In this guide, we’ll walk you through practical steps to use TR-069 ACS for delivering fast, reliable, and affordable Wi-Fi to residential customers. These insights from real-world applications will help ISPs streamline network operations, reduce support costs, and enhance customer satisfaction. Let’s explore how TR-069 ACS can be a game-changer for your ISP.

Part 1: New Installations and TR-069 ACS

A strong and reliable Wi-Fi connection is crucial for residential customers, and it all begins with an efficient installation process. The setup stage is the foundation of a great customer experience, yet many ISPs underestimate its importance, making it more complicated than necessary. If this step isn’t seamless, customers may look for alternatives.

See the problem here?

Solution

Here is where TR-069 (or CWMP — CPE WAN Management) and auto-configuration server (ACS) come in. It simplifies the Wi-Fi installation process for both ISPs and customers. Here’s how you can benefit from using these technologies:

• With ACS, you can remotely configure and manage TR-069 customer premises equipment (CPE), such as routers, home gateways, ONU/ONT, etc.  This eliminates the need for manual intervention, enabling automatic provisioning of Wi-Fi equipment and reducing operational costs of new installations.

• With predefined templates and settings, technicians can swiftly install and activate new customer connections, minimizing the chances of errors or misconfigurations. For example, you can automatically push the PPPoE login and password, along with the Wi-Fi SSID and password, to the device during its first connection.
• Long provisioning times, averaging 10-15 days, and manual installations that could take up to 2-3 hours no longer align with customers’ expectations of a plug-and-play experience. Thus, Internet providers must prioritize automation in service provisioning and onboarding processes, aiming to reduce operational expenses and enhance customer satisfaction.

Part 2: Support Calls and Common Wi-Fi Issues. How ACS can help?

Customers frequently need support for Wi-Fi-related issues, and resolving these quickly is key to ISP success. Efficient troubleshooting reduces operational costs and enhances customer satisfaction.

Most Common Wi-Fi Problems

Research from Lifemote, covering 8.3 million users across five countries, reveals the most frequent Wi-Fi issues. It’s important to note that these problem types may overlap, with some households experiencing multiple issues simultaneously.

• Coverage gaps: Nearly one-third of households in a standard ISP subscription base experience weak Wi-Fi signals. With Splynx TR-069 ACS, you can access various valuable diagnostic tools, including ping, traceroute, upload/download statistics, and a Wi-Fi analyzer. The Wi-Fi analyzer specifically displays all available Wi-Fi networks and their respective signal strengths, providing insights to address coverage challenges effectively. So you can grab all the necessary data before giving customers recommendations on Mesh Networks and Wi-Fi 6 devices to defeat the Wi-Fi coverage problem.

• 2.4 GHz congestion: The second most common issue type is 2.4 GHz congestion. One in five homes struggles with interference on this frequency, affecting connection stability.
• Hardware and infrastructure issues: These issues are less frequent but can still impact performance. ISPs invest in high-quality network equipment to minimize these disruptions.
• Client-side problems: The least common in-home Wi-Fi issues are client-related problems. These include clients with legacy Wi-Fi technology and those who excessively consume data at low rates, causing a bottleneck in available airtime. While less prevalent, addressing these client-related issues is still important to optimize the overall Wi-Fi experience for all users.

The infographic above provides an understanding of the business impacts of Wi-Fi issues on American ISPs, namely:

• Longer support calls: Troubleshooting complex issues over the phone increases service costs.
• Higher expenses: On-site visits, extended call times, and equipment replacements raise costs, especially for smaller ISPs.
• Delayed issue resolution: Some Wi-Fi problems require in-person visits, prolonging downtime and increasing costs.
• Customer churn: Unreliable service drives customers to competitors, negatively affecting an ISP’s reputation and revenue.

Part 3: Cutting Costs on Wi-Fi Support Calls with Splynx TR-069 ACS and Customer Portal 

Reducing expenses related to support calls is a priority for ISPs. A large portion of these inquiries—up to 70%—concern basic Wi-Fi settings and device placement. Implementing remote device management and self-service tools can significantly decrease the number of support calls and achieve cost savings.

By leveraging a combination of tools such as Splynx TR-069 ACS, Customer portal and Customer Portal Mobile App ISPs can streamline operations in the following ways.

Remote device management

Splynx ACS empowers ISPs with the following Remote Management possibilities:

• Initial installation of new CPE (so-called zero-touch provisioning).
• End-user CPE real-time monitoring and troubleshooting: ping, traceroute, wireless issues, speed test.
• Changing CPE configuration by admin or end-user: SSID, WiFi password, DNS.
• Managing firmware or software versions for CPEs, instantly deploying mass upgrading with one click.
• And a lot of additional operations.

This entirely eliminates the need for technicians to physically visit customer locations for routine maintenance or troubleshooting, reducing operational costs and enhancing efficiency.

Self-service options

Self-service is nothing new. We’re all used to helping ourselves, whether its problems with home appliances or something other. And in ISP industry, self-service (zero tier of the five IT support levels) isn’t just a nice-to-have any more — it’s something users expect and must have. People don’t want to wait on hold for a support agent, to become available if there’s an issue they could resolve more quickly themselves.

By giving users the ability to pause or modify their services as well as to reboot their devices or change their Wi-Fi SSID and password directly from their portal account, ISPs can significantly reduce the number of support calls. Empowering users with self-service options through Splynx customer portal not only lower costs but also improve customer satisfaction and retention rates.

Read the full article on our website about Shift towards user self-care and how to leverage Splynx Customer Portal & TR-069 ACS.

Moreover, Splynx customer portal is designed to make it easy for customers to order new services. With a user-friendly interface and streamlined ordering process, customers can quickly and easily select the services they need and proceed to checkout, without calling the support team for an upgrade.

Additionally, our new overhauled mobile app, which acts as a customized mobile self-service client portal for ISPs of any size. It offers much needed possibility of white-labeling the login screen and customizing the home screen icon with a recognizable brand ISP logo. You can find out more details about it here.

Real Cost Savings

In a study titled “Winning the battle for control and differentiation in the home broadband network with operations automation,” Analysys Mason explores the impact of remote device management, digital care channels, and operational process automation on supporting residential consumers’ services. The research is based on interviews with ISP operators serving the initial subscriber base of 3 million users over a 3-year period in both emerging and developed markets. It reveals that these transformative technologies introduce substantial cost efficiencies.

There is substantial impact of zero-touch provisioning on field installation costs, resulting in:

1. 2.3–2.6 times boost to the business automation;
2. Significant time reduction for customer onboarding;
3. Efficient network and service problem isolation.

The analysis indicates that the integration of automation in customer support and network operations can result in massive operational efficiency advantages and 20% cost reduction in a timeframe of 3 years. These advantages come with the deployment of automated remote device management, assisted troubleshooting for Tier 1 customer care representatives, and the introduction of customer self-care portals. By utilizing remote CPE configuration and customized scripts to automate the provisioning process for new customer installations, even a modest reduction of approximately 20% can yield remarkable benefits.

With that said, it allows them to deliver high-quality services at affordable prices, attracting more customers and fostering long-term business success. This strategic approach also enables local providers to differentiate themselves and gain a competitive edge over large telcos who rely heavily on call centers with long waiting times for clients. Lastly, these massive cost savings allow ISPs to allocate resources to other crucial business activities, such as marketing, for example.

Part 4: Customer feedback and online reviews

Customer feedback is essential for ISPs looking to improve their services. Since over 92% of consumers check reviews before purchasing, positive feedback plays a crucial role in marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) rankings.

One effective way to gather customer feedback is through Ticket Feedback add-on. This feature allows customers to choose their support experience (not satisfied or satisfied) and provide additional comments via the portal, enabling ISPs to assess their performance and address any concerns promptly.

☆Learn more about how to maximize support efficiency with Ticketing Module tailored for ISPs

To encourage Google reviews after resolving an issue, ISPs can use two methods based on the initial touchpoint with customers:

• Sending Google review links. If the issue was fixed remotely, ISPs can send customers a direct link to leave a Google review via WhatsApp or email. And Splynx now also has WhatsApp Business integration, which significantly expands the system’s functionality in terms of ticketing support, communication capabilities and customer service in general. ISPs can make good use of that link in order to increase the number of clients that rate their business. You can also include it in thank-you emails, chat interactions, or other forms of contact.

• QR code for field technicians. During on-site visits, technicians can present a QR code that directs customers to a review page, making it easy to share feedback.  This code can be scanned by customers using their smartphones, redirecting them to Google where they can share their experience and rate your business.

Use the information in each review to better understand your subscribers, develop an effective customer experience management strategy, and inspire customer loyalty. You can also check out an article “The proven way how ISPs can get more positive Google reviews” on our website for additional tips on obtaining customer feedback.

Conclusion

Your ISP’s success depends on how well you implement these strategies and leverage provided tools. By focusing on customer needs, improving processes, and using automation and self-service options, you can offer better service while lowering costs. Differentiate your business, attract more customers, and build a loyal subscriber base by optimizing your Wi-Fi services.

Start today! Follow complete guide to enable Splynx TR-069 (ACS) and start your 30-day free trial.