Reid Jenkins: Broadband Still Has a Billing Transparency Problem
Leave bill confusion in the 2010s—communications service providers can do more to build trust with customers.
It’s been more than two years since the U.S. Federal Communications Commission launched its initiative to bring transparency to broadband pricing, and more than a year since the new rules took effect.
In that time, communications services providers (CSPs) have seen modest improvements in their customer satisfaction performance; the internet service sector’s American Customer Satisfaction Index scores have steadily risen from 68 to 72, out of 100.
However, bill confusion is far from conquered. That is a challenge for CSPs and in particular for broadband providers. New business models have increased competition in the market, yet customer retention is crucial for survival. To build the kind of trust that keeps customers for the long haul, CSPs need to do more to create transparent, crystal-clear billing experiences.
The new value equation
Your experience is as much a part of your brand as the service you provide.
Nearly all broadband providers offer similar packages and speeds, narrowing the competitive edge any single provider can attain from network enhancements alone. When customers consider the best value, it often comes down to their experience with the brand. That should serve as a key focal point for CSPs to make every point in the customer lifecycle clear, efficient and personalized.
The fact is, customers are overwhelmed - bombarded with irrelevant, redundant communications. In this landscape, bills are one of the key touchpoints that customers regard as guaranteed to contain valuable, relevant information. They are also an especially sensitive touchpoint as customers become more cost-conscious, meaning that a confusing experience can negatively impact a customer’s trust and cause churn.
While other branded messages may fade into the background, bills still get time and attention—which means simplified, clear billing is not just a nice-to-have; it’s how successful CSPs will stand out and win in a competitive, value-driven market.
Build trust through simplicity
Bill confusion is a rampant – and expensive – issue. Nearly half of contact center calls are driven by simple billing questions, driving up contact center costs and straining agent resources.
The easiest way for CSPs to build customer trust with this routine interaction is to deliver simple, personalized communications. To cut through the noise and build trust, CSPs need to show customers that they understand their needs. In fact, personalized messaging was the single biggest driver of customer loyalty in 2024.
It’s time to take action. To eliminate bill confusion and create a value-driven billing experience, CSPs should:
Tap into the power of AI: A common trigger for bill confusion is a promotional rate ending, leading to a higher bill. Instead of waiting for a frustrated call, CSPs should use AI to proactively, conversationally explain a bill change. With the right deployment, agentic AI can engage with customers in their preferred channel, answer questions immediately and update backend systems in real time. The result is fewer support calls, faster payments and a more transparent, trust-building customer experience. In fact, one of the biggest CSPs in North America recently achieved $2.5M in estimated operational savings by implementing automated, personalized bill explanations.
Clean up operations: Upstream operational clarity supports transparency in the customer experience. A simplified, automated order-to-cash cycle supports greater efficiency and accuracy with order fulfillment, billing and issue resolution. This creates a clearer, more contextual bill, a more effortless customer service experience and a faster time to payment for the CSP. In an ultra-competitive market, faster time to cash is a powerful advantage.
Wrangle the data: By normalizing and eliminating siloes in customer data across lines of business, CSPs can better understand the customer and create more compelling billing experiences that encourage on-time payment and long-term loyalty. By harnessing their data and creating a centralized source of truth, CSPs can create clearer, more personalized, more intelligent experiences that keep customers coming back and open the door to effective upsell opportunities.
Simplified, clear billing is not just a nice to have – it’s how successful CSPs will stand out and win in a competitive, value-driven market. By optimizing the billing experience, CSPs can build deeper, more value-driven relationships with customers that bolster revenue margins. The good news is that CSPs have everything they need to get it right. It’s time to take action.
Reid Jenkins is Vice President, Strategic Business at CSG, responsible for the company's Communications, Media and Technology business unit. In his 10+ years at CSG, Reid has been pivotal in establishing consistency in how the company meets and exceeds customer goals and objectives. He has built critical longstanding customer relationships and led ambitious teams with a growth mindset that continues to move the needle for CSG and its customers. This Expert Opinion is exclusive to Broadband Breakfast.
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