Modem Swapping
by Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 3/24/2008
The Problem: Getting 15% of BendBroadband's high-speed Internet customers in Oregon to bring in their outdated DOCSIS 1.0 or 1.1 modems for a replacement 2.0 version that would allow the operator to throttle up data-delivery speeds throughout its footprint.
The Solution: Advanced notification via direct mail, automated outbound phone messaging and in-browser online messaging, using San Antonio-based vendor PerfTech's Bulletin System. Only 16% of the affected Internet customers acted after receiving mailers in September 2007. In the next three months, the software sent those users on-screen bulletins. Over the next five months, the remainder of the cable-modem customers responded to the on-screen messages and brought their old modems in for replacement, according to PerfTech.
The Results: BendBroadband saved money on the printing and postage of follow-up direct mail. It also received no gripes about the messaging, even as the phone solicitation resulted in 15 consumer complaints. Since the company was communicating with customers anyway, it added a phone-service promotion, which generated an 8% take rate.
