Achieving an effective, frictionless customer experience is essential in today’s fiercely competitive marketplace. Nowhere is this more evident than in the space of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), where customers place their trust in the hands of ISPs to deliver mission-critical internet access. Without reliable business connectivity companies are essentially immobilised, which only emphasises the importance of the role that ISPs play in keeping the UK’s digital economy in motion.
Many businesses claim to be customer-centric but fail to understand what this means for their operating models, their service teams, and their products. For many, it’s merely lip service. When it comes to actually servicing their customers, they often fall short, which is highly problematic. According to KPMG’s UK Customer Experience Excellence report 2022, 86% of customers say they would switch brands after a single negative experience.
So, what do customers expect
from their ISP’s customer service?
Given that consumers and businesses today have a wealth of choice and a world of information at their fingertips, their expectations are high. They know exactly what they want, and according to the KPMG Customer Experience Excellence report, customers expect:
Personalised and seamless experiences: To be able to interact with companies on their own terms, on the channels of their choosing. Customers want to feel like they are being treated as individuals, and they want their experiences to be tailored to their specific needs and preferences.
For ISPs to balance human assistance with self-help tech in customer support: Customers are increasingly using self-service tools and chatbots to have needs met. But they still want the choice of human interaction if they need it.
To feel like they are being heard and understood: They want to be treated with respect and compassion, especially when things go wrong. They want a provider that can acknowledge and apologise for problems and take steps to resolve them quickly and efficiently.
Meaningful resolution and reassurance: In the same vein, customers expect their service issues to be prioritised. This means going above and beyond to fix problems. It requires transparency about the process and keeping customers updated on the progress of their case.
Clear expectations and transparency: Customers need to know what to expect from a company. This means setting clear and realistic expectations about products, services, and customer service, which involves communicating service ability clearly and consistently.
For ISPs to make good on their promises: Customers want to do business with companies that they can trust. This means being honest and transparent, and delivering on promises.
Time and effort: Customers want to avoid wasted time and frustration. This means they expect it to be easy to get help when necessary and for it to be simple and effortless for them to engage with their ISP on all other matters.
Where personal touch meets powerful connectivity
At Orbital Net, we understand that being truly customer-centric means placing our customer at the core of our operations, culture, and decision-making processes.
“We know that our customers have high expectations, and we also know that their expectations are justified. We take every effort to deliver personalised service, quick resolution of issues, and we fiercely protect our commitment to uptime,” explains Service Delivery Coordinator, Emma Pilcher.
Real Customer Stories: Going above and beyond is the norm
Mistakes happen. How we deal with them is what counts. Orbital’s service delivery coordinator tells the story of one customer who accidentally cancelled one of their own customer connections while moving over to Orbital’s new infrastructure. Instead of shifting blame, within a few hours, the Orbital Service Delivery Coordinator had an engineering team on site to ensure that the customer’s end-user was up and running with a brand-new wireless fibre (WiMAX) connectivity solution on the same day . “This is something that no other ISP our size can do, and it shows exactly how committed we are to ensuring that we provide our customers, our partners and our partner’s customers with continuity of service, even in the event of an unfortunate disruption that occurred through no fault of our own,” Pilcher notes
“Customer experience is not a destination, and it’s something we’re working on improving continuously and consistently. It’s not enough for our customers to feel like they’re number one, we want them to feel like they’re the only one,” she continues.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which we’re making that happen at Orbital.
We believe in dedicated account managers, not call handlers.
One of the most effective ways we deliver personalised service is by ensuring we do it on a first-name basis. Our account managers get to know each customer’s business and their needs, and they build a relationship based on that understanding. Having a dedicated account manager to call on in times of need helps to resolve issues quickly and efficiently, without the need to jump through frustrating call centre hoops.
We understand the importance of flexibility and agility.
We’re not selling one-size-fits all connectivity or pre-packaged internet solutions. Our customers tell us what they need, and we make it happen. Because we’re not a big corporate telco, we’re better equipped to adapt to and provide new technologies and changing customer demands. So whether it’s fibre, wireless, or a combination to ensure redundancy, Orbital can design and deliver the best solution tailored exactly to the unique requirements of any business.
We’re driven by the importance of enabling innovation.
The ISP industry is constantly evolving, and it is important for us to keep up with the latest trends. This includes adopting new technologies and developing new ways to deliver services. One significant initiative we’ve undertaken is the expansion of our Full Fibre network across all regions, ensuring that we have total control over the fibre infrastructure we provide to customers.
As an ISP with a start-up mindset, we’re not afraid of change, and we lean fully into the rapid pace of transformation currently experienced by all businesses. We want to make innovation possible where it was not before, which is why we are actively deploying 60Ghz long-range cubes to extend connectivity to remote areas, addressing the connectivity challenges that these regions face. Additionally, we’ve introduced a universal, multi-purpose router designed to cater to various scenarios, in order to streamline support, delivery, and testing processes.
Ready to partner with a connectivity provider who understands your business and knows what it takes to thrive in the digital economy? Let’s make connectivity one less thing for you to worry about. Book a call with us today.