In the competitive broadband market, every service call and truck roll impacts your bottom line. For Big Bend Telephone (BBT)—a family-owned, community-focused broadband provider in West Texas—improving operational efficiency while maintaining exceptional customer experience is a top priority.

Through a partnership with ISPN and Innovative Systems, BBT achieved measurable ROI:

• 40% reduction in trouble tickets per broadband connection
• 25% reduction in truck rolls per trouble ticket

These results demonstrate how the right partner can turn customer experience into a competitive advantage.

The Challenge

BBT serves some of the most expansive and community-focused territories in the U.S., covering nearly 18,000 square miles and a quarter of the U.S.–Mexico border. Their mission goes beyond connectivity—it’s about empowering local communities through access to healthcare, education, and opportunity.

But even strong local providers face universal challenges:

• Limited labor pool and high training costs
• Growing subscriber expectations
• Pressure to shift CSRs (Customer Service Representatives) toward sales and revenue-generating activities

“We recognized the need to meet the demand of customer expectations… Competition is a huge factor. The customer experience is priority while maintaining cost-effective solutions.”

The Solution

When BBT set out to strengthen its customer experience model, Innovative Systems introduced them to ISPN—a U.S.-based partner specializing in broadband-focused Technical Support & Customer Service. With 24/7 U.S.-based support, real-time visibility, and industry-leading First Call Resolution (FCR), By partnering with ISPN, BBT boosted first-call resolution and reduced average handle time, driving higher customer satisfaction and measurable improvements in loyalty.

While BBT partnered with ISPN for Support Services, ISPN’s broader ecosystem provides providers like BBT with an end-to-end growth engine:

• Marketing Services (Acquire + Retain): Broadband-specific campaigns, branded content, and local stock video/photography to win new subscribers and reduce churn.
• NOC & Monitoring (Detect + Resolve): 24/7 U.S.-based NOC with proprietary NMS software to detect and resolve issues before subscribers notice—protecting trust and revenue.
• Managed Server Solutions (Enable + Scale): Hosted infrastructure—including Hosted Email, DNS, DHCP, and RADIUS—that keeps subscribers connected and providers confident to scale without disruption.

Together, these offerings form ISPN’s Subscriber Loyalty Flywheel, helping broadband providers like BBT strengthen reputation, drive growth, and achieve peace of mind through a single, unified partner.

BBT chose ISPN because of:

• Flexibility to integrate directly with eLation for seamless billing and support
• Willingness to pilot a new Customer Service program customized to BBT’s needs
• A collaborative approach that made ISPN feel like part of the team

“The transition felt seamless between BBT and ISPN—very cohesive. ISPN agents are an extension of BBT staff and are transparent to our customers.”

The Results

With ISPN managing customer support and network monitoring, BBT experienced dramatic improvements:

• 40% reduction in trouble tickets per broadband connection
• 25% reduction in truck rolls per trouble ticket
• Decreased overtime and lower operational costs
• Improved First Call Resolution and faster response times

“ISPN freed our team to focus on customer experience, sales, and retention—while reducing labor costs.”

The data tells the story: with fewer tickets and faster resolution, technicians could focus on solving real network issues instead of managing call volume. This directly improved customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

The Partnership Experience

The collaboration between BBT and ISPN has gone beyond metrics—it’s built on mutual trust, open communication, and shared goals.

“The ISPN team’s willingness to collaborate and work as a team for the sake of the customer… They make a difference not only for our customers but for our staff.”

With ISPN as an extension of their team, BBT has been able to grow, optimize operations, and provide the kind of customer experience that drives loyalty in community-focused markets.

The Future

BBT continues to expand its partnership with ISPN, exploring new ways to increase efficiency and coverage, such as extended office hours and broader service request handling.

“We feel heard and that our questions and observations matter. Actions are taken on feedback given.”

The Takeaway

“It’s a long-term partnership that will improve the way you run your operations. Saves the time, money, and headache of having to hire and train additional resources… Allows resources to be proactive, instead of reactive.”

Through its partnership with ISPN, BBT achieved measurable ROI, operational relief, and stronger customer relationships—proving that the right partner doesn’t just solve problems but helps deliver on your brand promise.

Ready to turn customer experience into your competitive advantage?
Discover how ISPN can cut your costs while boosting subscriber satisfaction — let’s start the conversation.