I live in Forestville, CA with limited internet options. In 2017 I signed up with Sonic and they offered Fusion DSL (30MBS) over old AT&T copper lines. I initially paid about $39 a month and it felt like a good deal.
Every customer interaction and technical support interaction I had with Sonic over the last six years has been excellent and I feel like Sonic is a terrific local company. I want to support them.
However, over the last six years my bill has crept up from $39 a month to $103 for the exact same service speed I got in 2017. And now, I see many of my neighbors going with Xfinity cable internet and getting a better deal: 200 MBS for $25 a month on a 2-year contract. Think about it: I can pay Sonic $2,472 for the next 2 years of service or I can pay Xfinity $600 for the next 2 years with a faster cable connection.
Of course, I hear the nightmare stories about Xfinity prices being $19 a month for an "introductory offer period" and then jumping to over $200 a month. I really don't like the idea of switching to Xfinity at all. I tried to chat with Xfinity and I was routed to a call center in India. That's not appealing.
It seems like there could be a business opportunity for Sonic both in retaining cash flow and keeping the goodwill of loyal customers by offering some kind of loyalty program. Marketing tests show that loyalty programs can have a positive impact on a business by increasing customer retention, better customer engagement, supporting revenue growth, attracting new customers, as well as brand advocacy and loyalty.
Sonic could offer loyalty incentives to any customer that has been with them for more than 5 years. That is a small pool of loyal customers. They are valuable. In any case, I will probably stick with Sonic, even though it does not feel like such a great value anymore -- and because the option of switching to Xfinity seems like a deal with the devil.
Every customer interaction and technical support interaction I had with Sonic over the last six years has been excellent and I feel like Sonic is a terrific local company. I want to support them.
However, over the last six years my bill has crept up from $39 a month to $103 for the exact same service speed I got in 2017. And now, I see many of my neighbors going with Xfinity cable internet and getting a better deal: 200 MBS for $25 a month on a 2-year contract. Think about it: I can pay Sonic $2,472 for the next 2 years of service or I can pay Xfinity $600 for the next 2 years with a faster cable connection.
Of course, I hear the nightmare stories about Xfinity prices being $19 a month for an "introductory offer period" and then jumping to over $200 a month. I really don't like the idea of switching to Xfinity at all. I tried to chat with Xfinity and I was routed to a call center in India. That's not appealing.
It seems like there could be a business opportunity for Sonic both in retaining cash flow and keeping the goodwill of loyal customers by offering some kind of loyalty program. Marketing tests show that loyalty programs can have a positive impact on a business by increasing customer retention, better customer engagement, supporting revenue growth, attracting new customers, as well as brand advocacy and loyalty.
Sonic could offer loyalty incentives to any customer that has been with them for more than 5 years. That is a small pool of loyal customers. They are valuable. In any case, I will probably stick with Sonic, even though it does not feel like such a great value anymore -- and because the option of switching to Xfinity seems like a deal with the devil.