There was an American engineer, Bill Smith; so, for nearly 35 years, he worked in engineering and quality assurance before joining Motorola in 1987 and eventually formulated the basic principles of the leading quality improvement methodology known today as Six Sigma. Since then, it has evolved into a long-lasting, universal tool for process improvement used broadly across different products, processes, and industries. And ISPs are no exception here.

Can Six Sigma philosophy help with them? Yes, definitely! This article will look at ways to streamline ISP workflow by improving customer onboarding and support. You can also expect practical tips and live demo examples tied to the relevant Splynx functionality.

What you need to know about Six Sigma and DMAIC. As short as possible!

Six Sigma is a set of methodologies and tools that help businesses improve their processes, make them more efficient, and reduce errors. The concept is based on the statement that any discrepancy that may lead to consumer dissatisfaction is considered a defect. The name “Six Sigma” comes from the Greek letter “sigma” (σ), which is a statistical symbol for measuring how much a process varies from its average performance. In a bell curve, one sigma represents one standard deviation from the average.

So, the goal is to achieve nearly perfect quality, with only 3.4 defects per million opportunities (0.00034% failure rate), which equates to six standard deviations between the process mean or target and the closest specification limit.

This is achieved through two major methodologies: DMAIC and DMADV (also called DFSS or Design for Six Sigma). The first is a reactive methodology that focuses on improving existing processes and products by identifying and eliminating the root causes of defects, reducing variation, and improving overall quality. The second is for creating a new product or service from scratch.

Six Sigma has changed and improved over time. For instance, Lean Six Sigma, another commonly used Six Sigma methodology (which mixes Six Sigma with Lean), aims to remove any part of the process that does not bring value to the customer. It means doing more with less while doing it better. Lean philosophy comes from the Japanese manufacturing industry and was developed by Bob Hartman, who worked at Toyota. Sometimes, the term DMAICR is used (R is for Realize). Despite all these updates, Six Sigma’s core principles remain the same.

Six Sigma (very accessible and beautiful!) explained in 9 minutes

Common challenges faced by internet providers

Running an ISP business comes with a unique set of challenges. If you’re in the game, you know the constant juggling act: keeping customers happy, managing billing, integrating new systems, and tackling network issues—all while trying to grow your business. For instance, managing customer churn can be demoralizing, with some internet providers experiencing churn rates as high as 10% due to massive delays and mismanagement because of inefficient manual approach to customer service. Additionally, billing complexities can consume up to 40% of operational time, and network outages, which can cause customer complaints, happen as frequently as once a week for many providers. And let’s not forget the integration headaches—nearly 60% of providers report challenges when trying to get various systems to talk to each other smoothly.

We recently interviewed over 50 ISPs — who are also Splynx customers — and compiled their insights into a detailed guide on the top 10 challenges local ISPs face and how Splynx can help overcome them. Read it here!

Applying Six Sigma Methodologies for ISPs

1. Define the Problem. The first step in Six Sigma is clearly defining the problem. For ISPs, this might involve identifying specific issues such as frequent billing errors or high customer support wait times.
2. Measure Current Performance. Once the problem is defined, it’s important to gather data to understand current performance levels. This could involve tracking billing error rates or measuring average response times in customer support.
3. Analyze Data. With data in hand, ISPs can analyze the root causes of inefficiencies. For instance, are billing errors due to manual entry mistakes, or are there systemic issues in the process?
4. Improve Processes. After identifying root causes, Six Sigma focuses on implementing changes to improve processes. This might include automating billing processes (invoice sending, payment reconciliation, locking non-payers, etc) to relieve teams of paperwork or implementing training programs for customer support teams to enhance efficiency.
5. Control Changes. Finally, it’s essential to establish controls to maintain improvements over time. This could involve setting up regular audits of billing processes or monitoring customer support metrics to ensure ongoing performance.

While we’re at it, here’s a tip: tracking the right KPIs can make a difference. How do you choose the metrics? You would face a challenge, and by looking at the benefit of a certain KPI, decide which one is important to you. Whether it’s monitoring Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) for your sales team, keeping an eye on First Response Time in customer support, measuring Code Coverage in your engineering department, or analyzing Network Uptime in your network operations. Knowing what to measure is key to staying ahead. So, now, let’s look at specific problems and possible solutions using Six Sigma and Splynx.

How to improve support effectiveness with Six Sigma and Splynx Ticketing

Let’s consider a situation where an ISP notices a significant drop in customer satisfaction, specifically tied to delays in resolving technical support tickets. Customers are frustrated with the time it takes to resolve their issues, which is reflected in negative feedback and a rising number of reopened tickets. To address this issue, the ISP will leverage Splynx’s Ticketing System and its reporting features to identify and resolve the root causes.

1. Define the Problem. The first step in improving ISP operations is identifying specific issues. One ISP’s ticket resolution times were lagging, especially for high-priority tickets. Using Splynx’s Agent Performance Report and SLA Report, the support manager identified that while initial responses were timely, overall resolution times were slipping, particularly for critical cases.
2. Measure Current Performance. The support team gathered data for a selected three-month period to pinpoint where delays occurred. Using Root Cause Analysis, they found that poor prioritization was causing high-priority tickets to get lost among lower-priority ones. They also noted communication gaps, where customers needed to give more details initially, and staffing shortages during peak hours, which made delays even worse.
3. Analyze Data. With this insight, the ISP’s team dug deeper into the causes. They discovered that high-priority tickets were mishandled due to unclear categorization, and the lack of clear customer communication led to prolonged resolution times. Also, understaffing during peak periods was critical in delayed ticket resolution.
4. Improve Processes. The team then leveraged Splynx’s Ticket Management features to streamline ticket categorization (update Priority settings and create Ticket Groups to flag critical issues for senior technicians immediately). Additionally, they introduced automation rules to handle repetitive tasks like follow-ups and status changes, improving efficiency. Besides, the team also created department-specific inboxes (e.g., sales@, support@) to auto-direct tickets to the right person, boosting response times and productivity. Canned Responses were also implemented to prompt customers for more detailed information upfront, reducing the need for follow-ups. They made sure that enough workers were available during busy times by making data-driven decisions. Finally, they also implement a Kaizen approach, where the team continuously reviews and adjusts staffing levels based on ongoing data from the Ticket Lifecycle and Cost of Support reports.
5. Control Changes. To ensure these improvements lasted, the ISP continuously monitored key metrics using Splynx’s Performance Distribution and Cost of Support reports. This ongoing oversight helped them maintain reduced resolution times and improved customer satisfaction, showing a 25% decrease in resolution time for high-priority tickets and a significant drop in reopened cases.

Improving Customer Onboarding and Communication for a Local ISP Using Lean Six Sigma and Splynx

Customer onboarding is another prominent example. Imagine you run a local ISP, and your customer onboarding process is a mess. New customers wait too long for a call to start; your sales team isn’t communicating well. As a result, leads are getting lost before they even sign up. It’s frustrating, and it’s costing you business. You want to fix this by making the onboarding process quicker and smoother, with better communication and helpful self-management. You’ve got Splynx to help, but you’re not yet using it to its full potential. Let’s change that.

Problem: The current process for bringing new customers on board is slow and disorganized, leading to delays, miscommunication between teams, and lost opportunities. This frustrates customers and affects your business.

Objective: We aim to speed up the customer onboarding process, improve team communication, and ensure that every lead is followed up. To this end, we’ll use the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC approach and Splynx.

DMAIC Methodology

1. Define:
   • What We Want: Speed up onboarding, improve team communication, and ensure no leads are lost.
   • Current Problems:
     • Setting up new customers takes 30-40 minutes per client. Agents spend too much time on the phone, slowly creating accounts, configuring connections, setting up quotes, and selecting services. All tasks are scattered across different tabs, causing delays and confusion.
     • The team often lacks up-to-date information, leading to missed opportunities and mistakes. Because there is no centralized communication history, tracking previous interactions and customer preferences is challenging.
     • Potential customers fall through the cracks without a proper system, costing the business valuable revenue.
   • Success Looks Like:
     • The sign-up process takes less than 10 minutes, with minimal manual intervention and extra work at the back end. Ideally, customers can sign up directly via the website.
     • More leads are converted into paying customers.
     • Fewer errors and a better customer experience overall.
   • Key Metrics:
     • Time is taken to onboard a customer (from lead generation to service activation).
     • Lead conversion rate.
     • Customer satisfaction score post-onboarding.
2. Measure:
   • Understanding the Issue:
     • On average, complete onboarding takes hours in the best case, which is far too long.
     • 20% of potential customers are lost due to delays or inadequate follow-up
     • Miscommunication leads to errors in 15% of cases, such as activating the wrong service plan.
   • Tracking the Process:
     • Utilize Splynx’s CRM to track where time is being wasted and where errors occur.
     • Customer feedback will be monitored to gain insights into their onboarding experience.
3. Analyze:
   • Why it’s happening:
     • Excessive manual data entry is a bottleneck that slows down the process. Agents manually enter data across multiple platforms, leading to inefficient use of resources and increased operating costs.
     • Due to communication gaps, sales and technical teams fail to share critical information in real-time, leading to delays in activation.
     • Potential customers are not tracked effectively, resulting in missed follow-ups and lost sales.
   • Mapping the Process:
     • Using Splynx’s CRM, map out the current onboarding steps to identify where delays and errors occur. This will help pinpoint unnecessary steps and information silos that exist between teams.
   • Waste Identification:
     • We’ll focus on eliminating unnecessary manual tasks, such as data entry and manual scheduling, and improving team communication by centralizing information.
4. Improve:
   • Integrate billing and provisioning into a single platform: Auto-provisioning features with ACS TR-069 integration simplify Wi-Fi installation for ISPs, allowing remote configuration and management of customer devices without manual intervention. This central management enables easy troubleshooting, mass configuration changes, and efficient firmware upgrades.
   • Communication is critical during the sales and onboarding process. During sales and onboarding, track all customer interactions—calls, emails, SMS messages, tickets, and activity history—in one place. Agents can make calls directly from the customer’s profile, leave notes for team members, and create to-do tasks related to each customer.
   • Custom workflows and lead stages in Splynx CRM. Once a customer decides to proceed with the service, Splynx’s CRM seamlessly integrates with Ticketing and Scheduling, automatically generating the necessary tasks and tickets right on the customer’s profile. This integration also offers a significant advantage by displaying customized service plans tailored to the customer’s specific location. This way, customers are presented with only the relevant options, eliminating the hassle of sifting through all available services, greatly enhancing their experience.
   • A self-sign-up form to put on the website and overall self-care for existing customers on the customer portal. Customized forms in Splynx will ensure that all the necessary info is captured upfront and tailored to each customer type. It also allows customization of the form depending on the type of customer – wireless, fiber, residential, or business. Less duplication of information, fewer mistakes, and a smoother workflow.
   • Team Training: We’ll train the teams to use Splynx better, resulting in fewer mistakes and better communication.
5. Control:
   • We’ll leverage Splynx’s reporting tools to monitor the success of the new processes continuously. Key metrics include onboarding time, lead conversion rates, and error rates. These metrics will be compared to benchmarks to ensure continuous improvement.
   • The team will continuously refine processes based on feedback to maintain efficiency and responsiveness.
   • A clear, detailed guide will be created for the new onboarding process, ensuring consistency and adherence to the improved procedures.

Expected Results

• Faster Onboarding: We aim to cut the onboarding time from hours to minutes
• Higher Conversion Rates: Better follow-up and communication should lead to 15-20% more leads becoming paying customers.
• Fewer Mistakes: Automation and better integration should reduce errors from 15% to below 5%.
• Happier Customers: A quicker, smoother process will lead to happier customers, which is great for business.

Why Splynx

Why use Splynx? It is the simplest platform for running your ISP business, with a customer-centric approach and humane support. No machines or bots respond. Only communicate with real people ready to run through a brick wall for you! It’s not about billing, invoicing, and everything in between, but all-in-one, with all the features an internet or voice provider needs for daily operations and active growth, including managing the whole sales process. We have shown only a tiny part, but the potential is huge. If you want to improve a particular process, please contact us; we will help. You can rely on Splynx, as 1000+ other companies have already used our platform.