Front Porch Communications - continued

ISP Announcement gives your ISP the power to immediately notify your subscribers of any urgent and critical information (the situation alluded to in our introductory paragraph). This product offers these advantages:

• Subscribers currently online will instantaneously view your bulletins
• Add links to the message so your subscribers can click through to receive additional information
• Notify subscribers of impending system upgrades, outages, or other service-related activities
• Reduce the number of service calls to your customer care department
• Promote all of your services to your existing customers
• Notify subscribers of billing updates such as expiring credit cards

TrueTrak is a flexible online administration tool that gives the ISP complete control over how its subscribers take advantage of the products and services available through the PorchLight.

Through a password-protected web interface, the ISP can quickly and easily

• Create custom modes of service for subscribers
• Add and/or modify modes of service
• Customize ISP branding and add service messages
• Create ISP Announcements
• Monitor the PorchLight system functions
• View reports on subscriber activity

Carl Daly, VP Marketing of Front Porch Communications said, "ISPs can effectively mix and match PorchLight services according to their specific market needs. Using TrueTrak, participating ISPs can customize subscriber interaction with the InfoSplash, InfoBurst, ServerSelect, and ISP Announcement services at the individual, group, POP or realm level."

Benefits to subscribers

• Increase communication between an ISP and its customers (through ISP Announcement, InfoSplash, and InfoBurst notifications)
• ptionally offer reduced dial-up rates (subsidized by Front Porch-generated revenues)
• Serves advertising content that is relevant to your subscriber's interests and useful for their needs.

There are no initial fees for participating ISPs: no development costs, no equipment costs, and no hidden charges. Front Porch makes its money exclusively on a revenue sharing basis. As a participant in the Internet Partnership Program, your ISP will make money on every Front Porch product and service you offer. The more PorchLight services you offer, the more revenue you generate.

According to Daly, "Because we were an ISP before we started this business, we have a first-hand understanding of the dilemmas ISPs are facing today, and we know what it takes to help ISPs reach their business goals."

The fine print
Front Porch asks for a one or two year deal, but you can use it as little or as much as you choose. If the program works, then you're ahead of the game; if it doesn't, then all they ask is that you return the money you made during the program.

There are some privacy and intrusion issues that you should be aware of, since this new revenue stream does not come for free. One strategy you may wish to consider is to take a select group of your subscribers, say 1,000 or so, and implement PorchLight for them to see what kind of feedback you receive. If it's positive, roll it out further and if it's negative, you can stop it.

If you'd like more information, you can visit their website, or you can call them at 1-888.4FPORCH, or email them at: partners@fporch.com

To Your ISPs Success!

Christopher ("Sparky") Knight
Founder & Managing Editor of the ISP-Lists Discussion Community

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DISCLAIMER: Christopher Knight, nor ISP-Planet.com, nor internet.com Corporation have any ownership interest in "Front Porch Communications," nor are we paid to do ISP profiles. This ISP-Planet ISP Profile was done as a courtesy to ISPs everywhere. Send us your feedback at: feedback@isp-planet.com