Introducing enhanced Plume Haystack

Introducing the enhanced Plume Haystack

User looking at the Plume Haystack™ interface on their computer monitor.

Transform how you manage your subscriber network

As communications service providers (CSPs) struggle to meet increased customer expectations, the enhanced Plume Haystack provides the tools CSPs need to gain visibility into and control over their data, deliver proactive support, and substantially improve subscriber experiences. CSPs have to transform their systems to keep up with rapidly evolving customer expectations. The change begins with gaining full visibility into subscriber data. Only then can CSPs understand customer needs and deliver value in an increasingly competitive field. As research from McKinsey and BARC shows, data-driven organizations are 9X more likely to retain customers and 1.5X more likely to grow revenue by more than 10%. The problem is that current systems are inadequate. CSPs need a suite of tools that allows them to see and manage their subscriber experiences in completely new ways.

That’s why Plume is proud to share some significant updates to Haystack: a CSP software solution for operational efficiency and superior subscriber experience management.

The struggle for visibility is real

CSPs are in a tougher position than ever before. While they have visibility across their access network, individual subscribers' WiFi networks have been like a black box. These networks are only becoming more complex as customers add IoT devices, smart TVs, and other connected appliances to their homes, making the need for visibility even more important. Meanwhile subscribers expect their WiFi to be flawless and reliable. Any service interruptions can lead to mounting complaints, an increase in support call volumes, and unhappy customers. And without proper visibility, CSPs have to send technicians out for every issue ticket raised—an extremely expensive and time-consuming undertaking. It may seem like a solution to these challenges is far off, even unattainable. But the good news is that it's available now.

Person looking at Network Status and Performance on their tablet.

Haystack transforms the way you manage subscriber experiences

Haystack is Plume’s CSP software solution for operational efficiency and superior subscriber experience management. It provides end-to-end visibility of your entire network so you can identify issues in real time, resolve issues quickly and proactively, and improve customer satisfaction. CSPs are already reaping the benefits of Haystack, but we’re rolling out the most robust version of this software yet, including two new capabilities:

The next generation of Signal

Proactively resolve customer issues

We’ve updated our Signal application to help CSPs identify and resolve issues faster than ever before. Signal aggregates data across your entire network, providing a bird’s-eye view of who’s experiencing issues so you can take immediate action. Signal’s functionality is divided into two components: Say, for example, a CSP wants to proactively notify subscribers when there is an outage. Signal uses a machine learning algorithm to correlate and identify users who go offline in a similar timeframe and location. The support manager can then use Signal to automatically send push notifications to those customers as soon as an outage is detected.

Get more out of your data with QuerySight

Health summary—View health scores and issue counts across your network. Monitor summary—Track issues, access summary graphs, and deliver automatic outreach to support staff or subscribers.

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QuerySight is a new application that lets you access your data, your way.

This query engine makes it easier to collect, analyze, and visualize the insights you need to streamline operations and stay ahead of the competition. Using Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), pull data into your data warehouse with your preferred business intelligence tool. In this way, CSPs can tap into a wealth of information, including location, license data, and access points (APs) for various devices or sessions. You can also build customizable and downloadable dashboards for easy data sharing and visualization. With this data at your fingertips, you can uncover valuable insights that help you understand your network and your customers at a granular level.

Look forward to happier customers and reduced churn

With Haystack, you can enjoy the power of big tech for a fraction of the cost and effort.

Haystack offers CSPs key benefits such as:

Increased customer satisfaction and reduced churn Lowered operational costs, such as a reduction in truck rolls More intelligent business decision-making

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Broadband service provider Armstrong, for example, used Haystack to improve its in-home coverage and enable remote technical support.

Person sitting at a desk using a keyboard.

Shed new light on your subscriber network

Here’s a closer look at the four applications included in Haystack, and how they can help CSPs deliver superior subscriber experiences:

Full visibility for problem solving

Frontline

Signal

Panorama

QuerySight

Frontline gives full visibility into an individual subscriber’s location. It provides topology, connected devices, security events, and quality of experience for each device and access point. With this comprehensive view, CSP support can quickly pinpoint and resolve issues.

Real-time WiFi health alerts

Signal enables CSPs to determine which locations are experiencing issues and send custom push notifications to those subscribers. With this capability, CSPs can proactively and remotely help customers resolve problems.

Comprehensive network dashboards

Panorama provides CSPs with a network and operations dashboard containing a high-level, aggregated view of their Plume services. CSPs see everything: from threats blocked by Guard to successful optimizations in Adapt to which devices and device categories are most popular across the subscriber base.

“Before our partnership with Plume, we had very limited insight into factors affecting the WiFi signals inside the home. We now have a much clearer view of customer issues through a range of diagnostics reports provided by Plume’s Haystack. This suite of customer service applications significantly enhances our ability to troubleshoot and remedy subscribers’ issues far more efficiently than we could before—this has led to increased customer satisfaction scores, which have risen from 6.3 out of 10 for standard Wi-Fi customers, to 9 out of 10 for JT Total Wi-Fi powered by Plume customers.”

Tom Noel

Chief Product Officer, JT, U.K.

“Customer experience is the focus of what we do, both in the services that we provide and in our support infrastructure. Armstrong deployed Haystack along with Plume’s cloud-driven services in August 2019 and not only have Wi-Fi-related service calls been reduced by 30%, but we can handle customer concerns and issues that do arise far more efficiently than before. This has led to a 34% increase in our NPS and a reduction in subscriber churn of 19%. Providing a better customer experience has also reduced the number of expensive truck rolls.”

Aaron W. Call

VP of Products & Programming, Armstrong

CSPs can see clearly now

As customer expectations rise and smart homes fill with connected devices, CSPs can access the tools they need to gain full visibility into their networks and deliver superior customer experiences with Haystack.

Download our whitepaper to learn more about how Plume Haystack can help CSPs transform their subscriber experiences.

And register for our webinar on Mar 1, 2023.

Download whitepaper

Full visibility for problem solving

Real-time WiFi health alerts

Comprehensive network dashboards

Full visibility for problem solving

Signal

Real-time WiFi health alerts

Panorama

Comprehensive network dashboards

QuerySight

Download whitepaper