Category: Technology

Security Scares – 5 Stories in the News About Fraud and Risks in the Telecom World

The telecom industry is growing rapidly and becoming a pivotal enabler of the world’s progress. Various factors, like the advent of 5G, remote and hybrid work, rising demand for high-speed data services, etc., are now seen as integral to this growth. Of course, the use of IoT, AI, and edge computing has also catapulted the telecom industry to the forefront in the business innovation stakes.

According to Statista’s research, $1.5 trillion will be spent worldwide on telecom this year alone. While this shows the size and scale of the industry, some concerns remain persistent. Key among those are concerns about rising fraud in the telecom industry worldwide. In 2021, the telecom industry worldwide lost about $40 billion due to fraud.

Let’s find out how fraud in telecom industry has shocked companies, customers, and lawmakers and why a robust fraud management system in telecomis necessary to curb them.

Five Stories of Fraud in Telecom World

To better elucidate the impact of telecom fraud, here’s a rundown of the five security scares that plagued the telecom industry:

1. Why Vodafone Is Issuing Warning About Wangari Fraud

Wangari is a Japanese term that means one and cut. In this scam, the scammers call a targeted list of subscribers and hang up the phone before they answer. They usually call at a time when the subscriber is less likely active. When the subscriber calls back on that number, the call is re-routed to an international premium number, and they are charged for the call.

Owing to the growing number of Wangiri frauds, Vodafone recently released an official security memo, warning users to exercise caution and avoid returning calls to unknown numbers. They added that users who are not careful about such fraud in telecom would be left with a hefty bill without realizing it.

2. How SIM Box Fraud Cost Telecom Companies $3 Billion

A SIM box is a hardware device. It allows operators to manage SIM cards from different service providers and access GSM gateways located in different places. Operators usually use it to route Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls through local GSM networks. This is done to avoid paying international calling tariffs.

Recently, telecom providers have witnessed an increase in SIM Box fraud. In this fraud, international numbers pretend to be local numbers and cost telecom companies the international call fees. According to the Communications Fraud Control Association (CFCA), SIM Box fraud cost the telecom industry $3.11 billion in 2021.

SIM Box fraud has emerged as the topmost telecom fraud in recent years. Besides losing revenue, telecom companies also lose their reputation as end users suffer from poor service quality. As such, they need to improve telecom security to reduce such fraud.

3. Scammers Steal Bank Information in the Name of 5G SIM Upgrade

As customers mull over upgrading to 5G, telecom companies and state police departments in India are issuing warnings about 5G fraud. In this fraud, customers receive text messages with a link to upgrade their SIM card from 4G to 5G. When the customer clicks on the link, there is a risk of hackers hacking the phone and stealing personal and bank information.

According to police departments, there have been instances of accounts getting emptied due to the 5G SIM upgrade scam. Telecom companies and police departments have clarified that upgrading SIM cards to 5G is not necessary. The 5G connection will work on compatible smartphones with the old 4G SIM.

4. How Mobile Users Lost $58 Billion in 2023 Due to Robocalls

Popularized during COVID-19, robocalls are automated calls where a recorded voice speaks instead of a live person. Robocalls are typically used for selling products, sending reminders, or providing information. However, scammers are also using them to steal money or personal information from customers.

According to Juniper’s research, mobile users lose $58 billion worldwide due to scam calls like robocalls. The report predicts that by 2027, the losses will reach $70 billion globally. North America continues to be one of the most affected regions.

5. IRSF Losses Have Increased Six-Fold Over the Past Decade

International Revenue Share Fraud (IRSF) is a type of fraud where scammers use illegal ways to access an operator’s network. This allows them to perform illicit activities, such as:

  • Increasing the volume of international traffic to high-cost destinations with revenue-sharing agreements
  • Generating revenue by using complex pricing structures for international calls and SMS traffic

Recent studies show that IRSF losses have increased more than six-fold over the past decade. Such fraud can also lead to revenue leakage for telecom companies and leave customers unhappy due to unnecessary financial loss.

It’s critical that companies use telecom security solutions powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). They can help detect IRSF patterns early and curb them on time. Otherwise, companies will likely lose more revenue and customer trust in the future.

How Can Telecom Companies Combat These Frauds?

Fraud in telecom industry is not new. However, it has become more sophisticated and widespread in recent times, wiping out unsuspecting customers’ entire savings.

These frauds are not only impacting the revenue of telecom companies, but they are also at risk of losing customers. Trust between customers and telecom companies is eroding due to issues like:

  • Poor call quality
  • Identity theft
  • Overcharging
  • Charging for unused services

The only way to prevent such fraud is by using an anti-fraud solution. A traditional fraud detection system for telecom may no longer be able to detect and solve such sophisticated fraud. These systems are more reactive than proactive.

What companies need is a modern solution that:

  • Uses AI and ML to detect fraud and anomalies in real-time
  • Makes proactive decisions to curb the identified anomalies

At Globe Teleservices, we have built a robust fraud detection solution called Armour Firewall Solution to safeguard customers from fraud like:

  • Wangari attacks
  • SIM farming
  • Robocalling
  • IRSF
  • International outbound call fraud

The solution uses AI/ML algorithms to detect such emerging threats and empower telecom companies to stop them before they escalate further. To know more about Armour Firewall Solution and other fraud detection systems in the telecom industry, contact us. We will help you prevent fraud, save your reputation, and improve the trust between you and your customers.

Why A2P SMS Is Back in the News

As more companies switch to digital strategies, it’s expected that they will communicate more with their customers through digital channels. With the increase in mobile subscribers, there is a growing demand for text-based messages (or SMS). As compared to business emails, text messages have a higher open rate of 98%. What’s even better is that 9 out of 10 mobile users open and read their text messages.

These are some of the factors driving the adoption of Application-to-person (A2P) SMS in 2023. According to Juniper Research, A2P business messages are expected to reach 3.5 trillion in 2023. Grand View Research values the global market for A2P messaging at $66.84 billion in 2022. This is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.9% till 2030.

Latest Trends in A2P SMS Marketing in 2023

In simple language, A2P SMS is any form of text message sent by an application to a subscribed mobile user. Users can opt to subscribe to text messages from business applications.

What makes A2P marketing useful for business enterprises? Besides being cost-effective, A2P messaging is useful for sending different types of messages, including:

  • Marketing messages or campaigns
  • Appointment or subscription renewal reminders
  • Alerts or notifications
  • Surveys and voting
  • One-time passwords (OTPs) as part of two-factor authentication

Thanks to technology trends like the emergence of shortcodes, enterprises can now send out a larger volume of A2P messages to their subscriber base. For telecom operators, A2P SMS is beneficial as they know immediately if the message has been delivered or not. This helps them maintain and refresh their database of active mobile numbers.

How can A2P SMS services benefit businesses in 2023? Let’s discuss that next.

Benefits of A2P SMS in 2023

In 2023, enterprises across industry verticals like healthcare, travel, and eCommerce will send A2P SMS messages to build customer relationships. To this end, here is why A2P messaging is beneficial:

1. Cost-Effectiveness

SMS-based messaging is among the most cost-effective modes of communicating with customers. Besides, enterprises can now send the same promotional offers or campaign-based messages to thousands of customers simultaneously.

2. Immediate Delivery

With A2P SMS, digital marketers can now send important messages immediately to their consumer base. On average, 90% of mobile users read their messages within 3 minutes of receiving them. On the other hand, email users can take hours or days to read & respond to their email messages.

Besides, customers are 4.5% more likely to respond or act upon brand SMSes than emails. On average, it takes them 90 seconds to respond to an SMS and 90 minutes to respond to an email.

3. Secure Access

In recent years, issues like data breaches have prompted the development of better security standards for enterprises. As online transactions increase, businesses realise the importance of one-time passwords or transaction alerts for their customers. Due to time sensitivity, OTPs or password resets delivered through A2P SMS mode are most effective.

Besides, methods like two-factor authentication and OTP encourage more mobile users to switch to digital transactions – thus generating more business revenue.

4. On-time Alerts and Notifications

Healthcare and insurance companies are also using the A2P SMS system to automatically send out reminders for medical appointments and payment of insurance premiums.

Likewise, with the growth of OTT platforms, subscribers no longer must check out their subscription renewal date. SMS notifications provide them with ample time to complete the renewal if they wish to.

Challenges Facing A2P SMS in 2023

Despite increasing competition from other marketing approaches, SMS is still the preferred tool for most enterprises. However, the A2P messaging service also has its share of challenges, which make it difficult to realise its complete potential in today’s competitive environment.

Here are some of the challenges that enterprises face with A2P SMS service:

1. SMS-related Frauds and Malpractices

As is the case of any digital medium, A2P SMS messaging also has its share of “bad” actors and fraudulent intermediaries. For instance, intermediary companies do find a way to send fraudulent messages to genuine customers. Besides, bad actors indulge in SMS-related malpractices like grey routing, masking, and SIM farming.

2. Extreme Variations in Price

Global enterprises have to deal with challenges like country-specific regulations and price variations. Depending on the country, local partners can charge different rates, thus making it unsustainable to maintain SMS services.

3. Poor Customer Experience (CX)

Illegitimate SMS traffic can lead to poor CX, which is another challenge in A2P SMS services. Also, a legitimate A2P SMS from an unknown sender can create customer fatigue. Often, mobile users have to deal with issues like poor-quality text and below-par messaging.

The Globe Teleservices Advantage

Despite advanced digital marketing tools, enterprises continue to rely on the SMS medium as a fast, cost-effective, and reliable form of marketing. As outlined in this article, in 2023, A2P SMS offers a host of benefits as compared to business email marketing.

Globe Teleservices provides its customers with effective A2P SMS solutions with features like:

  • Global or international coverage
  • Compliance with local or regional industry regulations
  • Enhanced CX by eliminating any grey routes
  • Faster and reliable message deliveries

Want to know how to leverage A2P SMS for your business success? Get in touch with us.

 

Balancing Cost and QoS in International Calls

The advent of high-speed 5G internet presents both challenges and opportunities for global telecom players. In an increasingly competitive market, telecom players are emphasising customer retention more than acquiring new customers. This has put the focus on the importance of Quality of Service (QoS) in international voice communication for enterprises.

High-speed communication in the form of voice, video, and multimedia requires telecom providers to guarantee a consistent level of QoS for their customers. After all, call quality has a direct impact on customer experience (CX). Majority of the consumers view CX as a major factor when selecting their telecom service provider. They are even willing to spend more for an exceptional CX. On the flip side, however, they can be proactive in switching brands after a poor experience.

That brings us to the question – what are the current challenges facing telecom providers in improving their QoS?

Let’s discuss them in the following section.

5 QoS Challenges in International Communication

Despite the advancement in business communication, voice-based communication is still relevant for customer-centric enterprises.

Here are 5 QoS-related challenges associated with international communication:

1. Real-Time Call Monitoring

As a business practice, real-time call monitoring enables organizations to improve call quality as well as measure the efficiency of customer response. For instance, call monitoring in customer support teams is used to ensure quality assurance and train new customer support executives.

Additionally, with real-time call monitoring, organisations can leverage speech analytics to improve the customer experience. However, the challenge lies in implementing a cost-efficient call monitoring solution for overall business success.

2. Fraud Detection

Fraud calls or phone spam is another major challenge in the voice communication domain. In 2022, scam victims in Singapore were duped of S$660.7 million (up from S$632 million in 2021).

In recent years, voice-based phishing (or vishing) has been deployed by cybercriminals to extract sensitive information from the victims. According to a report, in March 2022, organizations experienced the highest number of vishing attacks ever recorded, surpassing the previous record set in September 2021. Vishing is also directed at enterprises and their employees to obtain vital account-related information.

3. Integrating Multiple Communication Channels

For effective customer retention, organizations need to maintain consistency across different communication channels and touchpoints. Besides voice communication, today’s customers have access to other communication channels, including email, chat, social media, and more.

To that end, organizations need to efficiently integrate and coordinate their customer communication channels. Through proper integration, they can ensure consistent CX and avoid any duplication. By leveraging data-driven insights from these channels, enterprises can also improve their communication strategy and personalize customer interactions.

4. High Latency

A January 2021 survey found that business leaders prioritise call latency over speed. 9 out of every 10 business executives believe that business success depends more on low latency.

High call latency can easily impact call quality, thus frustrating both consumers and business executives. More profoundly, it can cause delays in voice communication and adversely impact customer experience.

To improve latency-related challenges, organizations must consider the following measures:

  • Upgrading their existing call infrastructure and communication devices
  • Improving their call routing system
  • Choosing the right telecom service provider
5. Cost Management

The latest telecom statistics stress that 77% of consumers believe a phone call is the best way to get answers to their queries. Also, 65% of consumers prefer to contact a business by phone.

With the increasing adoption of voice communication tools, companies are incurring more costs with their legacy communication equipment and tools.

Here are some of the cost-related challenges that enterprises face:

  • Upgrading and replacing their communication equipment and hardware devices
  • Increased time and money spent by enterprises in addressing customer concerns and queries
  • A shortage of skilled communication specialists adds to an organization’s hiring and training costs
How Can We Help in Balancing Cost and QoS in International Calls

Even with the proliferation of other digital communication channels, voice communication tools remain relevant for customer-facing enterprises. The challenge for enterprises is to balance their QoS with the cost factor.

Globe Teleservices  has designed and implemented international  voice communications  for businesses across the globe. Our voice-based solutions have enabled our customers to centralize their customer communication, integrate with multiple channels, and optimize voice calls anywhere in the world.

Our integrated voice platform offers multiple business benefits, including:

  • Cost-effectiveness – with affordable international calls at optimum call quality
  • Quality assurance – driven by global partnerships and dynamic call routing capabilities
  • Anti-fraud management – achieved by the use of business intelligence (BI) for monitoring network traffic
  • Dynamic routing and analytics – with low-cost best quality routing (LCBQR) services for both telecom retailers and operators

Are you looking for a cost-effective mode to improve the quality of service in international calls? Let us help you.  Get in touch with us today!

The Modern Technologies Coming Together to Elevate Customer Experience in The Telecom Sector

Delivering products and services to the customers of today in a way that best suits them has become a top priority of today’s telecom C-suite. But as customer journeys become increasingly complex and expectations surge, enhancing customer experiences is no longer straightforward.

Read on to know why customer experience has become so crucial and the role technologies play in driving better engagement.

Customer experience has become a competitive differentiator for the telecom sector

In this customer-centric era, enterprises are increasingly recognizing that their businesses must prioritize customer needs.

Customer loyalty is no longer dependent on brand value, product capabilities, or low prices as much as it is on quality of service. As the telecom industry evolves with new trends, norms, and standards, customer experience has become a crucial factor for telecom success.

With users increasingly working from home, they demand high uptime, reliability, and availability of networks. They are quick to change operators if they are not satisfied with the quality or level of service offered. Catering to customer needs offers telecom providers opportunities to meet expectations, deliver services promptly, and preempt challenges affecting customer satisfaction.

Building cutting-edge telecom products, optimizing services, and providing positive customer experiences enable telcos to enhance customer loyalty. A good customer experience also ensures significant economic and strategic advantages for telecom providers. They open doors to better cross-sell and upsell opportunities while introducing new streams of revenue for the business. In the long run, a good customer experience translates into happier customers, better margins, and a stronger market position.

But there are many challenges telecom providers encounter along the way 

A high-quality customer experience guarantees better customer loyalty and retention. But for telecom providers, continuously acclimatizing to new and higher expectations from users streaming their favorite TV series on online streaming platforms isn’t easy. With any time, anywhere access and connectivity becoming a requisite, there are many challenges telecom providers encounter along the way:

  • Addressing security challenges: With telecom customers extremely susceptible to modern-day frauds and attacks, the many shortcomings in enterprise data security initiatives put customer experience at risk. As social engineering threats become increasingly prevalent, the absence of robust fraud detection solutions makes addressing security concerns a huge challenge.
  • Driving omnichannel consistency: Another challenge telecom providers face in enhancing customer experience is enabling and sustaining omnichannel consistency. With telecom customers using an array of channels for collaboration, work, and entertainment purposes, it becomes difficult to achieve faster, safer, and smarter communication.
  • Meeting regulatory requirements: The inability of telecom providers to meet evolving regulatory and compliance requirements also impacts the customer experience in the long run. Lack of authentication or tracking makes it difficult to prevent regulatory oversights during communications. At the same time, telcos face a tough time identifying unethical practices by telemarketers and/or recording their activities.
How modern technologies come together to make the customer experience better

New technologies facilitate seamless and consistent telecom customer journeys, allowing for personalized experiences and interactions across multiple channels.

Let’s look at 5 such technologies that can enable telcos to increase agility and provide the intuitive experiences that their customers have become accustomed to:

  1. Automation: Automation offers several ways to boost omnichannel engagement and customer experience. Automating error-prone, mundane, and repetitive tasks can enable telecom providers to focus on strategic initiatives that improve customer acquisition and loyalty rates. From streamlining and tracking conversions to automating customer responses – technology works wonders to remove friction points and nurture relationships. In a February 2022 survey of global marketers, 43% cited improved customer experience as the top advantage of marketing automation.
  2. Data analytics: Data analytics can play a huge role in personalizing customer experiences. According to a report, 90% of executives worldwide leverage data analytics to enhance their customer experience. In-depth customer analytics across social media interactions, past behavior, and current sentiments can enable telecom providers to identify the latest trends and expectations. By knowing what customers love, analytics can empower telcos to build the right products, offer the right services, and craft the right experiences. In the long run, this can help enhance customer lifecycle journeys for the best upselling and cross-selling experiences.
  3. Digital document processing: The use of digital technologies for document processing can streamline the customer onboarding process. Instead of manually entering customer details into digital systems, telecom providers can make use of processing systems to feed and process customer information. This can enable quicker and more accurate information retrieval from customer forms. Intelligent character and pattern recognition using machine learning can further make the customer onboarding process smart, effective, and error-free.
  4. Security: Embracing security solutions that are powerful without being intrusive will also go a long way in enhancing customer satisfaction. With the right security controls in place, providers can address evolving security challenges while keeping their voice channel and messaging environments secure. For instance, state-of-the-art fraud detection and analytics systems allow telecom providers to validate numbers, route calls, and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. This can also help them protect their network subscribers, proactively track frauds, and eliminate threats in time.
  5. Blockchain: Blockchain technology is a great way for telcos to authenticate and track events to prevent regulatory oversights during communications. The technology can be used to identify telemarketers and record their activity across channels. Blockchain can also make audits simple and allow for real-time consent management – thus scrubbing unsolicited commercial communications (UCC) across messaging networks.

For telecom providers, engaging and seamless customer experiences provide the greatest potential to increase profits. If you want to shape the modern telecom landscape, you must integrate technology into your business operations and build the right foundation of quality, efficiency, and security.

A New Innovation for Improving Security

The mobile phone or smartphone is at the heart of the digital economy, and understandably so. In the age of digital transformation, mobile devices are elevating the convenience associated with real-time communication, online shopping, and digital banking.

As mobile-based services continue to rise, so does the need for identity-based security. According to a Javelin Strategy report, identity-related frauds cost companies $52 billion and impacted over 42 million citizens in 2022 in the US alone. Experian’s Global Identity & Fraud Report  shows how the APAC markets are also troubled with identity fraud, with one in four consumers falling prey to the same.

Telecom operators do not simply approach mobile identity as the means to sign in and perform authentic transactions. Mobile identity is also the key to preventing identity fraud and validating user actions. Hence, in recent years, mobile identity solutions have been gaining more adoption in the telecom sector.

Overall, the global market for digital identity solutions is projected to grow to $70.8 billion by the year 2030. According to >Juniper Research, mobile identity solutions will be the source of identification for over 3 billion mobile users by 2024.

But what are mobile identity solutions, and how can they improve security? Let’s discuss.

What are Mobile Identity Solutions?

Mobile identity solutions are online verification tools that enable real-time user identification and verification. With their secure authentication layer, these solutions can secure all types of digital transactions happening on user-owned mobile phones. Additionally, mobile identity solutions can easily integrate with other mobile apps through APIs.

How do mobile identity solutions work? Through access to user data collected by the telecom operators.

This includes customer data such as:

  • Mobile number
  • First and last name
  • Registered address
  • Device location and type

Depending on the provider, mobile identity solutions provide a host of features, including:

  • Federated identity or a single sign-on service that uses the same digital identity across multiple systems and devices.
  • Multi-factor authentication or additional security layers for users’ access to confidential data and services on mobile phones.
  • Digital signatures for using the same identity across a range of services.
  • Service portals through which brands can send SMS to mobile users highlighting their products or service.

Next, let’s discuss the benefits of mobile identity solutions.

Benefits of Mobile Identity Solutions

With the increase in online fraud, telecom companies realise the importance of mobile identity solutions in user authentication. Here are some of the security-related benefits of using a mobile identity solution:

1. Authentic Transactions

In today’s digital economy, the mobile phone is driving both economic and social transformation. As more consumers switch to online transactions, companies need to provide them with a safe and authentic way to perform these transactions. Mobile identity solutions provide this level of security – along with the convenience of easy user validation and authentication.

2. Prevention of Digital Fraud

As more mobile data gets transmitted on the web, there are higher chances of data leakage or “bad” actors intercepting the data. In most online frauds, hackers are interested in stealing users’ information, like their credit card numbers, social security numbers, or even their medical information. Identity solutions provide users with guidelines on digital privacy.

3. Improves Brand Trust

With in-built call portals, mobile identity solutions enable companies to build brand trust among customers. Every call is now identifiable with the brand name, social media handle, and company logo. Besides improving brand recall, mobile identity helps customers identify unknown numbers or those without any digital identity.

4. Data Protection with Digital Identity Wallets

Digital identity wallets provide a safe and convenient tool for mobile users. They can use wallets to verify their identity, perform authorised transactions, and electronically sign documents. Mobile identity wallets also protect confidential information using secure protocols like two-factor authentication and one-time passwords.

5. Instant User Validation

Mobile identity solutions can quickly validate users on their registered mobile phones. They can streamline sign-up processes and user logins without any interruption. By authenticating online transactions, they can shorten the purchase cycle, thus improving brand trust and loyalty. Additionally, they can reduce customer churn by seamlessly integrating with third-party customer solutions.

Summing Up

In summary, mobile identity solutions provide a safe and convenient solution to authenticate and validate mobile phone users. In the telecom sector, mobile-based identity is quickly replacing traditional forms of paper-based identification methods. Identity solutions can counter the challenges of online fraud, identity theft, and data breaches.

With its innovative solutions and technology expertise, Globe Teleservices has served as a reliable partner for global telecom companies. Our tech-driven business solutions can meet their current and future business requirements. We offer a host of technology-related services in mobility solutions, cloud computing, international messaging, and managed services.

Looking for a reliable technology partner for your telecom solutions? Get in touch with us today.

 

A Modern Vision of an Enterprise Communication System on the Cloud

Over the years, enterprise communication tools have constantly evolved in both form and technology. During the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations quickly embraced the cloud platform for their communication and collaboration needs. In fact, in the year 2020, 61% of businesses migrated to the cloud and have since not looked back.

As it stands, the global market for cloud communication tools will grow to $22.4 billion by 2028, up from $4.63 billion in 2021.

But what’s driving the growing adoption of cloud communication today?

Notably, after reaching 1 billion subscriptions in 2022, 5G technology is expected to boost cloud communication. Also, Gartner predicts that AI-powered chatbots will emerge as the primary channel for customer service by 2027.

At the same time, it’s noteworthy that organizations face various challenges with their existing communication infrastructure. Let’s discuss them and outline the benefits of an enterprise communication system on the cloud.

Current Challenges in Enterprise Communication

Effective enterprise communication can either make or break the business. It can improve work-related productivity among employees, increasing efficiency and profitability.

Here are some existing challenges that are currently hindering enterprise communication:

1. Non-Standardised Communication Strategy

Companies without a standardized communication strategy are unable to address questions such as:

  • How should communication flow between employees at the same level?
  • How should company updates be delivered to employees – internal calls or official emails?

Large enterprises require a strategic approach to communication between the leadership team and employees.

2. Outdated Technology

Businesses often adapt slowly to the latest technologies in their communication strategy. This, again, poses numerous challenges, such as low employee engagement and inefficient sharing of real-time business information.

As enterprises switch to the remote working model, they cannot sustain their business using outdated communication tools and technologies. For instance, companies use email tools as the primary mode of enterprise communication. While they work great for external customer communication, they’re not so effective for internal communication.

3. Overload of Information

Information overload is among the leading challenges facing enterprise communication. To improve employee engagement, organisations must regularly inform their workforce about important business decisions and policies. However, this can also lead to unnecessary information overload in the form of unread emails and information that is not relevant to their work.

Additionally, constant team meetings or emails can impact the workforce’s time and productivity.

4. Organisational Silos

Organisational silos (or poor cross-functional collaboration) are another communication-related challenge for most enterprises. Effectively, this means organisations have multiple functions that fail to share information with other departments. Lack of cross-functional communication can ultimately lead to customer complaints and loss of revenue.

How does cloud communication address these challenges? Let’s discuss.

Benefits of Cloud Communication Systems

A cloud-based communication system is the best solution for enterprises looking for business agility and cost-effective communication with customers and employees.

Here are some of the cloud communication capabilities that can benefit enterprises of all sizes:

1. Designed for Remote Working

The future of the workplace is no longer restrained to any location. For organizations adopting the “work-from-home” model, work doesn’t take place within any office or cubicle. With cloud communication tools like internet phones, instant chats, and video conferencing, the geographical location of users does not matter anymore. For example, a cloud-powered VoIP system can facilitate communication with its plugin functionality.

2. Centralised Communication System

Organizations waste both time and productivity working with disparate communication tools that are not easy to learn. On cloud platforms, organizations can build a single centralized system that can reduce wasted time and efficiency. Safe to say, employees have a streamlined experience with a single communication platform, which can also boost their engagement and productivity.

3. Unified Communication Across Platforms

Enterprise-level companies need to communicate using more than voice. For example, communication platforms can include video-calling, voice connectivity, and text messaging. Cloud communication enables unified communication by integrating all these capabilities as a single service.

4. Streamlined Communication Between Departments

Using cloud-based tools, organizations can now streamline collaboration between departments or business functions. This effectively eliminates silos and encourages information sharing. For example, the cloud-powered UCaaS application serves all communication needs by tracking conversations and collaboration among bigger teams.

The Way Forward with Cloud Connect

Effective communication is the cornerstone of realising business success in any industry domain. To this effect, outdated communication tools are among the leading challenges facing business enterprises.

As a telecom solution provider, Globe Teleservices (or GTS) has developed Cloud Connect — a smart communication tool for enterprise customers. With this solution, organizations can set up a “virtual” office space in any remote location across the globe. Some of our cloud-powered products include local number service, mobile-based local number service, and unified communication.

Looking to implement the next-generation enterprise communication system on the cloud? Get in touch with our experts today!

 

The Essential Qualities To Look For in a Top-Notch Interconnects Provider

The market for global high-speed interconnects is estimated to reach $39.14 million by the end of 2023, increasing at a CAGR of 9% over the forecast period.

As most in the telecom business know, these interlinks are tangible connections, cables, and interfaces that allow information and data to flow seamlessly within complicated systems. They act as vital linkages between numerous components and devices, allowing communication, data transfer, and messages. Their importance arises from their capacity to maintain continuous connectivity, excellent performance, and dependable operation inside complex systems, as international telecom networks undeniably are.

A poorly constructed structure can cause a variety of problems that will plague your system from start to finish, so you want to make sure you’re picking the best provider out there.

This article discovers what qualities you should look for while selecting an interconnects provider:

The report rates the various solution providers across over 30 KPIs. Over the past decade, Rocco has adopted a market research approach based on:

Cost-Effectiveness

The best way of assessing the cost-effectiveness of your provider is to examine their value proposition. Consider the track record of the solutions, the warranty terms, and any additional services or support offered. Even though the cost may be slightly greater, a top-tier provider will offer interconnects that deliver long-term value and deep reliability.

While the overall cost is crucial, it is also critical to guarantee that the connections facilitated fulfil the requisite quality, dependability, and durability standards. When analysing overall cost efficiency, consider the total cost of ownership, which includes considerations such as upkeep, alternate options, and downtime support. For example, at Globe Teleservices, we provide our customers with premium assistance in making economical international calls without sacrificing call quality and overall performance.

Experience, Specialization, and Global Presence

Choosing a top-tier interconnects provider should include taking into account their years of industry experience. A long-standing presence illustrates a provider’s capacity to adapt to new technology and industry demands. It demonstrates their ability to overcome obstacles, build expertise, and sustain their firm over time.

Also, be sure to examine their track record by looking through case studies or success stories that demonstrate their experience in the industry. Next, look for a company that specialises in connectivity solutions for the telecom industry. This specialization demonstrates their in-depth knowledge in connecting technology and, therefore, the likelihood that they will be able to offer an effective solution.

Of course, consider whether they have a presence in international markets, such as Africa, Asia, Europe, and America, alongside their interconnects with global telecom providers. Overall, choose providers that have been at it for a while, as this means they have learned how to overcome the difficulties of this industry.

For this, look for client testimonials, reviews, or references to determine how they are regarded for customer satisfaction. Positive feedback demonstrates their dedication to quality and customer service.

Emphasis on Security

It is critical to evaluate the adherence to quality standards when selecting a top-tier telecom company. They must reflect their dedication to sustaining high-quality communication and standards across their whole operation.

Of course, different industries have their own set of criteria and regulations that interconnects must follow. The provider should show full awareness of these needs, as well as a track record of satisfying industry-specific standards.

When evaluating the quality of their services, be sure to ask these questions:

  • Do they ensure low latency for voice calls for better call quality?
  • What’s their approach to ensure the best high-quality international routes?
  • Do their solutions facilitate live quality assurance?

When it comes to the concept of “quality”, the company should ensure uninterrupted high-quality communication.

Support

They should be knowledgeable about the products they provide to be able to provide expert guidance and assistance. Whether it’s helping with product selection, troubleshooting problems, or making recommendations, the provider’s technical professionals should be accessible and dependable resources.

In concrete terms, evaluate the provider based on these questions:

  • Do they provide 24/7 NOC support?
  • How easily reachable are they?
  • What’s their response time for support requests?
  • Do they provide any aid for diagnostic and troubleshooting?
  • Do their support staff provide product training?
  • What level of technical support is facilitated?
Wrapping Up

The best service providers should not only offer top-notch solutions, but should also have a presence in international markets, adhere to security standards, provide 24/7 support, and ensure quality communication.

At Globe Teleservices, we provide our customers with the best-derived rates and help them enhance international voice communications. Learn more about our smart voice solutions here.

 

The Digital Transformation of Customer Experiences Must Start with Onboarding

Every interaction with the customer is an opportunity to create a positive impression. As businesses work hard to keep up with customer expectations, they are re-evaluating ways to elevate customer experiences with the most appropriate technology applications.

Customer behaviors have also evolved dramatically in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and have compelled industries to accelerate digital transformation initiatives. This digitization drive is compelling telecom operators to identify new revenue streams as plummeting revenues from voice and competition from OTT services have made the playfield more complex.

Telecom providers now have to provide value-added services in addition to their portfolio of offerings, enable mobile money, and integrate digital payments into the telecom ecosystem.

Challenges with Customer Onboarding

Today customer experience revolves around seamless integration and is driven by convenience. As such, the customer onboarding process is crucial, for it elevates the first step of the journey around any product lifecycle.

Customer onboarding is a very sensitive journey that customers embark on with businesses. A closer look at most customer onboarding journeys reveals the deficiencies of human touchpoints. Human touchpoints are the interfaces at which information is shared by the customer and the organization or business.

Customers don’t want to enter their information manually through these touchpoints and want seamless automation. The data is usually readily available and can be extracted from documents or found in-house and on external systems.

The latency between touchpoints, complex and demanding analogue interactions, and communications being delivered in formats which are not mobile-enabled impede customer experiences and increase frustration. Identifying ways to digitally transform the customer onboarding process emerges as a strategic priority to enhance the overall user experience.

Digital Transformation of the Onboarding Process is Imminent

As the competitive landscape becomes more challenging, telcos must look toward packing in as much value as possible into critical business operations such as the onboarding process. They need to mitigate the vulnerabilities of human touchpoints and ensure that customer journeys shift towards positive outcomes.

Digital onboarding is now an immediate priority for any business across any sector. Onboarding is described as the phase in which the customer gets started on using a product or service. All the processes that need to get the customer started to fall under the umbrella of onboarding.

Digitising onboarding demands the execution of these processes with the least manual intervention and ensures that customer onboarding and identity verification are simple, and intuitive, and don’t compromise on security.

Moving to digital onboarding is also becoming essential for telcos because of the increasing regulatory landscape and compliance demands. Staying compliant can add to overall costs but not staying compliant can cost a business more long-term.

With the compliance and regulatory landscape becoming strict and complex, there arises a demand for the increased accuracy of data processing. Maintaining data transparency has never been more critical than today. Elevating customer experiences need data, and expecting a customer to re-enter data or use a slow, manual process is what leads to customer frustration.

Digitization ensures that data is recorded, stored, and can be accessed at any time for designing personalised customer experiences.

Digital transformation of the customer experience also starts with onboarding because nothing causes more grievance to the customer than processing data that they know is already available somewhere. That apart, ensuring the integrity and security of the data is of critical importance not only to gain customer trust but also to remain on the right side of regulatory authorities.

How Digital Onboarding Drives Customer Experience

Digital onboarding uses an array of technologies to supercharge the entire customer acquisition process and ensure that they are engaged and happy with interactive experiences. Here’s how digital onboarding works:

  • Instant document validation and verification using machine learning and automated verification and identification technologies.
  • Simplified data entry and validation using OCR-based automated data extraction from documents. This also makes the process faster, more accurate and time-efficient.
  • Greater data accuracy and security using mobile apps. Apps request mandatory permissions necessary for the KYC process and also enable OTP-based validation.
  • Prevent impersonation fraud and make online onboarding more secure by leveraging machine learning-based face match validation and liveness detection.
  • Deliver country-specific identity document integration.
  • Deliver a higher degree of security and privacy protection using comprehensive security controls while facilitating fast authentication.
  • Make digital identity verification and onboarding convenient and secure by employing technologies such as AI, image analytics, and powerful automation.
  • Launch mobile money and financial services offerings with confidence while accounting for the regulatory demands of both the telecom and finance sectors.
Conclusion

Today’s customers are well versed with digital interactions and are clear in what they want from them. Seamless, simple, intuitive experiences contribute toward elevated customer experiences. The inability to do so causes customers to switch to competitors in no time.

Since first impressions are often last impressions, digitally driven onboarding processes help influence the customers positively and drive organisations on the path to profitability. Let us help you in your quest to boost customer engagement and loyalty by starting with customer onboarding.

 

What Does it Take to Build Cutting-Edge Telecom Products

Over the past few years, the telecom sector has come under increased pressure as traditional value pools fail to contribute to growth. While this sector has constantly been working towards building greater connections, it must now focus more on delivering digital-native (Uber and Netflix-like) experiences and redefining interaction models.

The rate at which telecom suppliers need to roll out products has increased dramatically as we step into the age of customer-backed disruption. The market for next-gen services is also growing, and business rules are changing – telecommunication has to do more than connect calls.

The pandemic further upended the world of telecom and brought about further disruption in this sector as customers wanted self-service, omnichannel interactions, and instant communication, with solutions offering them greater levels of personalisation and security.

Along those lines, realigning business strategies to accommodate market and customer demands has compelled telcos to operate like digital service providers. Some of the common challenges facing telcos today can be listed as:

  • Delivering quick and personalised, omnichannel customer service.
  • Navigating complex operational processes to accelerate the pace of service delivery.
  • Ensuring network security with the right technical, network, and operational upgrades.
  • Identifying revenue leaks through grey routes and improving the security posture
  • Driving elevated customer experience that mimics digital platform experiences like those offered by messaging services like WhatsApp.
  • Navigating the complex regulatory and compliance, and security landscape with ease.

Telecom products have to get a complete facelift now as broadband markets get more competitive and enterprise markets for private cellular networks and edge computing gain momentum.

The industry has embraced new networks, services, and applications such as 5G, distributed computing, and as artificial intelligence. These are driving enterprise interest in multi-access edge computing and private cellular networks.

Given the accelerating pace of change and disruption, telcos are identifying ways to fulfil the demand for ever-increasing communication speed, security concerns, and more interconnectedness.

Indeed, with constant and dynamic market shifts, telcos need dynamic and cutting-edge telecom products to help drive competitive differentiation and stay ahead of the curve. But what does it take to build these cutting-edge telecom products? Let’s explore.

Technical Depth

Building next-gen telecom products entail exploring the depth of technology and sustaining exhaustive technical knowledge. This involves being technology agnostic and using the best technology for the function rather than chasing the latest and shiniest new technology on the block.

Depth of technology also ensures the creative use of technology and the capacity to engage it to do more. AI and Machine Learning, for example, are technologies that are best suited to improve the security posture of telcos. Developing robust security products using these technologies helps telcos recognise and protect operators from all known types of voice fraud.

These technologies further provide complete 360-degree network protection for SMS traffic and give mobile operators and end-users a safe and secure messaging environment.

Innovation Focus

Having an unwavering focus on driving future-ready innovation is also essential to developing telecom products today. As the pace of technology change accelerates, telcos need to access products that can help them meet the needs of the present and also scale and meet the needs of the future.

Making the right technology considerations and using the right technologies and frameworks becomes a crucial contributor to these capabilities. Besides that, they have to know how the industry, market trends, customer demands, and technology competencies will evolve to ensure the longevity of these products.

A Comprehensive and Customisable Suite of Solutions

Technology products that can be leveraged as a comprehensive suite of solutions stand to gain an additional advantage. A stack telco operation and enterprise commercial communication services suite will consider all aspects that start from fraud management, regulatory compliance, and business intelligence and extend to customer engagement.

A full stack suite drives greater interconnectedness and elevates customer interactions. These products, however, should be completely configurable and meet the evolving needs of the business.

As such, these products need to be powerful, scalable, and flexible all-in-one business solutions and must blend quality with productivity. Well-designed, unified communication platforms also become crucial to this mix and drive meaningful customer interactions. They facilitate seamless and superior customer experiences across multiple channels.

Domain Knowledge

Profound domain knowledge of developing cutting-edge telecom products is non-negotiable to building products fit for today’s market. Understanding consumer needs and customer behaviours, the way customers want to engage with the product, comprehensiveness of solutions, security considerations and frameworks etc., are some factors that get organically covered with domain expertise.

While any software development company can build a telecom product, a development company that specialises in building telecom products will have greater experience.

They can identify all possible loopholes that impede product experience and find the best ways to secure the security perimeter. They can also discover ways to enhance customer experiences by driving omnichannel customer engagement to make conversations relevant and contextual while reaching them on their preferred channel for a richer experience.

Years of experience in telecom solution deliveries, market expertise, and implementation experience are factors to consider. Deep roots in voice, messaging, and data services with attention to regulatory compliance and security vulnerabilities are critical capabilities that further contribute to developing cutting-edge, robust, and secure telecom products.

The Bottom Line

International experience in developing trusted telecom products and solutions and efficient service delivery expertise skills to look for to ensure that products are comprehensive, capable, and well-suited to meet the evolving needs of modern telecom providers. Connect with us to know how we can help.

 

The Growing Importance of UCaaS as hybrid work becomes the norm

The Future of Work is Now.

With the rise of the hybrid workplace, UCaaS is becoming a must-have technology for every organization across any business. The business case for UCaaS isn’t new and buisnessess around the world are implementing this technology to encrypt communications, improve remote work, and streamline communications. Research shows that the global UCaaS market is growing and projected to reach USD 70 billion by 2028.

The new, hybrid workplace is all about flexibility. As VUCA continues to disrupt the world, organizations look toward building more operational resilience and ensuring nothing impacts business continuity.

UCaaS helps organizations to manage collaboration among employees, anywhere, anytime, over the cloud. It is a cost-effective solution for organizations across various industries and is well-suited to meet the latest demands of consumers.

UCaaS solutions are location-agnostic and help organizations deliver a consistent working experience, irrespective of whether employees are in the office, on the go, or the couch.

UCaaS is now a non-negotiable technology in the hybrid workplace and offers the following benefits:

Enable collaboration

Smooth collaboration is perhaps one of the clearest advantages delivered by UCaaS. UCaaS enables your workforce to receive the same seamless unified communication experience whether they are in the office or working remotely from a different location.

Unlike traditional premise-based communications, UCaaS allows employees to log in from anywhere on their preferred desktop or mobile device and get to work.

Since UCaaS is a centralized single platform, employees can access all communication and collaboration tools in one place. They do not need to switch through multiple applications to get work done. The solution saves time and improves productivity overall.

Enhance employee engagement

UCaaS is location-neutral and hosted on a cloud-based infrastructure, delivering greater uptime. UCaaS solutions provide employees access to real-time communications via iOS and Android devices, no matter where or how they work.

It simplifies the communication process and acts as a central hub for all interactions. It enables audio calls, video conferences, and file sharing.

Employees can easily navigate conversations with colleagues and customers irrespective of the location they are operating from. It enables real-time participation and allows those in remote locations to collaborate and contribute seamlessly with their colleagues.

UCaaS makes employee onboarding experiences more consistent, thus making it a valuable driver for employee engagement.

Employees get to participate in global projects, enjoy immersive work experiences, and feel included, despite working remotely.

Simplify IT management

Legacy communications create a massive load for IT departments. Keeping these systems up-to-date is effort-intensive, complex, and time-consuming. The complexity increases even more to accommodate the needs of the hybrid workforce. Executing upgrades in such systems become complicated and needs greater planning. There is also downtime to consider.

Legacy systems may also need a hardware upgrade to meet the rising demands of increased computing prowess. These upgrades can be expensive and managing disparate parts of multiple systems can become extremely complicated. IT teams also have to ensure that employees get access to new features and tools introduced in the ecosystem to grow fast.

UCaaS simplifies the systems updates for legacy infrastructures, making them seamless, automated, and fast. It frees up IT resources for high-value work and offers great scalability. Organizations can respond to market demands and add resources easily without pressuring IT teams.

Improve security

As the security perimeter of the enterprise blurs with the rise of hybrid work and the explosion of edge devices, organizations need to adopt new tools and strategies to maintain a robust security structure. UCaaS improves security posture, minimizes risks, and drives business continuity as solutions. It is hosted on off-site data centres and have built-in redundancies.

These solutions provide secure voice and data encryption and ensure that the data is secure when accessed from different locations. Improved access management and zero-trust security architecture are enabled with UCaaS to meet the security needs of the new hybrid workplaces.

However, not all UCaaS solutions are created equal. Reports show that between 50% and 75% of all help desk requests are related to a UC&C issue. Another survey revealed that 66% of respondents were moderately or extremely concerned that UC&C-related challenges could temporarily hinder productivity within their organization.

Organizations need to look for UCaaS vendors who furnish good quality-of-service (QoS) policies to drive real-time visibility to eliminate these challenges. Along with this, vendors need to deliver a comprehensive solution that allows organizations to reduce and consolidate the number of UCaaS platforms being used. UCaaS offers a unified view, greater visibility, and deep analytics to enhance decision-making capabilities and help drive better organizational outcomes. Additionally, they present quality communications services – from traditional UC&C and VoIP to video, business data applications, and more, on one platform.

We are happy to announce that we have recently bagged the Best Unified Communication Online Provider of the Year at the prestigious CC- Global Awards 2022. Let’s connect to see how we can be your partners for success by enabling your UCaaS journey. The carrier community believes in our solutions and you will know why when we connect!

 

Top