Interview with Andrew Cohill, CEO and president of WideOpen Networks
Service Zones and Business Engine give network operators a complete “back office” marketing, customer management and billing platform.
Can you give us a quick overview of your organization and describe your role?
WideOpen Networks designs, builds, and manages modern fiber and fixed point wireless networks. I am the President and CEO. WideOpen specializes in helping local and regional governments get their residents and businesses the high performance, affordable broadband networks that enhance quality of life, support economic growth, and improve work from home and study from home.
Who is your target customer?
WideOpen specializes in helping local and regional governments get their residents and businesses the high performance, affordable broadband networks that enhance quality of life, support economic growth, and improve work from home and study from home. We also often assist private sector developers with network design and network construction.
What are your goals for the next three months?
We are currently conducting a spring marketing campaign to add additional customers on our Blacksburg, Virginia network.
Please describe a few of the reasons you decided to buy Service Zones and Business Engine.
Service Zones provides us with critical geo-coded data about where there is the highest demand for fiber to the home service. We use this data to determine where to build next in our fiber to the home communities. The built-in Service Zones survey also provides us with other important data, like building type and customer prospect contact information.
Service Zones has a seamless customer management process that tracks interested households and businesses, allows them to sign up for service online, collects a deposit, handles all the credit card processing, and moves them seamlessly into the Business Engine customer management system once their fiber connection has been installed and is activated.
Business Engine provides a comprehensive customer management system and billing platform. The Business Engine Dashboard offers a real time overview of customers in process, connected customers, service provider services, and technical data.
How long have you been using our products?
We have been using Service Zones and Business Engine for four years.
Are you likely to recommend our products to someone in a similar position as you?
Service Zones and Business Engine are unique because they are designed from the ground up to support open access networks with multiple service providers.
How would you describe our product if you were explaining it to them?
Service Zones and Business Engine give network operators a complete “back office” marketing, customer management and billing platform.
Could we be doing anything else to keep you happy?
No.
Why do you do business with us?
COS technical and sales staff are very responsive and helpful. It makes a big difference to know that if we need help we are going to get it quickly and professionally.
