Why CX Now Determines Fiber Economics

By Rick Fernandez, Executive Director, Fiber Solutions, CSG

Operational discipline is becoming the strongest competitive advantage in the fiber market.

Today, fiber providers are competing in crowded markets where switching is easy, fixed wireless access is expanding and cable operators are upgrading their networks at pace. In this environment, the winners are no longer the fastest builders but the providers who put customer experience (CX) at the center of the order-to-install-to-cash lifecycle.

Rick Fernandez

Subscribers have also evolved. They won’t tolerate long installation periods, unclear communication or confusing bills. Their patience for friction is limited. They quickly lose interest if the customer experience is poor and their likelihood of switching providers is high. Accenture research shows 42% of customers abandon service after just two poor interactions, and broader CX studies now confirm that installation, communication and billing clarity matter more than network speed. While network quality still matters, it is no longer the differentiator.

Where Revenue Leaks First: Order-to-Install

For most fiber providers, the install process is where the business unintentionally loses the most revenue, time and customer goodwill. The causes are consistent across providers: inaccurate availability checks, unrealistic installation windows, manual scheduling, unclear updates and weak handoffs between sales, dispatch and field. Each one adds friction and rework. An extended period between scheduling and installation delays cash flow and increases the likelihood of cancellations due to competitor win-backs and buyer’s remorse, especially in markets with multiple competitive offers.

The fiber providers gaining ground are fixing the fundamentals that cause friction and poor customer experience. They are implementing targeted changes to create meaningful operational and financial improvements, including:

• Automated scheduling and optimized routing leverage AI and machine learning (ML) to maximize daily install capacity
• Accurate availability tied to network data reduces failed appointments
• Clear, proactive updates cut inbound call volume
• Exception-based dispatch lets teams focus on real issues, not routine tasks

These improvements don’t require new teams and install throughput can be increased without adding headcount, simply by tightening routing logic and job duration through ML models for improved estimates and increased efficiency. In a fiber market where time-to-revenue matters, these gains are essential.

Field Service: What Subscribers Remember Most

Field service remains one of the biggest cost centers in a fiber operation and one of the most critical CX moments. It may be the only time a subscriber interacts with a real person who represents the brand. When technicians arrive late, unprepared or without the right information, the subscriber assigns that disappointing experience to the entire company.

The financial impact is immediate, with repeat truck rolls impacting Opex and delayed installs slowing revenue. Deloitte data shows that first-time job completion is the strongest driver of loyalty, reinforcing that the quality of field service directly shapes retention.

High-performing providers take a straightforward approach, where:

• Standardized workflows reduce errors
• Technicians equipped with accurate job and customer details improve completion rates
• Routing and job timing based on real data and AI create realistic schedules and limit overruns

Using ML models to route tasks increases the number of jobs completed per day. AI-driven job duration estimates reduce overbooking and eliminate preventable delays. A shift toward exception-based dispatch lifts field performance without expanding the workforce. These gains apply whether a provider has five technicians or 5,000. Executing well in the field is not just about efficiency but about trust and predictability, two factors that influence whether a subscriber stays long enough to become profitable.

Billing and Communication: The Fastest Way to Lose Trust

A strong install experience can be undone in an instant by a confusing first bill. Billing is often the most frequent communication between a provider and a subscriber, yet it remains one of the biggest drivers of dissatisfaction. Forrester reports that one in three customers call support because they don’t understand their bill, and many will churn before their second one.

The good news is that this area is one of the easiest to fix. Improvements to billing and communication deliver fast, measurable results, including:

• Accurate service quotes ensure customers are not surprised with their first, second and third bills
• Plain-language bills reduce disputes and support load
• Proactive updates about changes in promotions, charges or disruptions build trust
• Consistent omni-channel communication prevents confusion and duplication
• Multiple payment options improve collection rates and lower delinquency

Fiber providers are increasingly using analytics to identify customers who are likely to experience bill shock before it occurs. That single shift alone can reduce churn, improve payment behavior and cut inbound call volume. When billing and communication are predictable and easy to understand, subscribers feel in control. When they feel in control and trust the provider and the brand, they stay longer.

How the Growth Model Is Changing

The fiber market is entering a phase where customer experience and retention matter as much as expansion. Cable operators are modernizing and fixed wireless access availability is advancing rapidly. The entire industry is shifting from network-led to experience-led growth; successful fiber providers need to adapt to this change while delivering experiences that delight their customers.

The providers gaining momentum today share a clear set of behaviors:

• They measure CX across the entire lifecycle, not just at a few points
• They use automation to remove operational waste, not to create complexity
• They treat communication as a discipline, ensuring messages are simple, predictable and timely

This shift matters because CX is no longer a perception score; it is an operational health indicator. Subscribers judge a provider based on whether the process works, not on how fast the network is advertised to be.

Where Executives Should Focus in 2026

The fastest wins come from targeted improvements that create immediate impact:

1. Fix order-to-install

Tighten scheduling, optimize routing, clean up handoffs and match availability to real network readiness and get the installation right the first time.

2. Boost field service throughput

Optimized routing through continual learning, job estimation and exception handling to increase daily job counts without adding staff.

3. Simplify billing and communication

Accurate order estimation and cleaner bills reduce call volume and strengthen trust, each of which are big drivers of retention. These are not complex programs. They are focused on operational changes that deliver measurable ROI.

Execution Is the Differentiator

CX determines how quickly revenue starts, how often a truck rolls, how many calls care handles and how predictable retention becomes. It now also defines how efficiently capital turns into long-term value.

In 2026 and beyond, the operators who place CX firmly at the core of everything they do will lead the market.

Rick Fernandez is Executive Director, Fiber Solutions at CSG, responsible for the company’s fiber solutions and go-to-market strategy. In his 20 years at CSG, Rick has built high-performing, cross-functional teams that solve complex process, system and application issues and played a key role in advancing the company’s competitiveness. His canny ability to build relationships and his technically savvy approach have made him a trusted partner to drive innovative growth for CSG and its customers.

Before joining CSG, Rick held leadership roles at U.S. telecommunication software companies, including Comverse, Kenan Systems and Lucent Technologies. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and computer information systems from the University of Colorado Boulder, Leeds School of Business.

Citations:

Accenture (2024)

Accenture. (2024). Global Consumer Pulse Survey: The Closing Customer Experience Gap.
Available at: https://www.accenture.com

Deloitte (2024)

Deloitte. (2024). Telecommunications Benchmarking Report.
Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com

Forrester (2024)

Forrester Research. (2024). Customer Experience Index (CX Index) Benchmark Data.
Available at: https://www.forrester.com

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (2024)

Federal Communications Commission. (2024). Consumer Complaint Data – Internet and Broadband.
Available at: https://www.fcc.gov