What’s the backbone of the society during a modern pandemic? Connectivity. Digital technologies are the glue that keeps today’s workforce and other industries together. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been highlighted that technology is stronger than ever when it comes to delivering convenient, touchless experiences for the contemporary customer.
In this highly digitized environment, telecom operators have to make the shift from providing communication services to delivering digital services. Customer-centricity is one of the pillars of thriving in this context. Other priorities should include reorganizing IT investments and accelerating the digital agenda.
The path to a customer-focused digital strategy
As the customer experience standard has evolved, so have the expectations of today’s digital customers. To keep up, telcos have to transform their data management strategies and use them wisely to create highly personalized customer experiences.
Operators can ensure that they provide seamless and effortless digital experiences by:
- Paying more attention to the customer feedback
- Uncovering where consumers are leaving their existing journeys
- Identifying and addressing various pain points across the digital experience
According to a study, businesses with a customer-focused mindset drive revenue 4-8% higher than their competitors. On the other side of the fence, 96% of consumers reveal that customer service highly impacts their choice of loyalty to a brand.
The majority of telecommunications providers allow customers to complete simple online operations such as subscription upgrading or mobile service activation. However, not all telcos provide access to more sophisticated features like fiber migration. The complexity of these tasks may seem impractical or unappealing for many digital players, and if it’s not streamlined through a special function, it can drive customers away.
To avoid this, holistic, all-encompassing experiences must be provided throughout the entire consumer journey—efficient digital services require high standards and seamless integration.
For this to be achieved, a constant reanalysis of the customer journey is needed, which sometimes has to be rebuilt from scratch.
Innovation in telecommunications
Another tool that aims at driving customer retention and building brand loyalty is constant innovation through smart technologies. AI-powered chatbots or voice assistants are just two examples of how digital innovation can impact the customer experience. However, in the modern era, less is more, so exaggerating with these new initiatives should be highly avoided.
The winning ticket lies in the hands of those who manage to keep the balance between a seamless, forward-thinking experience, and highly innovative solutions such as personalized plans, eSIMs, and social commerce.
A recent study revealed that 80% of consumers admit they are more likely to do business with a company if it offers personalized experiences.
Innovation and inventiveness are what separate mediocre telcos from best-in-class providers. What pays huge dividends in the new digital service landscape is an emphasis on investments that:
- Reduce high-touch dependency and high-risk channels
- Provide support in dealing with the increased adoption of digital channels
Although the concerns about technology diminishing the personalization of the customer experience are real, the COVID-19 crisis has shifted the paradigm. Today, the battle is won by those who can humanize the digital experience and strategically adopt new technologies—web store demos, video chats, and animated stores are popular strategies for telco providers that want to improve customer interaction.
Conclusion
Regardless of how the pandemic situation evolves, touchless technologies are here to stay. The key to success for telecom providers is the strategic adoption of smart technologies. From what we’ve seen so far, the personalization of digital capabilities seems to hold the biggest potential for enabling new revenue streams and customer retention.
