Success Stories

2010: Address-Bar Sentry Improves Navigation and Generates Revenue

Buckeye CableSystem, based in Toledo, Ohio, offers cable TV, broadband, and voice services to approximately 150K subscribers in Northwest Ohio and parts of Southeast Michigan. Early this year, Buckeye recognized that it could improve subscriber navigation and help protect subscribers from phishing sites commonly presented as a result of mistakes and typos entered by subscribers in the browser address bar, and generate incremental revenue as well. By implementing PerfTech's Address-Bar Sentry, a product that catches these types of errors and redirects the subscriber to a safe landing page with options powered by Yahoo! search, Buckeye was able to provide a service that benefited both subscribers and the company.

Many ISPs offer similar capabilities through a range of packages. Address-Bar Sentry, however, offers significant advantages that satisfy especially the more technically sophisticated subscribers: it honors any user's preference not to search on the address bar, allows the user to permanently opt-out/select an alternate search engine, and does not interfere with the functionality of applications that depend on DNS processes, such as VPNs and security cameras.

"The PerfTech product for address-bar error resolution offers the best user experience possible for Buckeye customers—flexibility and protection—with essentially no support costs or customer dissatisfaction. The ability to add a revenue stream is also a plus," states Paul Shryock, VP of IT/CIO, Buckeye CableSystem. Based on averages over a 4-month period, Address-Bar Sentry garners incremental net revenue of approximately $.75/sub/year, which brings substantial ROI for the multi-application PerfTech platform.

2007: Eliminates Outbound SPAM with PerfTech’s Abuse Sentry

Recognized in the cable industry for being early adopters of innovative technology, BendBroadband delivers cable video, voice, and broadband Internet service to over 36,000 subscribers in central Oregon. In 2006, the award-winning provider deployed PerfTech’s Bulletin System to proactively message browsing subscribers regarding customer service events.

Early in 2007, Bend realized that SPAM emanating from its network was threatening to place them on other provider “blacklists”, a move that would jeapordize the email service of not only offending subscribers, but all Bend subscribers. Bend responded by adding PerfTech’s Abuse Sentry application to its existing PerfTech platform. Abuse Sentry performs a cycle of functions that engage the offending subscriber, who is usually oblivious to the zombie virus that has infected his machine. The application, which operates in a completely automated mode, monitors outbound email and if SPAM patterns are detected, it suspends outgoing email, messages the subscriber to advise how to remediate the problem, and automatically restores outbound email when the SPAM discontinues.

The first phase of implementation, to residential customers—approximately 90% of the subscriber base—proved so “extremely effective,” according to Melanie Grandjacques, Bend’s Vice President of Quality and Process, that the business customers were soon added. Members of Bend’s technical support are happy because the application’s automated features relieve them of hours of manual work. Infected subscribers are grateful to be informed of their problem and how to fix it. And, as Ms. Grandjacques sums it up, “Essentially, we are protecting our customers’ email service from undue disruption, and are ensuring that spammers can not take advantage of our service.”

2007: Uses In-Browser Promotions to Upsell to Higher Bandwidth Tier

TV Cabo, Portugal’s leading triple-play operator—offering pay-tv, broadband and telephony—uses PerfTech’s Bulletin System to deliver customer service and promotional messages to its nearly 400K high-speed data subscribers.

TV Cabo, as do many Internet providers worldwide, offers tiers of service to its customers based on maximum bandwidth usage. TV Cabo wanted an effective way to communicate online with a customer about to exceed the bandwidth usage of his subscription. PerfTech’s in-browser message is automatically delivered no matter which website the targeted customer is browsing. “With Bulletin System, we can notify a particular customer at precisely the time he is approaching his bandwidth cap and recommend an upgrade to a higher-bandwidth tier,” explains Francisco Cal, Internet Product Manager. “Coupled with the ability to complete the upgrade transaction online, this tool has proven very effective, resulting in a 20% increase in customers willing to purchase a higher level of service.”

2005: Bulletin System Helps WOW! Meet E911 FCC Requirements

A ruling by the FCC in 2005 mandated that cable operators notify their voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) customers that emergency 911 service may not be available during a network outage or power failure. In addition, operators were obliged to prove that customers acknowledged the receipt of such a notice, and the deadline was approaching. In the rush to comply, many cable operators scrambled to create and send direct mail or to telephone customers.

Midwest TV and Internet broadband provider WOW!, however, had previously deployed PerfTech’s Bulletin System throughout its network expressly to keep subscribers aware of important service-related events. For WOW!, it was simple, fast, and economical to comply with the mandate: a targeted message was sent directly to the browsers of VoIP subscribers, explaining the issue and requesting acknowledgment with an ‘”Accept” button. Within the first 10 days, according to Bulletin System’s reports, 96% of VoIP subscribers had received the message, and 81% had acknowledged the terms. If the subscriber closed the message without acknowledgment, the message was scheduled to reappear according to a schedule determined by WOW! until acceptance was achieved. Message display was unobtrusive, yet persistent.

The E911 acknowledgement illustrates merely one instance of the urgent need cable broadband providers often have to communicate directly and effectively with their subscribers.