Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced that Missouri-based cooperative and longtime Calix customer United Fiber is leveraging the Calix platform and managed services to fuel rapid growth. United Fiber is transforming its value proposition by embracing the Calix Revenue EDGE™ solution to deliver innovative new services—including managed Wi-Fi powered by GigaSpire® BLAST systems, home network security (ProtectIQ®), parental controls (ExperienceIQ®), and the Calix CommandIQ® mobile app. Over the next 18 months, United Fiber has aggressive growth plans to reach even more underserved communities and rural markets in northwest Missouri. To promote expansion into the city of St. Joseph, United Fiber partnered with Calix Premier Customer Success. Using the Calix Market Activation Program, they developed a successful campaign that drove more than 20,000 unique landing-page views in one week. In three weeks, they generated an 11 percent uptick in signups for the United Fiber service. To boost subscriber engagement, the United Fiber marketing team also used Calix Marketing Cloud (Marketing Cloud) to increase the adoption of their personalized, self-service mobile app, built on CommandIQ. In 2022, United Fiber installed thousands of GigaSpire BLAST systems for new subscribers and increased the adoption of their United WiFi BLAST app by 183 percent.
“Going all-in with Calix is enabling us to transform our business from delivering fiber broadband connectivity to an experience provider that will reach more than 40,000 subscribers,” said Darren Farnan, general manager at United Fiber. “We’ve been able to set ourselves apart from the competition—and live up to our cooperative values—with our whole-home managed Wi-Fi and services like ProtectIQ and ExperienceIQ, combined with our local service and support. We’re just scratching the surface with managed services—we’re testing Arlo Secure now, and we’re very excited about new services like Bark, SmartTown™, and SmartBiz™. By delivering peace of mind, these services align with our mission to enhance the rural way of life for our members and customers.”
United Fiber is supporting their growth plans by:
- Differentiating from the competition by leading with managed services. Every United WiFi BLAST subscriber gets ProtectIQ to guard against malicious websites, viruses, and intrusions—and they can see how many threats have been blocked in the United WiFi BLAST app. United Fiber also offers ExperienceIQ to help subscribers control their home network access, filter unwanted content, and specify devices for bandwidth prioritization.
- Growing their brand using the Calix Market Activation Program. To support their build plan to pass 36,000 additional homes and businesses in St. Joseph, United Fiber quickly accessed and customized world-class marketing materials to launch a powerful omnichannel marketing campaign in just weeks. This included local media, social media, TV and radio ads, billboards, direct mail, and more. The campaign drove more than 20,000 unique views of the St. Joseph landing page in a single week and led to an 11 percent increase in subscriber signups for United Fiber service following the announcement.
- Optimizing the subscriber experience. Calix Operations Cloud enables United Fiber to proactively detect and address any network issues before they impact subscribers. Through Marketing Cloud, the cooperative can identify subscribers that may be running speed tests or investigating competitive services and reach out to improve their experience. This focus on experience—along with world-class, local customer service—is why United Fiber enjoys a Net Promoter Score℠ (NPS®) of 62, compared to the average telecommunications industry score in the 30s.
“Many broadband service providers (BSPs) are caught in a speed- and price-focused ‘race to the bottom,’” said Matt Collins, chief commercial operations officer at Calix. “But United Fiber did something truly remarkable. By partnering with Calix Premier Customer Success, they generated record new subscriber signups by refocusing their brand value proposition and launching an omnichannel marketing campaign that emphasized their innovative new services and amazing subscriber experiences. By repositioning themselves through differentiated experiences, they are laying the foundation to grow value in the communities they serve for decades to come.”
Watch the replay of the webinar, “Managed Services with Exceptional Experiences: How Broadband Providers Win,” to learn how service providers can transform their value propositions with managed services.
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