The everyday telecommunications customer is increasingly comfortable and skilled with a digital experience platform to make purchases in every market, of every type – from the simple ordering of products, to entertainment downloads, to fintech tools and beyond. Communication Service Providers (CSPs) need to meet this demand with systems that are a combination of speed in delivery, simplicity in navigation, and wide-ranging control in terms of account management.
Telcos must continue to elevate the customer experience through their digital portals. In fact, this is a pivotal time period that will continue to differentiate the successful from the also-rans. Telcos have shown an uptick in 2020 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s annual analysis, but that is only after two stagnant years that represented a dip in the previous year before them. The industry as a whole still leaves more than a full third of customers less than satisfied with the service they receive.
It’s clear that there are real opportunities to reach an expansive number of customers who aren’t receiving the service that they want and increasingly expect, as well as genuine consequences for the CSPs that aren’t positioned to deliver it. One thing is consistent: year after year the research shows customers are more satisfied with a pure digital user experience rather than traditional touchpoints or a combination of the two.
Deeper engagement, increased opportunity through the digital journey
While the move toward digitization has been steadily increasing, there are still wide gaps in how telecoms have embraced their transformations. Only through concerted efforts to digitize across the entire scope of their organizations can telcos expect to stay afloat. But the positive news is that those who do continue to expand their cloud-based and on-demand services can also expect to do more than merely survive. They will experience increased revenue that will help them to thrive. The push for maximum digital transformation should not be viewed as a simple lateral move to maintain the status quo but one that will offer the ability to reach a sizable number of new customers that are waiting for more offerings, along with increased speed, service, and savings.
A holistic approach is the best way to envision and execute the transformation to a full digital experience, both pre- and post-sales. Offering a digital platform for potential clients helps set the groundwork to demonstrate the salient features available, the ease of navigation, and thus what they can and should be offering to their client-base, current and future.
After a transaction has been made, telcos can utilize their digital platform to streamline the onboarding process and offer a more detailed and meaningful exchange with clients. Digital marketplace platforms will allow total transparency and governance for customers and allow them to examine details of the relationship with finer precision in real time. This elevated level of information spurs questions from clients, and each of these inquiries represents an opportunity for greater engagement that may lead to other services you may provide. And of course, these services may be immediately provisioned through the digital portal rather than through a choppy and drawn-out exchange.
Customer service through a digital platform may be the most appreciated aspect in terms of the entire digital CX. The ease of access to invoices, help desk tickets, order placements, timeline tracking and a host of other information to manage accounts – all viewed through a single pane of glass – is a feature that will make customers ask themselves, how did we get this done before all of this?
That’s a great question for customers to ask if they are on board and enjoying their digital experience. It is a fatal question if they are wondering why their telco isn’t offering the services that they see others are receiving through a digital platform. Learn more about how the Acumen360™, the digital marketplace platform for the telecom industry, can help you enhance your bottom-line and most important initiatives.