Broadband companies in our city have horrible communications skills.
And that, my friends, is bad PR.
Let me give you a firsthand account of how not to communicate with your customers — or with potential customers.
Flag It and Forget It
About four months ago, BrightSpeed — our broadband provider — had all the utility lines in our neighborhood marked with little colored flags on wires.
OK, I thought, something’s happening. But nothing more was communicated. No email. No door hanger. No postcard. No text. No knock on the door. No carrier pigeon. Just flags.
Then one day, their contractors descended. They dug up yards up and down the street like a herd of caffeinated gophers.
To their credit, they did have a community liaison — a nice guy who would explain what was going on… if you happened to run into him. That’s a big “if.”
The Fiber Fantasy
BrightSpeed was installing a new fiber system, promising up to 1 GB of blazing-fast, stable internet. We switched over immediately.
The installer confidently told us this would fix our upstairs Wi-Fi woes and give us signal strength so strong, we’d be streaming from down the street. I imagined better Zoom calls, faster uploads, and maybe even a buffer-free binge of my favorite music videos.
We were excited. This is mission-critical for a home-based business like mine.
But guess what?
It was all a big lie. At least at first.
We ended up with even worse connectivity in our upstairs bedroom. And my iMac — positioned in my downstairs office literally inches from the modem — only showed two of three bars. I even tried connecting directly with the ethernet cable, to no avail.
Sending Out an S.O.S…
We reached out to BrightSpeed’s customer service. It was outsourced to a call center in the Philippines, where every call felt like starting from square one.
They didn’t seem to understand the problem. After several calls, they eventually said they’d send a booster.
Now, let’s pause and ask: If this amazing new fiber system is so great, why would it need a booster?
We waited. And waited. And waited some more.
One week turned into two. Still no booster. We called again. “It’s coming,” they said. “Back-ordered,” they later admitted.
Then we received a notification the new modem was on its way. What? We already had a modem. They were supposed to send a BOOSTER.
I called again. The modem notification was a mistake. They canceled that order.
It was about two months later when a booster showed up. And then another one showed up a few days after that.
They each came with instructions on how to mount it to the wall. That was it. No installation directions. No setup guide. Nothing.
I was afraid to call customer service again and ask. It might cause another modem to be sent. Besides, calling them repeatedly is taking valuable time away from my clients.
Fiber Round 2: BrightRidge Joins the Chaos
A few weeks after things settled, we saw the return of the little flags — plus spray paint on our sidewalks.
I offered the guy marking our sidewalks sidewalk chalk if he wanted more colors.
This time, the culprit was BrightRidge, the local utility company, using a local contractor to prepare to lay their own fiber system. I didn’t notice any “BrightRidge contractor” signage on their trucks, but I may have missed it.
Did they coordinate with BrightSpeed to share trenches? Nope. They just started digging up our yards all over again.
Now, we have a second unsightly access box — one on each side of our driveway. The BrightRidge box is about three times bigger than BrightSpeed’s. And to top it off, they’re both installed slightly skiwampus, not parallel to the sidewalk. Details, details.
Once again, there was zero communication from BrightRidge. No notice. No heads-up. Not even a flyer left on the door.
I even checked their website and press room. Crickets.
PR Fail on Full Display
As a PR professional, I’m baffled.
Do they not have a communications team? Do they not consider residents key stakeholders? Do they not see this as a prime opportunity to market their services?
Any kind of notice — even a simple postcard — would have helped. It might have even converted new customers.
Instead, the silence spoke volumes.
Plus, I certainly would’ve rescued the birthday tulip I planted for Leticia’s spring birthday. Granted, when she chose the spot, we knew they were in the right of way. But I would’ve moved it. Sadly, it fell victim to the excavation efforts.
Bottomline: BrightSpeed and BrightRidge are simply not so bright when it comes to communications.
How It Should’ve Gone
If either company had reached out beforehand — something as basic as:
“Heads up! We’ll be doing underground fiber work in your area next week. Here’s what to expect, and here’s how it’ll benefit you.”
Boom. That’s it. That’s all it would’ve taken.
Add a link to more info and maybe include a call to action like:
“Want faster, more reliable internet? Here’s how to upgrade.”
Now that’s how you turn a disruptive construction project into a win-win.
UPDATE: My Convo with BrightRidge’s PR Dept.
Before posting this message, I thought I should call their PR dept. The gentleman was very courteous and took time to listen to my feedback. He said it’s extremely difficult for them, being a local and publicly owned company, to work with a privately owned entity like BrightSpeed. They tried but have not had success.
He also said a flyer they’ve prepared should have been distributed letting residents know of the construction.
When asked why nothing was posted on their website, he said their fiber installation started eight years ago and they never know what neighborhood they’ll be in. This was not a satisfactory response. They serve a very specific area in East Tennessee, and all they would need to say is: “We’re in the process of installing fiber in the Johnson City area. If we’ve not already been to your neighborhood, we may be soon.”
He also pointed out their customer support is local-based.
We’re going to switch our broadband service to BrightRidge.
The 3 Big Takeaways
- Communicate before you dig — Unless you’re a gopher or a mole, people want to know why you’re suddenly digging in their yards.
- Use big infrastructure moments as a marketing opportunity — Don’t just lay the fiber, connect with the community.
- Update your press page — If you’re not communicating on your own site, where are you communicating?
Have you experienced something like this before? Do share!
Stay authentic… and communicative to all your stakeholders!
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR (seen here in a vintage photo circa 1983 serendipitously doing a Clash impersonation in a since-forgotten location) is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s AuthenticityPR’s Chief Authentic Officer and also functions as the fractional CCO for technology startup Converus.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University. He’s a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also holds an Italian citizenship. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies italiano, practices guitar, write songs, gardens, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves in his church, watches BYU football, and plays Dominion and Seven Wonders. Email Jeff.
