Category: Customer Engagement

The Role of WhatsApp in Omnichannel Messaging Strategies

In the face of growing customer demand, businesses are challenged to deliver consistent and personalized communication across multiple channels. This is where omnichannel comes into play – it integrates multiple channels to create a seamless communication experience. By combining online and offline interactions, businesses can ensure that customers receive timely and relevant messages regardless of the platform they choose.

The Growing Role of WhatsApp in Omnichannel Communication

One of the most significant players in the omnichannel communication landscape is WhatsApp. With over 2 billion users worldwide, the platform has transformed how businesses engage with their customers. Its popularity is prominently due to its user-friendly interface that it offers. As more customers turn to messaging apps for communication, businesses are realizing the potential of WhatsApp as a key channel in their omnichannel strategy.

The increasing adoption of WhatsApp by businesses can be attributed to its ability to meet customers where they already are. Unlike traditional channels, which may be seen as intrusive, WhatsApp allows customers to engage on their terms. This shift is not just a trend; it represents a fundamental change in how businesses approach customer engagement.

Key Features of WhatsApp for Omnichannel Messaging
  • Instant Messaging
    At the core of WhatsApp’s appeal is its instant messaging capability. Real-time communication enables enterprises to quickly respond to inquiries or grievances. This immediacy builds trust and fosters a sense of connection, essential elements in customer relationships. With WhatsApp, businesses can provide answers, support, and updates instantly, improving overall customer satisfaction.
  • Rich Media Sharing
    Another compelling feature of WhatsApp is its ability to share rich media. Enterprises can send images, videos, and survey links, further improving customer experiences. For instance, a retailer can showcase new products through images or provide a how-to video for using a particular service. This versatility not only captures attention but also aids in clearer communication, making it easier for customers to understand the message.
  • Business Profiles
    WhatsApp also offers business profiles, enabling companies to create a branded presence on the platform. These profiles enable brands to include their contact details, operating hours, and a brief description for its customers. This feature enhances credibility and ensures that customers can easily find the information they need, further streamlining communication.
  • Automated Responses
    To improve efficiency, many businesses are leveraging automated responses through chatbots on WhatsApp. These tools can handle common inquiries, provide instant replies, and guide customers through various processes. By automating routine tasks, businesses can free up human resources for more complex issues, ensuring a swift and effective customer service experience.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Lastly, WhatsApp’s integration capabilities are a game changer for businesses. The platform can seamlessly connect with CRM systems and other tools, allowing for streamlined communication. This integration enables businesses to maintain context across different channels, ensuring that customer interactions are coherent and consistent. When a customer switches from WhatsApp to email, for example, the transition can be smooth, as all information is readily available.

WhatsApp plays a pivotal role in an omnichannel messaging strategy by offering a seamless and integrated customer experience. Its features—instant messaging, rich media sharing, business profiles, automated responses, and integration capabilities—empower businesses to engage customers effectively across various channels. As customer expectations continue to evolve, integrate WhatsApp into your communication strategies with our customer communication solution to enhance customer engagement and build lasting relationships.

Enable innovations #ei with Globe Teleservices to elevate overall brand experience and remain competitive in a rapidly changing landscape.

RCS: A New Era for Enterprise Communication

In the ever-evolving world of digital communication, enterprises are constantly on the lookout for innovative ways to connect with their customers. One such innovation that is set to redefine enterprise messaging is Rich Communication Services (RCS).

Enhancing Messaging with RCS

RCS is an advanced messaging protocol developed by the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association) that aims to upgrade the traditional SMS and MMS messaging experience. RCS brings a suite of enriched features to messaging, such as the ability to send high-resolution images, videos, and interactive elements, providing a more dynamic and engaging user experience.

RCS aims to deliver a messaging experience akin to popular Over-the-Top (OTT) messaging apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, and Facebook Messenger, but with the universal reach of SMS.

Enhancing Traditional Messaging with RCS

While SMS has been a reliable communication tool for decades, it is limited in functionality, offering only text-based messaging with a 160-character limit. MMS extended this functionality slightly by allowing the sending of multimedia content like images and videos, but it still falls short in terms of modern communication needs. RCS builds on these traditional messaging services by introducing a rich set of features that enhance both the user and enterprise experience.

RCS combines the simplicity and broad reach of SMS with interactive features including typing indicators, read receipts, group chats, and rich media found in modern messaging apps.

Understanding RCS: Technical Foundations and Key Differences from SMS and MMS

At its core, RCS is built on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture, which allows for the transmission of multimedia messages over an IP network. This is a significant departure from the circuit-switched network architecture used by SMS and MMS, making RCS a more flexible and scalable solution.

Unlike SMS, which is constrained by character limits and lacks media support, RCS leverages IP-based transmission to support high-quality images, videos, and even interactive elements like buttons and carousels. This makes RCS a versatile tool for businesses looking to deliver a richer messaging experience. Additionally, RCS offers end-to-end encryption, creating a more secure messaging environment than traditional SMS. These unique features have caused enterprises to adopt it at a rapid pace.
As per Juniper Research, the global messaging revenue from RCS business is expected to reach $15 bn by 2028.

Core Features of RCS

RCS offers a wide range of features that enhance the messaging experience, including:

  • Rich Media Support
  • Group Chat
  • Read Receipts and Typing Indicators
  • Branded Messaging
  • Suggested Replies and Actions

These features make RCS a powerful tool for delivering more engaging and interactive messaging experiences.

The future of enterprise communication with RCS

In today’s competitive landscape, where customer engagement and experience are key differentiators, RCS has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses looking to enhance their communication strategies. By combining the universal reach of SMS with the rich, interactive features of modern messaging apps, RCS offers a unique blend of capabilities that can transform enterprise communication. As RCS continues to gain traction, it’s clear that this modern messaging standard is here to stay, offering a future-proof solution for enterprises worldwide.

 

The Advantages of A2P SMS in Today’s Omnichannel Marketing

In this world driven by technology, businesses are continually exploring new strategies to reach and connect with their customers effectively. With multiple communication channels available, it’s important to choose the right mix to maximize reach and engagement. One powerful tool that has stood the test of time in the realm of customer communication is A2P SMS. As per Statista, the global A2P SMS market is predicted to reach 78 billion U.S. dollars by 2027.

A2P and its impact on Omnichannel Marketing

In omnichannel marketing, A2P SMS serves as a direct and efficient communication channel that complements various marketing efforts. Omnichannel marketing aims to provide a seamless and integrated customer experience across multiple touchpoints. A2P SMS fits perfectly into this strategy by providing a reliable, instant, and personal way to reach customers, ensuring messages are delivered directly to their mobile devices.

The Role of A2P SMS in Direct Customer Communication

A2P SMS is known for its ability to deliver messages quickly and efficiently, making it an essential tool for businesses looking to engage with their audience in real-time.

Here are some reasons why A2P SMS is crucial for direct customer communication:

  1. Immediacy and Reliability: Unlike emails, which can get lost in crowded inboxes or marked as spam, SMS messages reach the end-user directly.
  2. Higher Open Rates: A2P SMS achieves higher open rates than other channels, making it essential for time-crucial communication.
  3. Wide Reach: SMS is universally supported on all mobile devices, whether they are smartphones or feature phones, and does not require internet connectivity.
A2P SMS vs. Other Communication Channels

When comparing A2P SMS with other communication channels like email, voice calls, and WhatsApp, several distinct advantages make A2P SMS a preferred choice for many businesses:

  • Email: While email is great for detailed communication and is widely used in professional settings, it often suffers from low open rates and is more prone to spam filters. A2P SMS, with its near-instant open rate and higher engagement, is better suited for urgent and time-sensitive messages.
  • Voice Calls: Voice calls can be effective but are often seen as intrusive, especially if unsolicited. Calls can also be missed, ignored, or declined. A2P SMS, on the other hand, is less intrusive and more likely to be read.
  • WhatsApp and Other OTT Messaging Apps: While popular, OTT apps like WhatsApp require an internet connection and app installation, limiting their reach in areas with poor connectivity or among users who do not use these apps. A2P SMS does not have these limitations and can reach any mobile phone user.
Key Advantages of A2P SMS in Omnichannel Marketing
  1. Targeted Messaging at Scale: A2P SMS enables businesses to send targeted messages to large customer bases with ease.
  2. Cost-Effectiveness: It enables businesses to send messages in bulk without significant expenses, making it an affordable option for startups and small businesses.
  3. Ease of Integration: A2P SMS can be easily integrated with existing CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and other enterprise software through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).
  4. No Internet Required: Unlike email or OTT messaging apps, A2P SMS does not require an internet connection. This makes it an ideal channel for reaching customers in regions with limited internet access or for communicating with users who prefer not to use data services.
Leveraging A2P SMS for Growth

Enterprises can leverage A2P SMS in various ways to drive growth and ROI. Around 2 trillion A2P SMS messages are sent annually for one-time passwords, bank alerts, and booking confirmations.

Some common use cases include:

  • Promotional Campaigns: A2P SMS is perfect for sending promotional offers, discounts, and loyalty rewards. With high open rates, businesses can ensure their marketing messages are seen by a large audience.
  • Transactional Alerts: From order confirmations to shipment notifications, A2P SMS can keep customers informed about their transactions in real time.
  • Customer Service Updates: A2P SMS can be used to provide updates on service requests, answer frequently asked questions, or even collect feedback from customers.
  • Critical Alerts and Notifications: Whether it’s an account security alert, a payment reminder, or a system outage notification, A2P SMS ensures that important messages reach customers instantly.
Maximize your Omnichannel Marketing with A2P

In today’s omnichannel marketing landscape, A2P SMS stands out as a reliable, efficient, and effective communication tool. Its ability to deliver targeted, real-time messages to customers on any mobile device without the need for internet access makes it an indispensable form of communication for any enterprise.

At Globe Teleservices, we provide robust A2P SMS solutions that help businesses unlock the full potential of their communication strategies and achieve their marketing goals.

Enable innovations #ei with us to enhance your customer engagement!

 

Transforming APIs into ROI: The Business Impact of CPaaS

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses need to stay agile and adaptable to maintain its competitive edge. Communication plays a vital role in this, and the rise of Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) has revolutionized the way businesses engage with their customers across different channels globally.

Elevating Business Communication with CPaaS

CPaaS is a cloud-based solution that allows businesses to easily integrate real-time communication features into their applications and services. With CPaaS, businesses can deploy and manage communication tools tailored to improve customer engagement, streamline operations, and stay ahead in a competitive market.

As per Statista, the global CPaaS market is projected to reach 21.7 billion U.S. dollars owing to growing demand for cloud solutions.

Impact of CPaaS on Business Growth and ROI

One of the key advantages of CPaaS is its ability to drive business growth by enhancing communication capabilities while reducing costs. By integrating real-time communication features into their workflows, businesses can improve customer service, boost engagement, and increase customer satisfaction—all of which contribute to higher sales and better ROI.

CPaaS operates on a pay-as-you-go model, making it a cost-effective option for small and mid-sized enterprises. This allows companies to scale their communication capabilities up or down based on demand, optimizing their spending and maximizing their ROI.

Integrating CPaaS with Existing Systems for Enhanced Efficiency

CPaaS platforms are designed to be easily integrated into a business’s existing systems, thanks to their use of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). They are the building blocks that allow different software applications to communicate and share data with each other. By leveraging APIs, businesses can seamlessly integrate CPaaS solutions into their existing workflows, enhancing efficiency and reducing the complexity of managing multiple communication channels.

For instance, a company using a customer relationship management (CRM) system can integrate CPaaS APIs to add voice or messaging capabilities directly into the CRM interface. This allows customer service representatives to make calls or send messages without leaving the CRM system, improving productivity and reducing response times.

Customizing CPaaS Solutions with APIs
  • Flexibility and customization: APIs allow to customize communication tools as per their unique requirements. This flexibility enhances the user experience by embedding communication functions directly into existing workflows and interfaces, ensuring a smooth and cohesive experience for the end user.
  • Scalability: CPaaS helps businesses scale communication easily with APIs, supporting growth and seasonal demand changes without major system updates.
  • Cost effectiveness: CPaaS APIs help businesses reduce communication infrastructure costs with a pay-as-you-go model, making it ideal for startups and small businesses.
  • Efficiency: APIs simplify integrating complex communication features, eliminating the need for any kind of development. They provide predefined tools for seamless integration of messaging, voice, and video, reducing costs and time while enhancing flexibility and scalability for businesses.
Changing the Game for Enterprises

For enterprises, the ability to integrate and customize CPaaS solutions through APIs is a game-changer. It enables them to deliver more efficient and effective communication strategies, reduce operational costs, and improve customer satisfaction. In fact, Gartner forecasts that by 2025, 95% of enterprises globally will adopt API-enabled CPaaS offerings to enhance their digital prowess. This can help businesses enhance their digital presence, streamline operations, and drive growth—all while maintaining the flexibility to scale as per the constantly evolving landscape.

Level Up your Communication Strategy with CPaaS+

In a world where communication is key to better experience, CPaaS enables companies to enhance their capabilities, drive growth, and improve ROI. By integrating CPaaS with existing systems and customizing it through APIs, businesses can create seamless, efficient, and effective communication strategies.

At Globe Teleservices, we understand the importance of seamless communication in driving business success. Learn how we are helping enterprises unlock their full potential with CPaaS+, elevating their communication strategies to new heights.

Whether it’s boosting customer satisfaction, reducing costs, or driving innovation, achieve your communication goals and more with us.

 

Top Challenges Faced by MNOs When Adopting A2P Messaging

The mobile network operator (MNO) landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by declining profit margins in the retail business. This has caused them to explore new revenue opportunities such as the rising use of A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging for customer communication.

This blog explores the current market situation, the rise of A2P messaging due to increasing mobile penetration and the challenges faced by operators when monetizing this opportunity.

A2P Market – The Current Trajectory

This growth is driven by the widespread penetration of mobile devices globally and the increasing demand for secure, instantaneous communication channels. According to Statista, the global A2P market is projected to reach a revenue of USD 77.76 billion by 2027.

Several key factors fuel this market growth. First, the rising number of smartphone users is transforming how businesses engage with their subscribers. A2P messaging enables businesses to send quick, direct messages, such as reminders, deals, and purchase updates, straight to consumers.

Additionally, the proliferation of wearable technology keeps end-users constantly connected to their mobile devices, frequently checking texts and calls. This connectivity has prompted businesses to actively use text messages for customer communications.

Key Trends Influencing the Enterprise A2P SMS Market
  • Rising Demand for Customer Engagement Solutions

Enterprises are leveraging A2P SMS to enhance customer engagement, using personalized and timely messages to build stronger relationships, drive brand loyalty, and improve customer satisfaction.

  • Adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS)

RCS is an advanced messaging protocol offering interactive media, branding elements, and enhanced security. It provides richer communication channels, making it an attractive option for enterprises looking to engage customers more effectively.

As per Juniper Research, about 50% of mobile users will be RCS capable by this year.

  • Integration with Chatbots and AI Technologies

The integration of A2P SMS with chatbots and AI is gaining traction, enabling automated and intelligent responses to customer queries. This advancement significantly improves the efficiency and effectiveness of customer support services.

  • Focus on Transactional Messaging

Text messages are used for transactional messaging, such as account notifications, payment confirmations, and delivery updates. Its reliability and immediacy make it ideal for delivering critical information to customers.

  • Growth in Mobile Payments and Banking

The expansion of mobile payments and banking services has fuelled its demand in the financial sector. It is widely used for transactional messaging, including account notifications, OTP (one-time password) delivery, and fraud alerts.

Challenges Faced by MNOs While Monetizing A2P Revenues
1. Protecting the SMS Channel
  • Vulnerability to Fraud

While SMS is a trusted communication channel, it is susceptible to fraudulent activity. MNOs must implement measures to prevent revenue leakage from messages routed through gray routes and protect end customers from phishing attacks.

  • Ensuring Secure End-to-End Delivery

MNOs must safeguard their network and customers for secure end-to-end message delivery. This involves implementing strong firewalls and monitoring systems to preserve the trust established over the years.

2. Growing Threat from OTT Players
  • Competition from OTT Messaging Apps

OTT players like Meta have seized a significant share of the market. MNOs face the risk of losing A2P messaging revenues as these players offer enriched messaging experiences, allowing enterprises to reach their consumers directly.

Conclusion

A2P messaging presents a significant revenue opportunity for MNOs amid declining retail profit margins. However, successful monetization requires addressing key challenges, including securing the SMS channel, countering OTT competition, and educating internal stakeholders.

MNOs must adopt secure A2P messaging services to minimize revenue leakages and transition towards richer communication formats. With the right strategies and technologies, A2P messaging can become a cornerstone of MNOs’ revenue growth and customer engagement efforts.

As an MNO be in total control of your A2P business with secure A2P messaging services from Globe Teleservices, to minimize revenue leakages, helping you make the perfect shift towards richer communication formats.

Customer Communication Trends in the Evolving Telecom Industry

The telecom industry is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by the need to place customers at the center of its strategies. With advancements in digital innovation, telecom companies are focusing on offering experiences with human-centric interactions. This evolution is reshaping the customer experience, providing new opportunities for businesses to enhance their services and grow.

The Importance of Customer Experience in Telecom

Customer experience is critical for all, be it enterprises or operators in the telecom industry, which faces high competition and customer volatility. Technological evolution means services quickly become obsolete, leading customers to switch brands frequently. Ensuring a superior customer experience is essential to retain customers and stay competitive.

Here are the latest customer communication trends and what they mean for your future communication strategies.

  1. Digital Channels: The Backbone of B2B Communication

Customers increasingly prefer digital channels for communication, seeking quick and accurate responses without waiting on hold. Businesses using digital channels, such as voice, SMS, and chat apps, are ahead in providing efficient customer service. Rich Communications Services (RCS) is enhancing business-to-consumer (B2C) communication strategies, leading to more engaging and conversational experiences. As per Juniper’s findings, the active RCS user base is anticipated to hit 1.1 billion by 2024.

  1. Personalization: The Key to Customer Loyalty

Personalizing customer experiences is a powerful strategy for building loyalty. Telecom companies are developing customized service offerings, utilizing customer data analytics for targeted communication and mapping customer journeys to identify personalization opportunities. Tailored offers, relevant updates, and personalized marketing messages demonstrate an understanding of unique customer needs, fostering loyalty.

  1. Next-Gen Technology: Enhancing Interactions

Incorporating advanced technologies can significantly improve customer interactions and satisfaction:

  • Advanced CRM Systems:

Manage customer data and interactions effectively.

Ensure a seamless experience across various digital channels, including websites, mobile apps, and social media.

  • Data Analytics:

Understand customer behaviors and preferences to tailor communications.

  1. A2P SMS: A Pillar for Effective Communication

Despite the rise of rich media channels, SMS remains crucial in communication strategies. The worldwide A2P SMS market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.9%, reaching USD 96.9 billion by 2032. Rich media messaging (MMS and RCS) allows businesses to send more engaging messages, while omnichannel messaging strategies and AI enhance the effectiveness of A2P messaging campaigns by personalizing messages, segmenting audiences, and anticipating customer behavior.

  1. Conversational Channels – The Key to Engaging Interactions

Adding the right digital channels to your communication mix is essential for delivering conversational customer experiences. Voice, SMS, and chat apps are top channels for B2C communication. RCS is paving the way for future strategies, meeting the rising demand for conversational experiences. This has become crucial for enterprises planning to develop their omnichannel strategies, creating hybrid digital-physical experiences.

Conclusion

To perfect your communication strategy, assess current strategies to identify gaps and fill them effectively. Automating AI chatbots and adding flexible channels, like WhatsApp, can improve customer engagement. A cloud contact center can manage conversations across various channels, ensuring access to conversation history and efficient responses.

Customer communication in the telecom industry is evolving rapidly, driven by digital innovation and the need for human-centric interactions. By focusing on digital channels, personalization, next-gen technology, A2P SMS, and conversational channels, telecom companies can enhance customer engagement and stay competitive.

Enable innovations with Globe Teleservices to ensure your customer engagement goes from good to great. Perfect your omnichannel communication strategy today with our next-gen telecom solutions.

Harnessing the Power of A2P Messaging to Revolutionize Business Communication

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses must constantly adapt to stay ahead. One of the most transformative tools in recent years has been A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging. This has revolutionized how businesses communicate with customers, driving engagement and streamlining operations. A2P has become crucial for all enterprises and MNOs. This has driven market growth, with projections reaching a CAGR of 3.9%, reaching an estimated value of USD 96.9 billion by 2032.

What is A2P Messaging?

A2P SMS allows companies to send messages from an application or software directly to a mobile user. With a high open rate of 98% in comparison to emails which is 20%, making it a critical tool for businesses of all sizes. It enables seamless communication between businesses and their target audiences through automated, application-driven messages. Rich Communication Services (RCS) and its multimedia capabilities have further led to personalization, further enhancing engagement.

Check out what experts have to say about the use of RCS for business communications.

(Youtube video link: RCS and Conversational Commerce | MEF India 2024 )

Common Applications for A2P Messaging

It is a versatile platform, supporting various interactions such as appointment reminders, transaction notifications, verification from e-commerce platforms, etc. These include customer service bots, providing customized and relevant content automatically, enhancing customer experience and loyalty.

How Does A2P Messaging Work?

It operates by sending messages optimized for mobile display through specialized gateways that work with mobile carriers. These gateways ensure secure delivery to the recipient’s devices, presenting the text messages in familiar formats. Optional automated responses can further improve engagement. Real-time reporting allows the sender to track progress as needed.

9 Ways to Leverage A2P Messaging for Business Growth
  • Two-factor Authentication (2FA): Send one-time passwords to strengthen account security and prevent unauthorized access.
  • Appointment Reminders: Reduce no-shows with allow easy rescheduling to improve service efficiency.
  • Billing Updates: Notify customers of upcoming dues or changes, creating a smoother billing experience.
  • Purchase Notifications: Provide instant confirmations of online purchases, including event details for tickets complete with links.
  • Reservation reminder: Ensure timely arrival or cancellation for reservations at hotels or restaurants.
  • Shipping Notifications: Keep customers informed about package delivery statuses.
  • Unusual Activity Alerts: Automatically alert customers to potential security threats or best practices, fostering trust and safety.
  • Marketing Notifications: Keep your customers informed about ongoing promotions, sales and special offers, boosting sales.
  • Customer Feedback & Complaints: Collect real-time customer feedback through automated surveys and response prompts to enhance service quality.

A2P messaging is one of the most effective ways to reach your customers, regardless of the services you offer. By leveraging Globe Teleservices’ A2P messaging platform, you can launch secure and impactful marketing campaigns, ensuring enhanced reach and minimal disruptions. Embrace to improve customer service, increase efficiency, and achieve greater ROI in your business operations.

Customer Experience Trends For 2024 – Telecom Edition

The role of customer experience in telecom is being radically transformed in the wake of increased digitization. As 5G networks, better infrastructure, and newer markets emerge, the telecom sector is at the cusp of a customer experience transformation. It’s also true that in many ways, the telecom industry has the potential to impact the way other sectors build their customer experience. In fact, recent studies show that nearly 76% of customers still prefer a telephone conversation with customer support. This statistic itself highlights the important role a telecom services provider has in the customer experience lifecycle across sectors.  Clearly, knowing the market pulse is important for improving customer experience in telecom.

Communication is a key driver of customer experience. Hence, a telecom services provider must know what customers expect in every kind of interaction to deliver great experiences not just within their business, but also to support other sectors to offer the same to their customers.

Let us explore the top trends relating to customer experience in telecom for 2024:

1. Hassle-free onboarding

The digital economy is rising globally. People are shifting more of their common activities into digital mode. The changed behaviors that persist even after that pandemic is behind us have accelerated the trend as well. From banking to shopping, education, and entertainment, customers are demanding hassle-free digital experiences.  This is not only a benchmark for any telecom services provider but also a key promise they need to enable for their enterprise customers.

They need to ensure that customers get a hassle-free no-nonsense onboarding experience into their network. Authenticating credentials shouldn’t be a problem. From auto parsing of OTPs to flash calls, there are a host of solutions that telecom providers must deploy to improve the onboarding experience.

Furthermore, they can also act as a gateway agent for other businesses to build similar experiences. For example, authenticating a user’s credentials via OTPs or flash calls can be a standard option for an OTT app or a social media app. Telecom players can be the bridge of trust serving both the customer and the business that wants to engage with them. With platforms like Authentrica, this can be easily achieved.

2. Learning about the customer

Most businesses believe that knowing the customers enables better service delivery. In 2024, businesses will need to deploy more innovative means to capture data from customers and learn from it. In the past surveys about customer experience were the de-facto medium for businesses to gain insights. However, studies say that a typical survey considers less than 7% of a business’s actual customer base for generating insights. The need to go beyond surveys is evident here. This is where a telecom services provider can make a difference.

Telecom providers can capture the preferences or consent of customers for all sorts of communications that happen over the network. That could be permissions for SMS campaigns, WhatsApp communications, emails, etc. It could be to create powerful Customer Data Platforms or first-party data gathered with customer consent. Telecom companies and their customers can leverage platforms like Consentica to manage user consent effectively. Using this information, they can help build better customer experiences based on ethically gathered customer data.

3. Protect personal data

Building trust is a key factor that influences customer experience. As we move deeper into the digital economy, customers are also becoming more aware of the threats that lurk out there. Many of these threats can be addressed if adequate protection is offered for sensitive data. Hence great customer experience demands a more strategic and focused approach towards integrating security features for personal data.

Telecom companies too must follow this trend. However, they have the additional opportunity to become a second layer of protection for customers. As explained earlier, telecom companies can build a layer of trust by collecting consent info from their customers. By building powerful encryption and network protection frameworks, they can ensure that personal data is never compromised by services running on networks. With tools like TxtChain, they can help trace telemarking activity with strict control on how user data is leveraged by 3rd party services. Firewall solutions can be deployed to ensure vulnerable entry points are discovered and neutralized before any incidents happen.

4. Preparing for an exciting journey

2024 will witness further expansion of the digital landscape in almost every sector. Telecom companies have the opportunity to not just improve the customer experience they provide but also drive industry standards across sectors.  They can become the supporting framework for other sectors to push their customer experience initiatives forward at an accelerated pace. However, to do so telecom companies need to have the right technology required to build a powerful service economy on top of their network infrastructure. From security to monetization of assets through expansive partner services, telecom companies have a real potential to transform from their traditional roles. GTS is the perfect partner to ensure success on this path. Get in touch with us to know more.

The One “Platform” To Help You Transform Customer Experience

The one factor that distinguishes great companies from mediocre ones is personalization.

Great companies personalize experiences and go beyond transactional relationships to engage with customers and build long-lasting bonds with them.

So, what’s stopping other companies from delivering these elevated experiences?

According to Statista, 80% of companies acknowledge the impact of personalization on customer spending. 62% admit that it has improved loyalty and retention.

Yet, due to fragmented data from disparate sources, most companies are unable to customize.

It’s apparent that companies need a comprehensive view of their audience to understand their needs and tailor interactions.

However, the increasing touchpoints make it hard for them to gather, analyze, and act on the data.

That’s where the Customer Data Platform (CDP) comes to the rescue.

What Is A Customer Data Platform?

A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is a software solution that collects and organizes data from different sources to build a single customer profile. It collects the customer’s identity, lifestyle, as well as behavioral and aspirational data from sources like CRM, social media, websites, and PoS systems. This detailed data enables companies to create comprehensive customer profiles, individualize experiences, predict trends, and accelerate decision-making. It’s called a platform because it serves as a unifying frame for the entire range of applications and solutions that need to access customer data to drive action.

Why Use CDPs?

A CDP can deliver multiple benefits:

  • Unifies data

CDPs use SDKs and APIs to pull data from disparate sources into a single platform. It creates a customer profile containing Personable Identifiable Information (PII) such as the customer’s name, address, email ID, etc. The unified customer profile can be used by marketing, sales, product management, and customer support teams to improve customer experience.

  • Improves personalization

Besides PII, CDPs also capture extra insights like browsing history, website visits, and social media activity. This valuable information enables the sales and marketing teams to understand preferences and buying patterns. It empowers them to customize product recommendations and create targeted marketing campaigns to increase engagement. More importantly, the support team can leverage this data to tailor customer interactions. A cohesive, hyper-personalized approach can help companies boost customer retention, repeat purchases, and reduce churn.

  • Makes compliance easier

Companies must adhere to regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to build customer trust and avoid legal hassles. The centralized platforms of CDPs can help companies collect and manage all the data in a single location. It will also protect the PII details and audit them regularly. By storing all information in one place, a company can easily grant access to customers to view it upon request. This will help companies improve transparency, protect customers’ privacy, and maintain compliance.

  • Supports data-driven decision-making

In a fast-paced business landscape, companies have to make quick business decisions. For that, they need access to real-time data. CDPs can gather real-time information from different sources and provide timely insights on customer behavior and market demands. Such rich information can help decision-makers forecast trends and behaviors accurately and devise strategies to meet them. CDPs are truly useful in improving decision-making and aiding innovation. It enables companies to accelerate go-to-market strategy and gain a competitive advantage.

How Telecom Operators Can Benefit From CDPs

A telecom operator receives customer first-party data, including PII details, customer usage patterns, travel habits, device preferences, and billing information.

If used correctly, all this information can help improve personalization.

According to McKinsey, telecom operators can boost revenue by 10% and customer engagement by 20-30% through data-driven personalization.

However, only 5% of them are harnessing data to personalize experiences.

That’s why CDPs are so vital for telecom operators. They can gather data about the customer into a unified platform and use it for the following purposes:

  • Personalize subscription plans and offers

Telecom operators can use CDPs to analyze usage patterns and recommend relevant subscription plans. For example, they can suggest unique roaming plans for frequent travelers or internet plans for remote professionals. This will help them deviate from the usual one-size-fits-all offerings and improve retention.

  • Upsell and cross-sell plans

CDPs offer a complete view of usage patterns, allowing operators to cross-sell or upsell relevant packages. For instance, they recommend location-specific data and voice call plans to frequent travelers and higher data plans to streaming users. This helps operators increase sales and drive revenue.

  • Reduce churn and retain customers

With the help of CDPs, operators can categorize users based on their activity and engagement levels and launch targeted campaigns. For instance, they can send renewal notifications to expiring subscriptions and display attractive data and voice packages to new customers. These individualized campaigns can reduce churn and increase retention.

  • Improve compliance

There’s a thin line between personalization and privacy violation. Telecom operators should be careful not to cross that fine line. A data breach or privacy violation could lead to irreparable damages to the operator’s reputation and revenue loss. CDPs can help operators adhere to compliance rules like GDPR. By breaking down silos, it unifies information, improving transparency and efficiency in data management. It can help operators establish data governance standards, improve access control, and track suspicious activities. It acts as a single source of truth and provides more visibility on how data is stored, accessed, and handled. It makes monitoring and tracking efficient.

How Can Telecom Operators Enable Innovation With CDPs?

The telecom industry is evolving rapidly, making it increasingly complex for operators to differentiate themselves. It has become even more challenging for them, with the Millennials and Gen Z becoming the primary user base. They expect individualized experiences from their telecom operators.

Thus, companies need to devise unique initiatives to engage with them. For example, they could offer micro-finance for device purchases or do something as simple as streamlining the digital onboarding process.

CDPs help operators enable innovation #ei, offering valuable insights into customer behavior.

It’s an excellent technology to retain your users, earn more revenue, and grow.

To know more about how CDPs and other technologies can benefit your business, contact us.

 

The Exciting Promise of Generative AI in the Telecom Sector

The telecom sector is experiencing rapid technological evolution and adoption. Telecom-specific technologies heralded by the coming of 5G and the rise of themes like OpenRAN, and network virtualization are helping improve efficiency and performance. The rise of technologies such as cloud, IoT, and 5G are also helping this sector improve operational efficiencies and elevate security. They are also helping in fraud prevention and helping companies drive personalized customer experiences.

Rising cost pressures and increasing competition are further incentivizing technology exploration for telecom and network operators, CSPs, and others operating in the telecom universe.

Generative AI is emerging as a new force promising transformational outcomes to the telecom industry and helping them navigate some of their most pressing challenges.

Why should the telecom sector pay attention to Generative AI?

AI has been one of the most talked-about technologies of our time. Generative AI is expected to be bigger and more impactful.

Reports suggest that the Generative AI market is to grow a staggering US$1.3 trillion in the next 10 years. The global Generative AI in telecom market size, estimated at USD 150.81 million in 2022, is expected to touch approximately USD 4,883.78 million by 2032.

Generative AI could find many applications in telecom and has a large impact area. For instance, it could allow telcos to work with huge data volumes and give them insights into identifying patterns to drive a positive impact on the bottom line. It promises to create opportunities to redefine how the telecom sector operates, engage with customers, optimize services, secure operations, and drive profits.

Generative AI seems to have the potential to solve complex problems and find several application areas in the telecom ecosystem.

Some of them are:

Network performance optimization

Telecom networks are vast and complex. Thousands of interconnected components run this ecosystem. Network reliability and performance are of paramount importance.

Generative AI can improve the performance, efficiency, and reliability of telecommunications networks to satisfy the ever-increasing demands of different customer segments. The technology can also support 5G initiatives by providing intelligence for load balancing and traffic shaping.

CSPs can use Generative AI solutions to unearth advice from vast amounts of unstructured data. This helps in network performance optimization, operating cost management, avoiding over or under-provisioning resources, and overall network management improvement.

Resource planning, management, and optimization

Telecos can now use the power of Generative AI to plan and build networks more efficiently to improve network performance and improve costs. This technology allows telcos to extract insights from unstructured data. This allows them to analyze data from sources such as social media, emails, customer calls, etc. to predict future demand for services.

It can analyze large data sets on network usage and predict where resources are likely to be needed. Better resource allocation capabilities directly translate to better user experience, improved customer experience, and more cost optimization.

Security and fraud detection

AI has been at work helping telcos enhance the security of their networks for a while now. With Generative AI telcos can examine larger, unstructured data sets, and set rules and user behaviors. This allows them to identify patterns that detect malicious activities and attacks proactively and effectively.

Generative AI allows telcos to move beyond static rules to address rapidly evolving and advanced threats targeting CSP networks. Algorithms that adapt to the changing threat landscape, automate anomaly detection and enable automatic remediation actions. These can present relevant data to human security analysts for faster issue detection and resolution.

Enable innovation and accelerate R&D

One of the emerging challenges in the telecom sector is the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. Maintaining data privacy and security is becoming important for compliance with regulations like GDPR.

Generative AI can generate large volumes of synthetic data. This makes it uniquely positioned to help telecom companies and CSPs fuel innovation exploration and accelerate research and development.

Synthetic data resembles real data. It can thus be used to test and develop solutions. It can also be used to drive analytics and probabilities without exposing customer/sensitive information. This helps telcos drive their innovation agendas while maintaining data privacy, mitigating risks, and ensuring compliance.

Customer Experience

Generative AI presents numerous opportunities to influence customer experience. These range from user behavior modeling to predict customer response to new services, pricing models, and network changes. It could also be possible to identify ways to enhance service delivery with generative AI-powered chatbots as well as to adopt more intelligent CRM systems.

Intelligent virtual assistants can help the telecom sector improve operational efficiencies by relieving customer service agents of routine tasks and freeing them up for more complex assignments.

Generative AI can be used to power CRM systems and analyze extensive real-time data to gain deep insights into customer behavior. It helps companies identify potential churn risks, reduce response times, and enhance support experiences. Gen AI can analyze customer interactions, sentiment, and behavior data to grasp customer sentiments and preferences, foresee customer requirements and preemptively tackle potential concerns.

Smart Billing

Telcos can add greater intelligence to billing systems, increase billing accuracy, and reduce manual work and human errors with Generative AI. The technology can analyze customer usage data and behavior patterns and assist in creating personalized billing plans that improve customer satisfaction and reduce billing disputes.

Generative AI also finds application in fraud mitigation with a powerful algorithm ecosystem that examines trends and abnormalities in network data. The telecom sector can look at Generative AI to prevent phishing, sim-card cloning, and other security vulnerabilities and protect sensitive infrastructure and consumer data from unauthorized access or attacks.

Generative AI holds tremendous potential to drive transformational outcomes in the telecom sector. It will be interesting to see how the industry progresses to adopt it.

 

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