# Competitive Analysis — ISP Field Service Platforms

## Gaiia (gaiia.com) — Primary Comparable

Canadian-founded (2021), YC-backed, $13.2M Series A (Inovia Capital, June 2024).
40+ ISP customers. "First operating system designed for ISPs."

### Modules vs Gigafibre Status

| Gaiia Module | What it does | Gigafibre Status |
|---|---|---|
| **Workforce & Scheduling** | Drag-drop scheduler, live map, GPS tracking | Done (dispatch PWA) |
| **Field Service App** | Native iOS/Android, status updates, photos, routing | PWA exists, needs mobile features |
| **Billing & Revenue** | Invoicing, proration, multiple subs, tax | ERPNext handles (basic) |
| **Customer Management** | CRM, device tracking, communications | ERPNext Customer + Service Equipment |
| **Customer Portal** | Self-service, plan changes, tickets | Not built |
| **Online Checkout** | E-commerce signup, address validation, auto-schedule install | Not built |
| **Inventory & Fulfillment** | Equipment lifecycle, auto-assignment, shipping | Service Equipment doctype (basic) |
| **Network Monitoring** | Site visibility, incident → ticket | Oktopus CE deployed |
| **Properties (MDU)** | Unit management, split billing | Not needed yet |
| **Reporting & Analytics** | Dashboards, penetration rates | Not built |
| **Workflow Builder** | No-code visual automation | n8n deployed |

### Key Gaiia UX Patterns to Adopt

1. **E-commerce checkout flow** — Oxio saw 6x conversion (20→120 signups/day)
2. **Auto travel time** on scheduling (we have Mapbox, just need to display it)
3. **One-tap status updates** for techs (en route → working → completed)
4. **Color-coded work orders** by type/priority on scheduler
5. **Equipment auto-assignment** during service provisioning
6. **Proactive customer SMS** when tech is en route

### What Gigafibre Does That Gaiia Doesn't (publicly)

- Custom drag-drop timeline (not just Gantt)
- Lasso multi-select for batch operations
- Undo/redo system on all operations
- Circular progress ring on map markers (workload visualization)
- Crew grouping badges
- Real-time WebSocket GPS (not polling)
- Auto-dispatch algorithm with weighted criteria
- Route optimization via Mapbox Directions

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## Full Industry Comparison Matrix

| Feature | Gaiia | Odoo FS | Zuper | Salesforce FS | ServiceTitan | Gigafibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Target** | ISP-specific | General | Telecom focus | Enterprise | Home services | ISP custom |
| **Pricing** | Platform+per-sub | Free CE / $30/user | ~$50/user | ~$200/user | ~$300/mo+ | Free (OSS) |
| **Self-hosted** | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| **Drag-drop dispatch** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| **GPS real-time** | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (WebSocket) |
| **Route optimization** | No public | Basic | Yes | Advanced | Basic | Yes (Mapbox) |
| **Mobile tech app** | Native | Web | Native | Native | Native | PWA |
| **Offline mode** | Unknown | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| **Barcode scanning** | Unknown | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Planned |
| **Equipment tracking** | Yes (lifecycle) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Basic | Yes (EQP doctype) |
| **Subscriptions** | Yes (ISP-native) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Basic | Yes (SUB doctype) |
| **Customer portal** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not yet |
| **Online checkout** | Yes (6x conversion) | No | No | No | No | Not yet |
| **MDU management** | Yes | No | No | No | No | Not yet |
| **Network monitoring** | Yes | No | No | No | No | Oktopus CE |
| **Billing automation** | Yes (ISP-native) | Yes | Via partner | Via partner | Yes | ERPNext |
| **Workflow builder** | Yes (visual) | No | No | Yes (Flow) | No | n8n |
| **SLA management** | Unknown | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Planned |
| **CRM** | Built-in | Built-in | Via partner | Built-in | No | ERPNext |

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## Strategic Positioning

### Gigafibre's Advantage
- **Self-hosted / sovereign** — data stays on your servers
- **No per-subscriber fee** — Gaiia charges per subscriber, costs scale with growth
- **Full ERP integration** — ERPNext gives accounting, HR, inventory for free
- **Custom UX** — dispatch board is more advanced than Gaiia's (lasso, undo, auto-dispatch)
- **Open source** — can be offered to other ISPs as a product

### Gigafibre's Gaps (vs Gaiia)
- **Customer portal** — highest impact gap for subscriber experience
- **Online checkout** — acquisition channel (Gaiia's 6x stat is compelling)
- **Mobile tech experience** — native app > PWA for field work
- **Billing proration** — ISP-specific billing logic (mid-cycle changes)
- **Auto travel time** — easy win, we have all the data

### Build Priority (ROI-based)

| Priority | Feature | Why | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Auto travel time on schedule** | Low effort, high dispatcher value | 1 day |
| 2 | **Tech mobile workflows** (status, photos, notes) | Core field experience | 3-5 days |
| 3 | **Customer SMS notifications** (Twilio) | Customer experience | 2 days |
| 4 | **Equipment scan + track** (barcode camera) | Inventory accuracy | 3 days |
| 5 | **Customer portal** (self-service) | Reduce support calls | 1-2 weeks |
| 6 | **Online checkout** (e-commerce signup) | Revenue growth | 2-3 weeks |
