Tbaytel wins Provider Marketing Award, F-Secure & TDS win Marketing Partnership Award, DIRECTV wins Alternate Channels Award, and Calix wins both Vendor Marketing and Call Center Awards.
AUSTIN, Texas, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- At the recent Annual meeting for the Broadband Multimedia Marketing Association (BMMA) in Austin, Texas, the winners of the BMMA 2024 Best in Class Marketing & Sales awards were announced.
"Each year, the Board of Directors recognizes successful teams and companies that demonstrate innovation and excellence in marketing and sales of broadband services," said Charlie Conway, Executive Director, BMMA. The service provider winners are Tbaytel, TDS, and DIRECTV. In addition, the vendor recipients are F-Secure and Calix. "Each award-winning team demonstrates best-in-class marketing and sales execution to deliver superior broadband products and services to their customers," Conway added. The winners of this year's awards are:
1. Provider Marketing Award: Tbaytel for "Fibre Conversion Program"
Tbaytel's Fibre Conversion Program is a strategic initiative aimed at expediting the transition of copper customers to fibre within its Thunder Bay serving territory. The program is important to Tbaytel as it ensures customers have the best experience with its products and services and aids in the future decommissioning of its copper facilities. While Tbaytel has historically employed various strategies to encourage the switch, the newly established multi-year program adopts a comprehensive approach to accelerate the process. This includes a proactive outbound campaign targeting high-value copper customers alongside a mandatory upgrade initiative facilitated by a multi-departmental team.
"Tbaytel is committed to providing an exceptional customer experience," states Amy Meunier, Director – Marketing & Communication at Tbaytel. "Our Fibre Conversion Program demonstrates that by making the transition from copper to fibre seamless for customers. Once converted to the best-in-class broadband technology, customers have access to the fastest Internet speeds available in our market, resulting in a better-connected experience for everyone."
The program consists of two primary components: a proactive outbound campaign and a mandatory upgrade initiative. The outbound campaign, executed with the assistance of a third-party company, targets copper customers with multiple services in the home that would benefit from the conversion to fibre. Customers are offered a free speed upgrade for 6 months as an added incentive to switch. The mandatory upgrade initiative is largely driven by Tbaytel projects that require the decommissioning of copper facilities in a fibre neighbourhood, such as pole replacements or copper troubles. The
initiative involves a systematic process of identifying and transitioning customers to fibre, supported by detailed timelines, customer outreach, and account management procedures.
By combining marketing excellence with operational efficiency, the Fibre Conversion Program not only accelerates fibre adoption but also benefits both customers and Tbaytel by facilitating the eventual decommissioning of copper facilities and streamlining engineering projects.
2. Vendor Marketing Award: Calix for "Calix Engagement Cloud and Subscriber Experience Marketing"
Broadband service providers (BSPs) want to deliver exceptional experiences at every subscriber touchpoint. To do this with marketing teams of any size, BSPs need cloud insights that enable them to understand the needs of their subscribers, build value-based offerings that meet those needs, and ready-made marketing materials that clearly communicate the value of their services.
The cloud-enabled Calix Broadband Platform empowers BSPs to compete on unmatched subscriber experiences rather than speed and price alone. The pairing of Calix Engagement Cloud, the marketing insights engine within the platform, and the Calix Market Activation program (winner of multiple BMMA Best in Class awards) allows marketing teams to execute sophisticated campaigns. When BSPs need additional support, they can rely on the award-winning Calix Customer Success team.
"Building on regional roots that go back, in some cases, more than a century, our customers' communications with their subscribers go beyond marketing," said Matt Collins, Chief Commercial Operations Officer at Calix. "They are actively engaging with their neighbors, friends, families, and local leaders to learn how to improve life in their rural communities with new managed services. In many cases, they close connectivity gaps that transform how residents can work, play, learn, and connect online. The evolution of Engagement Cloud enables BSPs to harness insights to understand what subscribers need, when and how to best communicate with them, fostering engagement and unparalleled brand loyalty. It is thrilling to witness how our customers leverage Calix innovation to impact the communities they serve."
The combination of Engagement Cloud and Market Activation enables BSPs to leverage insights, identify the managed services that best resonate with subscribers, and communicate their value through sophisticated multichannel campaigns. With pre-made customizable assets in the Market Activation program, BSPs can easily and quickly deliver tailored and value-driven offerings that improve the subscriber experience.
3. Partnership Marketing Award: F-Secure & TDS for "F-Secure Total/TDS Internet Security"
The enduring partnership between F-Secure and TDS, which spans nearly two decades, underwent a significant transformation in mid-2023. F-Secure proposed an upgrade from their existing offering, F-Secure Safe, to the more comprehensive F-Secure Total, which encompassed additional features like a VPN, identity protection, and a password manager. The launch of this upgraded solution in April 2023 marked a notable evolution in their collaborative journey. The successful implementation of the upgrade necessitated extensive teamwork to seamlessly integrate the new product and enhanced features into an existing customer base of over 60,000. A meticulous phased approach was adopted to ensure a smooth transition, requiring coordination between multiple global teams at both TDS and F-Secure, encompassing technical integration, marketing asset planning, Sales and Support training, and documentation creation and publishing. The careful execution of these stages resulted in minimal disruption to customers and the TDS organization, highlighting the effectiveness of the collaborative efforts involved.
"TDS is honored to be recognized along with F-Secure with a Best in Class award from the BMMA. The collaborative marketing efforts, in relation to our 2023 upgrade to F-Secure's Total product, helped provide our customers with a more modern and robust product, while simultaneously driving increases in attachment rate for new sales, penetration of our broadband customer base, and activation rates."
Following the successful launch of the new F-Secure Total product, TDS witnessed a 12% increase in average monthly adds compared to the 6-month average prior to the upgrade. This upsurge in monthly adds is attributed to the improved functionality and renewed focus on the product from TDS as an organization. Moreover, TDS continues to experience a 10% increase in penetration into the base of existing customers, indicating the positive impact and sustained growth resulting from the upgrade.
"F-Secure is proud to be a long-time partner of TDS Telecom. Their vision and understanding of their customers made this launch a TOTAL success and we are looking forward to our continued partnership," said Conor Steadman, Senior Partner Success Manager at F-Secure.
4. Alternate Channels Award: DIRECTV for "Launch of DIRECTV Stream Bulk product for Multi Dwelling Unit Markets Exclusively Through Dealer/Alternate Channel"
DIRECTV introduced a new bulk video service, DIRECTV Stream bulk, specifically tailored for Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) customers in January 2023 following a successful pilot in Q4 2022. Throughout 2023, DIRECTV surpassed its business objectives, achieving a successful launch by the end of Q1 2023, securing agreements with numerous properties, and saw growth in new activations of DIRECTV Stream Bulk. This exclusive service is offered through DIRECTV dealers, empowering property owners and managers to provide residents with a feature-rich video service at competitive rates, delivered over an existing internet connection without the need for a satellite.
"The DIRECTV team is proud to receive the BMMA Best in Class Alternative Channels award from the BMMA. This recognition demonstrates the successful launch of our new DIRECTV Steam Bulk product and the impact it is having in growing our presence in the Multifamily space," said Mark Cunningham, Senior Director of DIRECTV MDU Sales at DIRECTV. "We are pleased that partnerships with the BMMA and other broadband service providers continue to fuel more distribution opportunities for DIRECTV services."
"This is an amazing launch that allowed us to rebrand our messaging and positioning for our B2B2C customer," said Dawn Intili, Senior Director of Sales & Distribution – Marketing, Merch., Training, & Communications at DIRECTV. "The DIRECTV Stream Bulk solution gives us the ability to target geographical locations that we haven't been able to in the past. With a new national advertising campaign also in place, we have been able to market it in a way that is seamless, invigorating, and fresh for the MDU channel."
The success of the DIRECTV Stream Bulk solution launch was driven by several key best practices at DIIRECTV. First, the establishment of a cross-functional team, led by the business owners, ensured customer requirements remained paramount and facilitated coordination among internal departments such as Tech Development, Operations, Marketing, Sales, Finance, and Training.
Additionally, DIRECTV identified a unique value proposition for DIRECTV Stream Bulk, emphasizing nationwide availability, enhanced user experience, and simplified installation requirements, thereby expanding distribution channels and driving business growth.
The launch of DIRECTV Stream Bulk was characterized by disciplined project management alongside aggressive pre-launch sales and marketing initiatives, resulting in the achievement of positive outcomes ahead of schedule.
Buoyed by the success of the launch, optimism for future growth is high, with targets for 2024 already exceeding initial forecasts, leading to increased budget allocation and exploration of further sales improvement strategies. Moreover, insights gained from the MDU Stream Bulk market launch will serve as a foundation for similar services in other markets, underlining the scalability and adaptability of DIRECTV's innovative approach.
5. Call Center Award: Calix (www.calix.com) "Calix Service Cloud"
Calix Service Cloud stands as a premier support appljication for broadband service providers (BSPs), offering real-time visibility into the subscriber experience to proactively anticipate and address their needs. As an essential component of the Calix Broadband Platform, it transcends traditional case management by empowering customer support teams to provide personalized and proactive white-glove service. With its evolution, support roles are transformed into service professionals, utilizing data-driven insights for personalized subscriber care.
"For numerous rural BSPs, exceptional customer service has always been the 'secret ingredient' setting them apart from larger legacy players with their distant and impersonal approach," said John Durocher, Chief Customer Officer at Calix. "We're committed to empowering our BSP customers to thrive. That's why we continually innovate for Service Cloud, to further enable proactive customer support that differentiates many rural BSP offerings. As they continue to broaden their reach and enrich their communities, Service Cloud enables support teams to transcend traditional support methods, embracing multiple communication channels for highly personalized service. Simultaneously, Service Cloud equips field tech teams with robust tools for swift issue resolution, minimizing truck rolls and repeat calls. With Service Cloud, Calix is propelling BSP support teams to new heights for the benefit of their businesses, subscribers, and the communities they serve."
In 2023, Service Cloud expanded to support small business subscribers, utilizing the same platform that BSPs use to service residential and community segments. This unified management solution enhances account visibility, service configuration, and remote troubleshooting, which is crucial as BSPs delve into the small business market with Calix SmartBiz. Additionally, Service Cloud now includes advanced features such as access to optical network terminal (ONT) health data and alerts, allowing support teams to collaborate closely with operations, swiftly addressing issues from the residential gateway to the ONT. This capability positions support organizations as vital to business growth and brand differentiation, marking a significant shift towards service professionals dedicated to exceeding subscriber expectations and delivering personalized experiences.
About the BMMA
The BMMA is an international organization dedicated to helping Telco internet service providers and their vendors advance the adoption, use, and sales of broadband services.
Our membership includes many of the key Telco and broadband vendor organizations in North America and is open to any broadband industry Telco service provider, vendor, CPE manufacturer, government agency, consultant, analyst, or other party with a demonstrated interest in promoting the mission of the BMMA.
Our goal is to advance the adoption, use, and sales of broadband services by identifying key industry success factors and sharing best practice marketing, sales, care, and customer experience initiatives, new product and customer trends and other relevant industry information.
Please see our website at www.BMMA.org for more information or to apply for membership in the BMMA.
BMMA is managed by ResearchFirst, Inc. (www.researchfirst.com), a market research and consulting firm specializing in telecommunications needs and technologies. ResearchFirst has been helping clients better understand their markets through primary research and drive increases sales through optimization engagements. ResearchFirst has been bringing industry leaders together through telecom conferences and association management since 1987. Annual conferences address broadband services marketing, consumer services bundling and packaging, as well as sales channel and operations topics.
Tags / Keywords: BMMA, Broadband, internet telco, service provider, vendor, best in class, marketing award, Tbaytel, Calix, F-Secure, TDS, DIRECTV
Media Contact
Charlie Conway, ResearchFirst, Inc., 1 571-439-5327, [email protected], https://www.researchfirst.com/
Stan Romero, BMMA, 1 205-960-5254, [email protected], https://www.bmma.org/
SOURCE Broadband Multimedia Marketing Association (BMMA)
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