first world, hardware cannot be the answer. CPE has proven that it will only serve to split customer bases further and, short of a global mandate, will likely never reach any level of mass consistency.

The answer to this issue of fragmentation is software-based. It’s in the data ISPs use. ISPs need solutions that help them override the fragmentation CPE has created, so they can access the right information about a customer’s network using the same path every time, whether the customer is managed, has legacy equipment, or uses third-party gear.

By following a consistent path to get consistent information, ISPs can start to pull insights into their support organization. This translates into an ability to create standardized processes and standardized experiences, unlike the example above where you’re constantly inventing processes based on the diagnostic info available. The result is that every single customer gets the best possible customer experience. Standardization isn’t just good for the customer; it’s good for the service provider. It means service technicians can get through support calls faster, as they have a format and template to follow. And with third-party software interfaces, technicians can often solve problems without needing to go on site to troubleshoot CPE in person. This creates huge savings in both time and money. Plus, these days it’s always good to have a touch-free solution to rely on in any circumstance.

The problem is that, with so many variations in CPE, no ISP is going to be able to come up with a solution on their own. It’s up to third-party applications to fit this need in the customer-ISP relationship by creating software that allows ISPs to interface quickly and easily with CPE regardless of make, manufacturer, or model. And it’s up to ISPs to see the value in this technology and bring these third-party apps into their workflows.

Instead of being overwhelmed by a practically limitless variety of CPE, ISPs can interface with a single, consistent piece of software regardless of what hardware the customer has. Ultimately, this consistency pieces together fragmented customer bases. It bridges the gap between an ISP’s infrastructure and a subscriber’s in-home environment. It means less frustration for agents and customers and better customer experiences, regardless of a customer’s network setup. It also means more business opportunities and increased market share, as impressed customers upgrade and refer new customers.

And it means that ISPs are well prepared to face—and conquer—any unexpected shifts the future has in store.