Buffering

This week on Buffering, Zack and Gabe explore how AI is changing the way websites are built, maintained, and personalized. From moving beyond rigid templates and drag and drop editors to creating custom websites in minutes, the conversation looks at why businesses may no longer need to settle for a website that looks like everyone else's. They also dig into AI assisted development, structured content, email templates, the case against embedding PDFs, and why your website should be more than a place to post pricing updates.Join Zack and Gabe as they discuss how AI is lowering the barrier to custom web development, helping smaller providers compete with larger companies, and turning the website into a continuously evolving digital storefront and salesperson. Plus, they revisit the future of platforms like Wix and Squarespace, the value of personalization, and whether websites will soon need to account for the strange new world of foldable phone screens.

This week on Buffering, we are counting down ten broadband marketing taglines that might be ready for retirement. From “blazing fast” and “future proof” to “powers every device in your home,” we break down why generic claims fall flat and how we can replace them with experiences customers can actually see, understand, and trust.Join Zack and Gabe as we rethink how we market speed, reliability, local service, and value based offers. We explore how transparency and real proof can help us differentiate the experience we deliver, plus a simple challenge: remove the adjectives from your website and see what is left.

This week on Buffering, we’re retiring six customer experience mantras that may have helped build businesses but won’t necessarily help them grow. Inspired by Customer Experience expert Jon Picoult, we explore “the customer is always right” to “every interaction should delight,” Zack and Gabe challenge the CX absolutisms that oversimplify increasingly complex customer journeys. They explore why not all friction is bad, why NPS can’t tell the whole story, why more personalization isn’t always better, and why giving customers more support channels can actually create a worse experience.Join Zack and Gabe as they unpack what it means to move beyond the legacy playbook and become a true experience provider. They discuss empowering frontline teams to become trusted advisors, curating the right customer journey, using data with permission, and designing personalized offers around real customer needs and life stages. Because the playbooks that built your business may not be the ones that grow it.

This week on Buffering, we’re going beyond the AI slop problem and asking a bigger question: how can organizations actually enable their employees to use AI well? Zack and Gabe break down the training gap, why simply handing employees powerful AI tools isn’t enough, and how organizations can create clear standards for what good AI use looks like. From prompt libraries and AI labs to forklifts and ski slopes, they explore practical ways to build AI skills across an entire organization.Join Zack and Gabe as they explore an AI enablement playbook built around progressive levels of adoption, shared knowledge, guardrails, and empowering internal AI champions. They discuss why AI is ultimately a change management problem, how leaders can give employees the space to experiment and learn from failure, and why the goal isn’t to turn everyone into an AI expert overnight, but to help the entire crew move forward together.

This week on Buffering, we dive into the AI slop problem and the growing debate over whether AI is making people dumber. From cringy LinkedIn posts to low effort AI generated content, Zack and Gabe explore why bad AI is creating skepticism around the technology and why writing off AI because of its worst use cases may be a mistake.Join Zack and Gabe as they unpack how to use AI as a strategic partner rather than an answer machine. They discuss critical thinking, foundational knowledge, AI as a debate partner, lowering the cost of experimentation, and why the best AI users think, research, challenge, verify, and refine instead of simply asking, copying, and moving on. They also explore how AI can make sophisticated thinking more accessible and expand what people are capable of doing.

This week on Buffering, Zack and Gabe take a deep dive into Starlink's latest moves and what they could mean for Communication Service Providers (CSPs). With Starlink reaching 12 million subscribers, expanding beyond broadband, and making its ambitions in mobile increasingly clear, the competition is no longer limited to rural and unserved markets. Zack and Gabe explore why Starlink is becoming a broader connectivity threat, why technical superiority does not guarantee market immunity, and how its growing ecosystem could change the way customers think about connectivity.Join Zack and Gabe as they break down Starlink's strategy, the potential impact of Starlink Mobile, and Amazon Leo's emerging threat to both satellite and fiber providers. They also discuss what CSPs can do now, from making pricing transparent and simplifying the purchase experience to embracing self install and focusing on the customer experience rather than relying on technical specifications alone.

This week on Buffering, Zack is joined by Kristin and Christina for a conversation about one of the biggest challenges facing Communication Service Providers (CSPs): standing out in a market where speed and price have become commodities. Using Simon Sinek's Golden Circle framework, they explore why subscribers don't choose providers because of gig speeds alone, and how leading with purpose, customer experience, and meaningful value creates stronger differentiation than another speed tier.Join Zack, Kristin, and Christina as they discuss why customer experience has become the new competitive advantage, how local providers can avoid the race to the bottom, and practical ways to reframe messaging around the outcomes subscribers actually care about. From self-installation and proactive support to real-world brand examples like Apple, Costco, Chick-fil-A, and LEGO, this episode offers actionable ideas for CSPs looking to compete on more than speed alone.

This week on Buffering, Zack and Gabe explore what it really means to become AI-native—and why simply using ChatGPT is no longer enough. They discuss how Communication Service Providers (CSPs) can move beyond basic prompting to embed AI into existing workflows, improve websites, automate repetitive tasks, accelerate development, and unlock new levels of productivity. Along the way, they tackle why AI fluency is becoming a competitive advantage and share a thought-provoking challenge: would your most junior employee with AI outperform your most experienced employee without it?Join Zack and Gabe as they break down practical ways CSPs can start applying AI today, from optimizing websites for SEO and AI search to streamlining marketing, data analysis, and internal processes. They also discuss why pairing experienced industry veterans with AI-native employees may be one of the most valuable investments organizations can make as they prepare for the future of work.

This week on Buffering, we’re diving into one of the most powerful tools available to Communication Service Providers (CSPs): Meta Ads Manager. Zack and Gabe walk through how to build high-performing Facebook and Instagram campaigns from the ground up, covering best practices for campaign structure, audience targeting, creative strategy, budgeting, and the settings that can make the difference between wasted spend and measurable growth.Join Zack and Gabe as they share a practical, screen-share walkthrough of how CSPs can take control of their digital advertising strategy. Whether you’re launching your first campaign or looking to optimize your existing approach, this episode provides actionable tips to help you reach the right subscribers, improve engagement, and get more value from your marketing dollars.

This week on Buffering, Zack and Gabe explore how the broadband industry has reached a turning point. As network expansion slows and new competitors like Amazon and satellite providers reshape the market, success is no longer defined by homes passed. It is defined by the strength of the subscriber relationship. From retention strategies and customer experience to ecommerce, self install, and proactive engagement, they break down why the next five years will reward providers that invest in loyalty instead of relying on legacy advantages.Join Zack and Gabe as they discuss what separates tomorrow's winners from everyone else, why waiting is the biggest competitive risk, and how providers can build experiences that rival the world's best brands while still leaning into the local relationships that make them unique. If the last five years were about building networks, this conversation is about building the relationships that will keep customers for the next five.

This week on Buffering, We are tackling one of the most debated topics in broadband: promotional pricing. As more providers look to discounts and introductory offers to boost take rates, they examine what decades of cable industry history can teach us about the long-term consequences of competing on price alone. From subscriber losses and declining brand trust to the hidden impact on customer lifetime value, they explore why the traditional promotional pricing playbook may be creating more problems than it solves.Join Zack and Gabe as we break down the math behind customer acquisition and retention, discuss why "month 13" has become a churn trigger for many providers, and explain why customer lifetime value, not subscriber count, should be the metric that matters most. They also share practical alternatives to promotional pricing, including community-driven marketing, referral programs, value-based service bundles, and customer experiences that make price less relevant. If you're looking for sustainable growth instead of short-term subscriber gains, this episode is for you.

This week on Buffering, Zack and Gabe unpack two of the biggest technology stories of the summer: Apple's latest WWDC announcements and SpaceX's record-breaking IPO. From the launch of Siri AI to Starlink's growing influence, they explore what separates products people use from products people get excited about.Join Zack and Gabe as they discuss why "cool" has less to do with technology and more to do with customer experience, branding, onboarding, and storytelling. They break down what broadband providers can learn from Apple, Starlink, and other experience-first companies—and why the battle for the future of connectivity may be won long before a customer ever looks at a speed test.

This week on Buffering, we welcome back Charlene Li, New York Times bestselling author and co-author of Winning with AI: The 90 Day Blueprint for Success. Together, we explore what AI fluency really means, why the gap between AI leaders and laggards is widening, and how organizations can move beyond pilots to create measurable business value. Charlene shares practical insights on building AI-ready teams, developing organizational fluency, and why leadership—not technology—is the real differentiator in the AI era.John Zack, Gabe, and Charlene discuss the rise of AI superhumans, the shift from tasks to outcomes, and how leaders can create the conditions for transformation without getting trapped in endless experimentation. From escape velocity and AI trust to the future of work and organizational change, this conversation offers a roadmap for leaders looking to turn AI from a tool into a competitive advantage.

This week on Buffering, we do something a little different. Instead of just talking about bad broadband websites, we built one. Based on real world ISP websites and real mistakes we see every day, we created the ultimate “what not to do” example packed with confusing pricing tables, outdated messaging, technical jargon, weather widgets, and download calculators straight out of 2009. Then we handed it over to AI to see what modern broadband experiences could actually look like.Join Zack and Gabe as they test Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot head to head to redesign a broadband provider website in real time. From experience driven service tiers and smarter buy flows to AI powered personalization and interactive subscriber journeys, this episode explores how communication providers can move beyond selling speeds and start selling connected lifestyles. If your website still feels like a utility portal instead of a modern digital experience, this episode is for you.

This week on Buffering, we are exploring Google's latest search transformation and what may be the biggest shift to search in more than 25 years. From the end of the ten blue links to AI powered answers, autonomous agents, and the rise of the synthetic consumer, the rules for how people discover information and interact online are changing in real time. As search evolves from finding information to delivering outcomes, businesses may need to rethink everything from content strategy to customer experience.Join Zack and Gabe as they break down the biggest announcements from Google I/O and what they mean for broadband providers and beyond. They discuss why SEO alone may no longer be enough, how AI agents could reshape customer interactions, why stale content is becoming a liability, and what happens when your next customer might not actually be human.

This week on Buffering, we are diving into the state of broadband websites in 2026 and asking a simple question: what is a bad website actually costing you? From outdated service pages and broken buyer flows to zombie pages, endless pricing tables, and mobile experiences that still feel stuck in 2014, Zack and Gabe unpack why so many providers are still losing customers before the sale even starts. They also explore how AI is completely reshaping the rules of web design, search, and conversion optimization, and why the old “refresh your website every few years” mindset no longer works.Join Zack and Gabe as they break down the hidden friction points killing conversions, debate the future of service tiers, and share practical ways providers can use AI to rapidly improve their websites without massive agency budgets. Along the way, they explore what it means to build websites for both humans and AI agents, why personalization matters more than ever, and how your website can either become your best salesperson or your most expensive liability.

This week on Buffering, Gabe and Zack are joined by Frank Ploumen, SVP of Product Line Leadership at Calix, to unpack a growing risk in today’s AI race: “AI orphans.” As service providers accelerate experimentation, many are deploying isolated AI solutions that deliver short term wins but fail to scale, integrate, or sustain long term value. Frank shares why this pattern is emerging, how it mirrors past technology cycles like IoT, and what it means for the future of telecom.Join Frank, Gabe, and Zack as they explore how providers can move beyond fragmented point solutions toward cohesive, end to end AI strategies. From orchestration and governance to seamless customer experiences and click to buy journeys, this episode breaks down what it takes to design AI that actually drives business outcomes and avoids becoming tomorrow’s technical debt.

This week on Buffering, we welcome back Jon Picoult, founder of Watermark Consulting and author of From Impressed to Obsessed, to break down the real business impact of customer experience. With nearly two decades of data from his firm’s Customer Experience ROI Study, Jon shares why companies that win on experience don’t just earn loyalty, they dramatically outperform the market. From a 7.8x return advantage over laggards to hundreds of percentage points of outperformance vs. the S&P 500, this episode unpacks why CX is no longer a “nice-to-have,” but a proven growth strategy.Join Jon, Gabe, and Zack as they explore what actually drives those results, how to convince skeptical leaders that CX pays off, and what it takes to evolve from a traditional service provider into a true experience-driven business. Plus, they discuss how these insights apply beyond public companies, especially for broadband providers looking to increase ARPU, reduce churn, and build lasting customer relationships.

This week on Buffering, we are talking about Amazon making their boldest move yet in the connectivity space with a $12 billion acquisition of Globalstar, and why communication service providers need to pay attention. Join Zack and Gabe as we discuss the “good enough” experience that’s winning over subscribers, the ease-of-purchase advantage tech giants have, and more as we explore why competing on specs alone is a losing game, and how CSPs can take action today to protect their markets and grow customer loyalty.

This week on Buffering, we are exploring what it actually looks like to build with AI, not just talk about it. Join Zack and Gabe as we kick things off with a quick run through the latest AI news and some hot takes, then move into what we’ve actually been building over the past couple of weeks, and how fast ideas are turning into working tools.Join us as we walk through how we’re using real-world data to recommend better internet plans, how we’re replacing rigid signup quizzes with smarter, more adaptive experiences, and how post-install network data can help us time and shape better customer conversations. We also look at how CXPs show up in AI-driven search—and why that’s becoming just as important as traditional SEO. The big takeaway from this one: the tools are here, the build time is short, and the opportunity is in figuring out what to actually build.

This week on Buffering, Gabe and Zack dive into the critical difference between using AI and actually building with it—and why that distinction is about to define the next generation of high performers. From breaking down why clicking “accept” on a co-pilot suggestion isn’t real AI fluency to sharing real examples of tools they’ve built in hours (instead of paying thousands), they explore how context, curiosity, and a willingness to experiment separate those who will accelerate in their careers from those who will plateau.Along the way, they unpack the evolving AI landscape—from why apps like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini still dominate, to how “AI expert” is becoming the next overused resume buzzword (just like “Excel expert”). They also share practical, real-world examples across marketing, sales, and operations, plus a simple call to action: start small, build something repeatable, and make your work visible. Because in this new era, it’s not about asking better prompts—it’s about turning ideas into working tools.

This week on Buffering, we are exploring how the best brands in the world have stopped selling specs and started selling feelings — and what that means for broadband providers still leading with speed tiers and price points. Join Zack and Gabe as we discuss how Apple's new MacBook Neo and Rivian's R2 are rewriting the rules of market positioning, why the utility trap is the silent killer of BSP growth, and how experience-first messaging turns subscribers into advocates.

Are you referring to your service tiers as segmentation? This week on Buffering, we are breaking down why generic marketing and segmentation is killing growth, and how AI can connect siloed data sources with behavioral data to actually move the needle. Join Zack and Gabe as we talk through a challenge to run this week, on how to think about subscribers based on their situation, not their services.

This week on Buffering, we are unpacking an unlikely lesson from McDonalds’s and their attempt to market the “Most McDonald’s burger ever”. If you’re talking about your products and services like a SKU, you may be creating a gap between product management and customer experience that’s impossible to ignore. Join Zack and Gabe as we discuss how your customers aren’t buying architecture, but the experience of a connected, modern home.

This week on Buffering, we are exploring how marketing has entered it’s post-experimental AI era and how the true winners of 2026 are no longer prompt engineers, but system architects. Join Zack and Gabe as we discuss how the early-AI advantage is fading as true differentiation now comes from designing intelligent, integrated ecosystems that turn insight into action in real time.

This week on Buffering, we are joined by Vele Galovski, Regional Vice President of business Transformation and AI Engagements at Calix to unpack what AI transformation really takes, and why so many efforts fail to scale. With more than two decades of experience leading large-scale transformations, Vele brings real-world examples from his book, The Perpetual Innovation Machine, to discuss how organizations can turn AI strategy into measurable business outcomes.

What happens when Broadband Providers can’t compete on speed or technology, when everyone sells the same plans? This week on Buffering, we are joined by Anthony Bortolotto, Managing Director of Infinite Networks to explore what competition looks like inside Australia’s open-access broadband market.Join Anthony, Gabe, and Zack as we share lessons from Australia, where hundreds of providers share the same plans, and how BSPs can avoid becoming a commodity with real-world differentiation.

This week on Buffering, we are joined by Jeannine Lyons, RVP of Success Education at Calix to explore how the broadband industry is evolving, and what it takes to build the workforce of tomorrow.Join Jeannine, Gabe, and Zack as we discuss how education, innovation, and community impact intersect in the world of broadband, and dive into the human side of transformation, the skills the next generation needs, and how technology is becoming the ultimate apprentice.

This week on Buffering, we are exploring how AI is transforming, not replacing, the broadband workforce by reshaping roles from the front lines to the back office. Join Zack and Gabe as we break down how AI can be used as a tool to elevate your organization, allowing humans to focus on empathy and meaningful moments with customers, all in a world where the broadband pipe is a commodity, and your people, are your ultimate differentiator.

This week on Buffering, we are unpacking the hidden crisis of positioning debt, the 18+ month narrative lag that’s quietly eroding your growth. From the shift towards reliability and AI as the new digital gatekeeper, this week we are exploring how outdated messaging and legacy value propositions are failing your subscribers and prospects.Join Zack and Gabe as we break down how BSPs are talking to a customer that no longer exists, and what broadband leaders must do now to realign your narrative with the 2026 market reality.

This week on Buffering, we are joined by Jeff Johnston, Lead Economist at CoBank, to explore the seismic shifts happening across rural America as AI, data centers, and broadband innovation collide. Join Jeff, Gabe, and Zack as we discuss the rise of edge computing and trends reshaping digital infrastructure.

This week on Buffering, we are joined by bestselling author and disruption strategist, Charlene Li for a fast-moving conversation about why speed is the new competitive moat, and how AI is reshaping work at every level. Join Charlene, Gabe, and Zack as we discuss how organizations can navigate employee fears, transform workflows, and move beyond simple prompting to real business impact with AI.

This week on Buffering, we are welcoming back John Durocher, Chief Operations Officer at Calix to break down the moments that defined broadband in 2025, and the expectations shaping the industry in 2026. Join John, Gabe, and Zack as we unpack what’s changed, why it matters, and how customer experience is being redefined in 2026, and what local providers can do to prepare for what’s coming next.

This week on Buffering, we are joined by Amrit Chaudhuri, Chief Marketing Officer at Calix, to discuss how AI is reshaping modern marketing and customer growth, while exploring Amrit’s journey from Engineering to Marketing. Join Amrit, Gabe, and Zack as we unpack lessons on micro-segmentation and how AI can assist and automate across new business models driven by AI platforms.

This week on Buffering, we are exploring how brands can strategically recover (and avoid) the discount trap, as well as the psychological forces at play as consumers shift from deal hunting to genuine brand connections. Join Zack and Gabe as we break down why constant price cuts erode brand value and how deep discounts attract transactional shoppers instead of loyal fans.

This week on Buffering, we dive into how Rivian is transforming the automative experience by blending immersive space with dynamic digital storytelling. Join Zack and Gabe as we explore how Rivian is creating a brand journey that prioritizes emotional connection over traditional sales tactics with a customer-first philosophy.

In this Ping, we are looking to the western sky to ask: “Is your broadband business good, or Wicked?”. Join Zack and Christina as we draw on lessons from Wicked, and explore the two paths facing every service provider, while unmasking the industry’s “Wizard”, and the importance of delivering a trusted subscriber experience as a Broadband Experience Provider.

This week on Buffering, we are joined by Seth Thompson, Sales Manager at Calix, to discuss building a career through content creation, long before the audience shows up. Join Zack, Gabe, and Seth as we break down how creators and professional can grow with consistency, turn small ideas into big moves, and publish content with purpose to grow your network.

This week on Buffering, we are joined by Steve Mammone, President and Co-Founder of getfused to discuss how companies can innovate online, and how AI is reshaping the future of digital sales.Join Zack, Gabe and Steve as we dive deep into the world of e-commerce, with Steve sharing his unique journey from a non-traditional marketing background to founding a leading creative agency, and how companies can build online experiences, with the power of iteration and innovation.

In this Ping, we explore how companies like Tesla and Rivian are transforming automotive service into an effortless, proactive, and convenient experience, shifting brand narratives from transactional relationships to indispensable lifestyle partners that cement loyalty and turn operational excellence into a powerful marketing engine.

This week on Buffering, we are joined by Drew Beverage from 360 Broadband to explore the journey from dial-up internet to cutting-edge AI integrations. Join Zack, Gabe, and Drew as we discuss how 360 Broadband is using AI to transform customer experience and internal operations, as well as the future of personalization at scale in sales and support.

This week on Buffering, we are sharing our favorite moments from ConneXions 2025 and exploring how agentic AI is reshaping the broadband landscape. From moving beyond prompts to securely activate AI agents to utilizing Market Insights for BSP to BXP transformation, join Zack and Gabe as we discuss some of the key-takeaways from ConneXions, and the impact for broadband leaders.

In this ConneXions episode, Join Zack and Gabe as we sit down with Lindsay and Maggie from Nex-Tech to learn how they are redefining what it means to market in the rural broadband space, and how digital marketing, creative strategies, and exceptional customer experiences can make the difference in growing your brand.

In this ConneXions episode, join Zack and Gabe as we sit down with Weston Comfort, RVP of Sales Acceleration at Calix, and Paige Hermes, Business Solutions Manager at SCTelcom to explore how SCTelcom is transforming its culture, breaking bottlenecks, creating data-driven sales processes, and scaling a sales organization without compromising on customer experience.

In this ConneXions episode, join Zack and Gabe as we sit down with Larry Montgomery, Director of Sales at eTex Communications to talk about what it takes to build a winning sales culture in the broadband industry, how the right blend of sales and marketing can transform your business, and how AI can complement your organization, rather than replace.

In this ConneXions episode, join Zack and Gabe as we sit down with Katie and Craig from Elevate Internet to explore how they are redefining what it means to be a Broadband Experience Provider. From launching Legendary Internet to empowering subscribers with self-install options, Elevate is setting a new standard for engagement and experience.

In this ConneXions episode, join Zack and Gabe as we sit down with Laurie to talk about how Cablelynx is moderninizing marketing and building stronger community connections, cutting through the noise of legacy broadband marketing.

This week on Buffering, we’re taking a moment to reflect on a year of Buffering – Powered by Success, to revisit the most memorable moments, guest highlights, and themes that shaped Buffering in 2025. Join Zack and Gabe as we prepare for ConneXions 2025, and share highlights that include everything from customer experience to consumer behavior, to AI.

This week on Buffering, we dive deep into the world of broadband tier naming connections, and explore how Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers may be holding your brand back. Join Zack and Gabe as we discuss the hidden costs of the “metal standard”, the psychology behind plan names, and how to move beyond generic tiers to build authentic connections with your community.

This week on Buffering, we’re exploring how Google’s Gemini AI is transforming the Chrome browser, making a pivotal shift in digital interaction. Join Zack and Gabe as we discuss actionable strategies for optimizing your content for AI and how you can ensure your message stands out in an agentic, AI-driven world.