In our recent webinar, we shared the “Top 10 Opportunities We Found Through Broadband Website Journey Audits and Mystery Shopping Exercises.” After conducting these audits for providers across multiple markets, one thing became clear: while every company is different, the challenges are remarkably similar.
For this blog, we’ve condensed those findings into five overarching themes that consistently create friction for potential customers. And before we dive in, it’s important to remember why this matters.
Today’s customers aren’t just comparing your experience to another provider down the road. They’re comparing it to Starlink. They’re comparing it to Netflix. They’re comparing it to Amazon and Uber. Every digital experience they have shaped their expectations of how easy it should be to do business with you.
The good news? Most opportunities aren’t about major website overhauls. They’re about making the customer journey easier.
- Customers Can’t Quickly Get the Answers They Need
When a prospective customer lands on your website, they typically have a few immediate questions:
- Can I get service at my address?
- How much does it cost?
- Which plan is right for me?
- What happens next?
Too often, these answers are buried in navigation menus, spread across multiple pages, or require several clicks to uncover.
The providers with the strongest customer journeys make these answers obvious and easy to find.
- Too Much Industry Language, Not Enough Customer Language
Broadband companies live and breathe terms like Hosted PBX, Managed Wi-Fi, VoIP, XGS-PON, and branded service names.
Customers don’t.
Most consumers want simple answers:
- What does this do?
- Why do I need it?
- How will it make my life better?
The most effective websites focus on benefits rather than features and explain technology in plain language anyone can understand.
- Local Advantages Are Often Undersold
One of the most consistent findings from our audits was that providers possess incredible local advantages, but don’t always communicate or show them effectively.
Things like:
- Local customer support
- Community involvement
- Familiar faces
- Fast response times
- Local ownership
These differentiators matter. In many communities, it’s impossible for larger national competitors to replicate. Show these through pictures and other graphics across your website and other marketing channels.
Customers want to buy local. Make sure they understand why they should.
- The Sign-Up Process Creates Unnecessary Friction
This showed up repeatedly in our mystery shopping exercises.
Customers encounter:
- Repetitive forms
- Unclear requirements
- Unexpected fees
- Requests for information without explanation
- Uncertainty around what happens after they submit an order
Every additional step or unanswered question increases the likelihood that a customer abandons the process.
The easiest experiences create confidence. Complicated experiences create hesitation.
- Websites Are Built Around the Company Instead of the Customer
Perhaps the biggest theme we observed is that many websites are organized around internal products, departments, and terminology rather than customer needs.
Customers aren’t thinking about your organizational structure.
They’re simply trying to accomplish a task.
The providers delivering the best experiences are the ones that design their websites around customer questions, customer goals, and customer expectations.
The Biggest Takeaway
Across all the website audits and mystery shops we’ve conducted, one lesson stands above the rest:
The providers seeing the most success aren’t necessarily the ones with the flashiest websites. They’re the ones making it easiest to do business with them.
Your customers are no longer judging their experience solely against another broadband provider. They’re measuring it against the simplest digital experiences they encounter every day.
In today’s market, reducing customer friction may be one of the most powerful competitive advantages a broadband provider can create.
