For some reason, I've had numerous discussions about customer relationship management in the telecommunications space recently.
Two colleagues complained bitterly about "incompetent" contact centre consultants, and another colleague tried to terminate a contract and offered vague threats about phoning the CEO of the cellular provider if the situation was not resolved promptly. She mentioned the CEO by name, as if they are buddies, to get the person on the other line to escalate her complaint.
Another colleague, who travels extensively, said he would no longer use the international roaming facility offered by the mobile operator he currently uses.
"They demanded I pay £150 upfront before they would enable it. So I bought an O2 SIM card for £3 from a supermarket, topped up with another £10 and was sorted," he says.
The operator lost this customer's international business, and is on the verge of losing a few more, and doesn't even know it.
Amid all this joy and cheer, I attended a media briefing where Doug Dorrat, a Microstrategy business intelligence executive, explained why telecoms operators (globally and locally) would soon be required to have insight into customers' general spending patterns and predict their possible short-term purchases.
Know the customer
Companies that have strong insight into customers' needs, and treat them as individuals, not segments, will reap the most benefits.
Damaria Senne, senior journalist, ITWeb
It's no longer enough to identify high-value customers and those who don't pay their bills on time, he said. Responding to customer care needs, such as enabling a new service when the customer needs it, and responding to complaints promptly and effectively, is also not enough, he noted.
Dorrat predicts the next wave of revenue will come from the telecoms provider's ability to connect its subscribers with other products they seek, and to benefit from the transaction. Companies that have strong insight into customers' needs, and treat them as individuals, not segments, will reap the most benefits.
If Dorrat is right, where does it leave Telkom, everyone's favourite punching bag? MTN, Vodacom and Cell C are also not doing much better, although the complaints are not as loud as against Telkom.
If you ask them, they will tell you about the resources they have poured into processes and training to ensure customers are given priority. At conferences, representatives from these providers explain ad nauseam about the shift to customer-centricity.
Yet, I wonder: in two years, will any of them know how regularly my news editor travels and what he requires for smoother communications? Better yet, will they have the facility to connect him with products and services he needs while on the trip? Or will they give him a long list of conditions he has to meet before they provide services?
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