Reducing Broadband Business Churn, With Shannon Stafslien

Business customers need reliability, flexibility and simple billing. Delivering and communicating about those value adds can lead to long-lasting customer relationships.

Episode Transcript

Intro: A production of Pioneer Utility Resources. (00:05):
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StoryConnect, helping communicators discover ideas to shapetheir stories and connect with their customers.

Andy Johns: What are some things you can do to reduce churn on the business side of the operation? (00:16):
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That's what we'll be talking about on this episode of TheStoryConnect Podcast.
My name is Andy Johns, your host with Pioneer, and I'm joined onthis episode by Shannon Stafslien, who is the marketing manager
at RTC Networks. Thank you so much for joining me.

Shannon Stafslien: Yeah, absolutely. Andy, anytime. (00:31):
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Andy Johns: We are here at the like some of the other episodes, we're at the epicenter of rural broadband this week here in Las Vegas at the (00:33):
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Calix ConneXions 2024 Conference.
Has it been a good conference for you so far?

Shannon Stafslien: Yeah, a lot of great content, a lot of great presenters. (00:43):
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Andy Johns: Perfect. One of those great presenters, perfect segue, one of those great presenters will be you coming up this afternoon. (00:46):
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Shannon Stafslien: It is. (00:52):
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Andy Johns: Talking about fighting churn, increasing ROI and, you know, keeping folks, you know, retaining them. (00:52):
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But one of the interesting things we were talking about beforewe pushed the record button is a lot of the words like "ROI" or
the acronyms and phrases, "RPO," all that.

Shannon Stafslien: Yes. (01:07):
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Andy Johns: Those are things that you said you generally try to avoid phrases like that when you're talking about it. (01:08):
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Shannon Stafslien: We do. We want our employees. (01:13):
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They are our best marketing tools.
Honestly, they're around the customers.
They're talking to them on the phone.
They're in their businesses. They're in their homes.
And we we want them to sell our products and upsell and talk toour customers about what we offer.
But we don't want them to feel like they're salespeople.

(01:35):
This is just part of their job.

Andy Johns: Right, and so getting some of that lingo out of there kind of helps them be just normal humans. (01:36):
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Shannon Stafslien: Yes, absolutely. (01:40):
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Andy Johns: Good approach. All right. (01:40):
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So the big area that you're going to focus on in your your panellater today is about retention on the business side.

Shannon Stafslien: Correct. (01:48):
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Andy Johns: So let's get into that a little bit. (01:48):
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I guess to start off with, this is not something necessarilythat y'all are seeing a ton of churn, but you all are being
proactive taking some steps, right?

Shannon Stafslien: Yeah, correct. We've had a few businesses in our service area be approached by cellular providers, offering phone systems and (01:57):
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internet. And really where we saw where we were missing is thatthey didn't understand what we could offer to them.
So we were kind of missing that communication with them.

Andy Johns: Sure. And that's eye opening, I guess. (02:16):
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And you were saying earlier that, you know, when somebody doesleave, you guys are making sure to take some steps to to ask them
a little bit, even if their answers are a little, a littleMidwest nice when they are leaving.

Shannon Stafslien: Yeah, exactly. (02:30):
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So we asked them on the phone.
And actually, I didn't mention this earlier, but this summer, wedid start doing an email survey.

Andy Johns: Oh, great. (02:40):
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Shannon Stafslien: We simplified it to just like, 8 to 10 questions, depending on what they're willing to offer. (02:41):
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And they tend to be a lot more honest when they're not talkingto us in person.
In person, they're very kind, and it's a little difficult topull any actual relevant information from
them.

Andy Johns: Right. And then some of the things that you guys are doing, Let's talk through the steps. (02:57):
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So a lot of it comes back to simplicity and simplifying things.
Right?

Shannon Stafslien: Yes. Yep. We want our understand our customers, both residential and business, to understand when they're purchasing from us, this (03:05):
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is the price. This is what you pay.
We want it to be simple.
We don't want to look like we're trying to pull something overon them or nickel and dime them.

Andy Johns: And then the other piece that you talked about, just making sure they're aware of things, like an app and some of the other (03:20):
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services that you guys are offer.
Just that awareness, even if it's folks that are already workingwith you.

Shannon Stafslien: Absolutely. It's really hard to get people to read things. (03:30):
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Andy Johns: So turns out. (03:33):
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Shannon Stafslien: Yeah. So we do spend a lot of time focusing on the value and showing them what value they get out of that app that comes with (03:35):
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their internet and how they can use that.

Andy Johns: And that's been a big topic at this conference. (03:44):
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There's been a lot of talk about the value adds.
You know, some of the examples on the very first day talkingabout those wireless companies that come in, who we won't name,
but you know that it's almost a race to the bottom where it's,you know, you get this free and that free, and then this gift
card and all that kind of stuff.
What are you all seeing in terms of that competition?

(04:05):
You said that it's kind of both on the residential and thebusiness side.
It sounds like it's increasing for you all.
There are more more legit competitor than they used to be?

Shannon Stafslien: Absolutely. That is a change in the market. (04:13):
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And you're right, it is a race to the bottom.
These cellular companies are just adding the service onto theircell phone.
You know, you get a discount if you have their cell service, andthey're providing it through our fiber even, right?
So they're using our network.

Andy Johns: As the backbone. (04:30):
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Shannon Stafslien: Yes, absolutely. (04:31):
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So, it's an interesting twist, I guess, but we're definitelytrying to be proactive.
We don't want to be reactive.
We want to make sure that our customers know what we offer, andthat we provide the best experience.

Andy Johns: That makes sense. Part of that is, I believe you guys call it the "myRTCnetPRO" app. (04:45):
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Did I get the name right?

Shannon Stafslien: Yes, correct. (04:52):
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Andy Johns: So tell me a little bit about the app on the pro side. (04:53):
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Shannon Stafslien: Absolutely. So that is with our business offering. (04:55):
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So for this year, actually, in January, we decided to go forwardwith Calix's Smart Biz
program, and we rolled that right into our internet price forour businesses.

Andy Johns: Okay. So it's built in. It's not an add on. (05:11):
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Shannon Stafslien: Correct. Yes, for the businesses that it fits. (05:13):
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So if they have extensive firewalls, or if it's a bank, they'renot a good fit for Smart Biz.
This is more for your smaller businesses.
Actually the businesses who already look at us like we are theirIT support.
When they have troubles with their internet, they call us.
They don't even try to figure it out.
Right. So this is a fit for those businesses, and it providesvalue to that internet service that they get from us.

(05:36):
And we're hoping that that will help provide them a betterexperience.
And they won't even consider taking that better offer to savethat 20 bucks.

Andy Johns: Sure. And maybe I shouldn't say this too loud since we're here at the conference, but that's not an app I am super familiar with (05:45):
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yet. The business side. What kind of things are they able to do,or what kind of features and experience does that app help the
small business owners?
And, you know, imagine you're talking about.
Well, I mean, I'll let you say what kind of small businesses areusing it, and then what kind of things does that app allow them

(06:05):
to do?

Shannon Stafslien: Yeah, absolutely. I'm glad you asked. (06:06):
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I'm very excited about these features.
So, honestly, the feature I thought that they were going to likethe most is there is a business customer portal
where when you go into a business, and you want to hook up totheir Wi-Fi, there's a landing page there.
You put your email in, and then you have there, you're on their Wi-Fi network –

Andy Johns: But then they have your information. (06:26):
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Shannon Stafslien: Yes, exactly. So I thought they would be really excited about that. (06:27):
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But what we're finding is they actually appreciate the securityside of it more so, the block threats and that
sort of thing. And then also what this software does is itallows the business through their equipment to
have four separate networks.
So your point of sale network is different than that customerportal, which is also different from your main network

(06:55):
and your employee network.
So you can have four different networks that all have separatedtraffic.
So you can keep data safe.
And also open it up.

Andy Johns: Nice. Yeah. I can see why that would be, why that would be an advantage. (07:04):
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And when we're talking about the app, this is something I knowthat a lot of the folks that we work with at Pioneer, maybe a lot
of the folks that listen, whether it's the CommandIQ app fromCalix, or whether it's any of the other great providers out there
that provide apps, there's always a struggle.
Do I use the name that the vendor has, or do I create my ownname like you guys did with myRTCnet?

(07:30):
Talk to me just a little bit through that thought process.
Has that been the right choice for you all, and why you decidedit needed to be named, have your own individual name?
Because there are some advantages, I would think, to stickingwith the name from the vendor.
Talk us through that thought process, and how it's been.

Shannon Stafslien: Absolutely. So where we are, we want to make sure that our customers are our customers. (07:43):
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We want to be branded fully all the way through.
So even our web page is myRTCnetworks.
So our app for both the business and the residential and our TVproduct as well, all are myRTC.
So myRTCnet, myRTCnetPRO, myRTCvoice.

(08:06):
So we've really branded, taken that all the way.
And we feel like that helps us too with our advertising, and ithelps our employees, and they feel very a part of the
offerings, part of the team I guess.
And as a cooperative, we want our members to also feel like thisis your company.
It's not just mine, it's yours as well.

Andy Johns: Perfect. And I think that goes too a long way as well when you're talking about that churn factor and keeping local businesses. (08:26):
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Because beyond the app, beyond the simplified billing, which Iguess we haven't really talked about that much.
But beyond that, you guys are doing so much in the localcommunity.
There's kind of that, you know, the wireless companies, probablynot at the Chamber of Commerce meetings, that kind of thing.

Shannon Stafslien: Exactly. (08:45):
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Andy Johns: So there's a lot beyond that, too, that you guys are doing as well to kind of be a part of the community and for the community. (08:46):
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Shannon Stafslien: Yeah, absolutely. We think that is crucial. (08:51):
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One of the big concerns that we all hear about today iscybersecurity.
And so we make a point.
And it's not just me. It's my team, and it's our techs, andit's the other managers, and it's even our utility techs who
are on the plow crew, will show up in events for us, and theywill talk about their job, what they do, how things connect.

(09:15):
As far as how we make things work, and we always tie it back tocybersecurity as well.
That we do this.
We built you fiber, but we're not just bringing the pipe to you.
We're also protecting you.
So we think that is really important.
And so we do that all over our communities.

Andy Johns: Perfect. We don't talk about billing a whole lot on a podcast. (09:30):
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You know, it's an audio medium first, and to get into billingtoo much gets a little, you know, there may be people driving.
We don't want them to fall asleep immediately.

Shannon Stafslien: No. Absolutely not. (09:41):
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Andy Johns: But part of what you guys are doing with the churn is, or to fight the churn on the business side in particular, is simplified (09:41):
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billing. Let's talk just a minute about that, if you don't mind,because you guys are kind of streamlining?

Shannon Stafslien: Yeah, absolutely. (09:50):
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We found that based on a lot of feedback from our customers andsurveys is that, and we also asked them about what they thought
about other companies, but hidden fees, being nickeled anddimed, all these added features.
Well, I want this.
Oh well, that's an extra $10, you know.
So what we've done for both our business and our residentialofferings is we've tied all of that together.

(10:13):
So the price that you get for your internet is the price thatincludes everything.
It has, absolutely.
It's your security.
It's your Wi-Fi, and it's the pipe, and the experience, thesupport that comes along with that.

Andy Johns: Perfect. Yeah. That sounds like a good approach. (10:24):
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Last question I have for you as we're wrapping up here.
What advice do you have for somebody?
Maybe they already have pretty strong wireless competition inthe area.
Maybe they don't. But if they're just looking at their businesscustomer base saying, you know, what can I do to shore up a few
things? What advice do you have for those folks, eitherstrategically or, you know, as they're executing on some of those

(10:48):
ideas?

Shannon Stafslien: Absolutely. I think, my first piece of advice is always be proactive. (10:48):
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Reactive is so much harder on the PR side of things.
So be proactive.
Be a part of your communities.
That goes a long way, especially in our rural communities.

Andy Johns: It sounds like even when you think you've communicated it all, keep communicating. (11:04):
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Keep getting the word out because there's still stuff thatthey're not going to know.

Shannon Stafslien: Yeah. And we're constantly evolving and changing with innovations and maybe not sharing that as we go along on our (11:11):
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journey.

Andy Johns: Perfect. Well, I'm looking forward to the session. (11:18):
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And I know everybody else at this conference looking for thesession, so.

Shannon Stafslien: I hope so. (11:23):
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Andy Johns: Thank you for taking the time to share with us today. (11:24):
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Shannon Stafslien: Absolutely. Thank you, Andy. (11:26):
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Andy Johns: She is Shannon Stafslien. (11:28):
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She is the marketing manager at RTC Networks.
I'm Andy Johns, your host with Pioneer.
And until we talk again, keep telling your story.

Outro: StoryConnect is produced by Pioneer Utility Resources, a communications cooperative that is built to share your story. (11:38):
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