Ratio Efficiency Adjustment for Profit (REAP)

Ratio Efficiency Adjustment for Profit or REAP is an incentive program to promote efficient subscriber management based on the actual time spent online by subscribers. REAP discounts save you money on your cost per account, and more efficient ratio management results in greater savings of up to 50%! When managed correctly, you could pay $5.00 or less per fully loaded Internet account.

• Network A average usage < 30 hours = 10% discount on Net-A accounts.
• Network A average usage < 20 hours = 25% discount on Net-A accounts.
• Network A average usage < 10 hours = 50% discount on Net-A accounts.

The number of hours represented are the average of all of your Network A users, and the discount applies to all Network A accounts.

Managing for a REAP Discount

The idea behind REAP management is to monitor your subscribers usage over a period of time (at least 3 months) to determine who your high-usage subscribers are. Some of them may have a month where their usage spikes, and then they only get online for a very limited amount of time the next several months. Once you’ve determined an average of who your high-usage subscribers are, you’ll then want to move them over to alternate networks leaving your low-usage subscribers on network A. If you were to simply move a large number of subscribers off of network A, hoping to receive a discount, you would not accomplish your goal. You will receive only a discount for the low-usage subscribers left on network A. There are several tools and reports in place to help you monitor and determine who your high-usage subscribers are based on their usage patterns over a period of time. You can learn about usage reports here. On the Support Site, you’ll find a Net-A Usage Report under Services --> Dialup Numbers displaying usage patterns for the subscribers as well. Here is a general outline explaining the REAP management process:

1. First go to the Support Site (http://support.visp.net) and click on Services --> Dialup Numbers --> Net-A Usage. Use the report to determine which accounts need to be moved off Net A because of high usage. For best results, monitor this report for a period of time (we suggest at least 3 months) to determine who your high usage subscribers are by their average monthly usage.
2. Select the high usage accounts that you will be moving from Net A to another network.
3. Using the Dialup Location Search Tool on the support site, determine which networks are available in the customer's area, and decide which network you will be moving the account to based on the customer's usage and the hours/month limit of the network (you do not want to put an account using over 200 hours a month on a network with a 150 hour limit). In a lot of cases, Network G is one of the better alternate networks to switch high-usage accounts over to, if available.
4. Determine which dialup access number the customer will be using on the new network (you may want to let the customer know that they are responsible to ensure that the call is local). Note the realm that is listed along with the number -- the customer will need to change the "tail" of their username to the realm that coincides with the number they use to connect with. See this article on Dialup Networks.
5. Contact the customer. Here is a sample email:

   Dear Subscriber, I'm writing today because we need your help. A recent audit has shown that your account is online a significant amount more than our average online user. In order to keep our rates down, I was hoping you could let us know which of the following options would best serve you:

   • Switch to one of our alternate dialup numbers on another network better suited for high usage. Please call us at [888-***-****] and we can help you set up this new number on your computer. Just call while sitting at your computer and we'll walk you through it right over the phone in a matter of minutes.
   • Upgrade to a High-speed DSL account. We offer high-speed service for just [$**.**] a month, and we could have it hooked up in several days of placing your order. CenturyLink (Qwest) Choice DSL allows you to surf the net and talk on the phone at the same time! ...requires $54.95 modem purchase or $4/month rental, plus shipping and handling fee of $9.99.
   • Reduce your usage. The national average online usage period for a dial-up subscriber is about 35 hours a month, or about an hour a day, which makes the low rates you pay possible. Most of our customers are within this average. Your monthly usage last month was [***] hours. Upon learning this, many users have told us, "Oh, I didn't think it mattered. It is no problem for me to just log-off when I'm done." If this is you, please help us maintain our low prices by logging off when you're not personally, actively using the Internet.

   Thank you, ISP Internet Service Manager

6. Once you have contact with the customer, you will need to walk them through changing their dialup number and username (end of username will need to be changed to the realm that matches the network you switch to). This network switch and the changes to the customer's dialup network settings (DUN) will need to be synchronized, once you change the account over to another network their previous dialup number will no longer allow them to connect. Instructions on how to change the dialup number, and username with realm (will need to be changed for some networks) can be found here: http://www.netfaqs.com/faqs/connect.asp.
7. You will then need to change the network that the customer is subscribed to under their Packages tab in the UBO Billing and Management Software™. If using our technical support services, you will want to switch their network first and then ask them to contact technical support for help on how to change their settings to gain access with the new number. Otherwise, the call center will need to refer them back to you to get their network switched after they’ve changed their access number.