Pelican Bay Foundation

Pelican Bay had been with their service provider for more than a decade. They formed a Media Committee, but quickly realized a decision of this magnitude needed professional review and input. After interviewing possible consultants, the Media Committee hired M Consulting Group. During the review process for suitable service providers, three key areas were identified.

• Bring fiber into every home in the community; over 6,400 homes

• Upgrade to the latest internet and TV technology

• Improve customer service and reliability

Issues

Even though improvements to the infrastructure had been made over the years, a majority of the units were still not FTTH (Fiber To The Home), and relied on coaxial cabling to bring internet and TV service into the unit. This dated infrastructure made technology improvements a challenge, and were causing frequent service related issues for residents.

During the ten plus years of service, the existing provider had gone through multiple router and TV improvements leading to confusion with residents, property managers, equipment issues with technicians, and continuity problems. It was identified that some customers were still relying on N-routers from the initial service installation, and most residents had dated HD converter boxes for their televisions. Some equipment, such as DVR’s had on-site hard drives leading to service issues, and were no longer receiving firmware updates.

While upgrading the infrastructure for such a large community would cause some disruption for the residents, the Media Committee understood that becoming a 100% FTTH community was an undertaking that had to be made, and the first step to future-proofing.

Due to the size of the project and the need to choregraph the installation with over 6,400 units, the Media Committee required a full-time Project Manager, which M Consulting Group was able to accommodate.

Solution

By partnering with M Consulting Group, the Media Committee was confident that the process would be thorough, efficient, and substantiated when it came time to present the final recommendation to the Master Board.

Following an extensive RFP process, M Consulting Group was asked to present the proposals from four service providers that met the criteria. The four providers gave on-site and follow-up virtual presentations, and some offered equipment for in-home testing. Following the testing and deliberations, the decision was made to move forward with two finalists.

The two finalists were further scrutinized on their technology, future upgrades, customer service, and plan for installation. During this stage M Consulting Group was also able to negotiate further cost savings for the residents, and increased funds for the Foundation.

With the assistance of M Consulting Group, the Media Committee was able to provide the Master Board with a detailed presentation on why a move from their existing provider was necessary, and what benefits a move to a new service provider would bring to the residents of Pelican Bay.

While M Consulting Group gave no recommendation, the Media Committee was impressed with how M Consulting Group was able to obtain assurances with the provider of choice that the project would receive a white glove experience unlike no other.

Pelican Bay residents now receive:

• High speed FTTH connectivity with no infrastructure fees;

• Service Level Agreements to guarantee performance with financial penalties

• The latest technology, including voice recognition remote controls, industry leading TV platform, access to tens of thousands of hours of video on demand content, cloud based DVR, rewind TV, and the ability to watch on mobile devices in and out of the home

• White glove service for homeowners

• Funds for legal services, and community improvements