Hi Alma, I guess for the first time I slightly disagree with you.
1. Transformation is a result and not a target/goal or objective. It is all about making fundamental changes.
2. Where to make those fundamental changes needs to be identified, understood and visualised
3. To curate the information needed, it will need to start internally
4. Decisions have to be made as to what segments/customers who are targeted
5. Build and "intimate" understanding of that segment customer (this is deeper than profiling) it requires first hand collaboration
6. With customer or enough representatives from the segment, agree on shortcomings or inefficiencies
7. Quantify shortcoming and inefficiencies
I provided a link to a very interesting article, you should read it and I bet you find it interesting. No, I am not the author :-)
Original Message:
Sent: Dec 05, 2018 03:59
From: Alma Bytyqi
Subject: Requirements for implementing CEM for a telco
Hello Cato,
Basically, what I recommend is precisely new approaches, methodologies and tool-sets in order to get better insight and change/diversify/open our industry, but we have to start with what we have and what we have is customer data. This will definitely put new demands and open new opportunities to Telcos.
Yes, routine jobs will be replaced by machines which will then open the doors to the creation of new jobs/profiles and probably some of them will include the management of costumer expectation in a new way.
At the end of the day we are in a transformation phase.
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Alma Bytyqi
Ipko Telecommunication
Original Message:
Sent: Dec 03, 2018 02:34
From: Cato Rasmussen
Subject: Requirements for implementing CEM for a telco
Cheers Alma,
If I am driving a car looking in the mirror, seeing what is behind me, I am all with you.
However, if I look forward I am not at all sure if what I see can be based on the same approaches, methodologies and tool-sets.
I totally agree on your point of cross functional teams, but under the condition that these teams are guided by leaders and not managers. Def. managers focus on doing things correctly, leaders focus on doing the right things. Telcos (fixed and mobile) are by and large deploying managers to manage projects.
Also, traditional project oriented approach work poorly when new thinking should be applied, also because of the managing aspect, tend to be victim of "death by politics".
Consider this:
If you get to know your customers behaviour in your world well enough. How well do you understand how customers view your impact on their world.
Today most people are online, telco plays a fundamental part of this fact. However, most of the money is not online yet.
The drive towards going beyond search by Internet and Smartphones to also tackle e-commerce, meaning addressing other market with more significant business impact with new technological layers such as machine learning and crypto.
This will most certainly put new demands (but also opportunities) on telcos. The opportunities and customers expectations will not be met if: 1. we manage by focusing on doing past thing correctly 2. Enter the challenge by old approaches 3. Existing methodologies
Prince2, Agile, Waterfall are all methodologies for implementing systems to fulfil requirements. Requirements are specification that for most part are determined by staff and their activities, and not overarching business capabilities taking in to consideration new business architectures.
With this said, most organisations, including telcos are seeing routine jobs being replaced by machines. If 50-60& of administrative work hours are moving from human to machines this will impact 2 things:
1. decrease flexibility, and
2, increase tolerance
How will you then go about managing customer expectations?
eager to hear your view.
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Cato Rasmussen
Independent
Original Message:
Sent: Nov 30, 2018 04:39
From: Alma Bytyqi
Subject: Requirements for implementing CEM for a telco
Hi Cato,
It is true that, as operators we generally do not exploit properly the wealth of data that we have, and that all those points you mentioned are correct moreover the external influences are very important on forecasting needs, profiling users, and generating insights.
1. Outside influencers
I believe the approach to developing a proper prediction analytics (and with it, a customer experience picture and customer expectation) must be changed in the same way Telco Cloud/ NFV is seeking to change the mentality, composition and way that teams are working, and this is challenging on its own.
To develop proper analytics we need cross-functional teams, not only teams that work in silos but teams composed of different profiles: engineering (SW developers, radio, core, etc), commercial and marketing, sales. Only when such team work not on project basis but as a fully functional team, we can have proper Prediction Analytics, using AI and ML/DL and generate useful insights, thus improve the customer experience as such.
Now, indeed for a small operator, it might be difficult to create such a team due to its cost.
2.disparate systems:
Definitely this is one of the first problematics but it lies on where the operator/provider stands on its digital path. Namely because of the historical way operators and service providers are organized, today, every silo is an island of its own.
Yes, it is a challenge to normalize data, however wrangling of data is a common process in data science, no matter the format. It just takes some effort and plan ahead; it is not easy but it should be doable. Again a cross-functional team would help.
3. OTTs:
Yes, definitely the OTTs are game-changers, but that does not necessarily mean a bad thing. CSP's/operators must find a way to capitalize on the new way user interact with technology. At the end of the day, in order to interact with those OTT's they need to use CSP/operators infrastructure.
Nonetheless, let's start from the beginning: how much does an operator need to know about what subscribers are doing exactly with i.e. Airbnb?
Data that the operator/service provider needs are essentially in its environment, such as:
- we know which Apps and sites are visited, when and how long/much
- With roaming data, we know the travelling patterns
- With mobile network, we know when and where the network is used, as well as the network quality served.
- We know when they payments are done, when new products are activated, etc.
All that is left is to correlate all these data and the outside factors.
So how much do we need to know what exactly the subscriber is doing on different platforms in order to produce some exploitable insights?
Just to add a note: not only mobile data is important but fix broadband as well for the same persona has a full life: outside using mobile network but also in-house using home network as well (Wi-Fi).
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Alma Bytyqi
Original Message:
Sent: Nov 19, 2018 08:46
From: Cato Rasmussen
Subject: Requirements for implementing CEM for a telco
Thanks Alma,
I do not disagree with you. But, I would add and would be curious the have your reaction view on the below.
1. many, if not most convergent CSP still do not have:
- Single view of customer
- Single point of contact
- Single view of customer products and services portfolio
- Single reporting environment
These are due to disparates systems with different data formats. We have always said that CSPs have a wealth of information, their challenge is to normalise the date to actually make use of the information.
Hence building analytics solutions is not a trivial thing, and most have failed. in my view due to a traditional Project management approach as opposed to a business model approach.
2. While CSPs in the past (eighties and nineties) had control of the communications environment, that is no longer the case. To collect data/information from own environment alone is not sufficient. Outside forces and trends, often within the same ecosystem have more impact on customer behaviour that the CSPs. E.g. AirBnB and their platform, joining tenants and landlords have influenced customers to willingly pay for sleeping in a strangers bed. Same with UBER, people are willing to jump in to a strangers car and pay for it.
This is more about how people, and business interact with technology and make use of their services. Services that simply would not be possible without telecommunications.
Outside influencers having impact on customers' and businesses' willingness to change their behavioural patters come from:
- Technology trends - Moor's law
- Market trends - According to some reports 80% of value creation are coming from companies started by digital natives
- Industry trends - Will CSPs have access to capital the same way as they used to. Investors no longer see CSP as THE Dividend earner
- Macro economics - Interest rates are rising as Quantitative Easing are being scaled back across the major economies.
Interested in your views, and please challenge.
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Cato Rasmussen
Independent
Original Message:
Sent: Nov 16, 2018 09:54
From: Alma Bytyqi
Subject: Requirements for implementing CEM for a telco
Dear Cato,
I can only agree with you, moreover based on observation, I would say customers have a totally different interaction not only compared to last decade but also to last 3 years and, yes, I believe also that in 1-2 years' customer journey will change completely.
In my opinion, CSP's can foresee what those behaviors might be even if behavior is changing rapidly. I will explain below as it relates to your question "what is the point of betting on today's behavior and data processed by old process sequences for survival tomorrow?"
I would answer that CSP's can do a lot by observing past behavior and patterns. However, they must change their approach to data analysis and customer experience and data segmentation. For that, CSP's (especially converged operators) sit on a goldmine composed of:
- Tremendous data gathered in the last decade
- Intelligence on the multiple technological changes occurred within the last decade
- And foreseeable technological changes that are coming
With a change of the approach in data processing and analysis by correlating the above inputs from all technologies, we could come to an idea of what the behavior/requirements might be in next year(s).
With many different studies done recently, it is apparent that Telco operators are not using the potential of Big Data compared to other industries whereas most of the data sits within them. If we could only change our approach using the data we have, we could deliver much better services/products/offers to our subscribers and make a profound change to our industry or at least give a refreshed look to our industry.
Another point I would stress is that using interviews should not be a tool any longer for CSP's: people are more honest with search machines than with interviewers. Per example, if we are seeking to check user satisfaction for a new connection installed, the operator would get much more inputs by analyzing the subscribers network usage and its interaction with the network (respecting GDPR, understandably) than by requesting a questionnaire to be completed after several weeks of usage.
And yes, given Big Data potential, I believe facts are more important than opinions, it is just a matter of how we process and segment those data.
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Alma Bytyqi
Original Message:
Sent: Nov 14, 2018 05:00
From: Cato Rasmussen
Subject: Requirements for implementing CEM for a telco
Dear Alma,
thanks for your reply to my input. Sure we need to analyse customers and understand their patterned behaviours. However, it is the approach, methodology and tools being used to do that which makes the difference, at least in my OPINION, but that is just an opinion.
Customers, whether consumers or business have adopted and interact with technology radically different today than just a decade ago, not to mention two decades ago. Most systems (BSS/OSS) are architected based on functional requirements gathered by interviewing staff.
The World Economic Forum forecast that labour hours conducted by humans vs. machines will radically change. This goes for CSPs, Their business and consumer customers. This will, without doubt break up or fundamentally change current processes and sequences. Also, most of past have been focus on customers and their devices mostly mobile phones. Tomorrow, customer devices will be many more in IOT, or IOx. I communicate with my ALEXA (Amazon) for many things. BMW are implementing ALEXA in their cars just to mention one offering that impact customer behaviours and their journeys.
I, for one and it seems that many agree with me (ref. World Economic Forum). We need to:
Customer
- Identify (fact finding's vs. opinions)
- Understand (based on facts and not reports and surveys)
- Visualize (possibly augmented)
- Optimize (need sequences of interaction and behaviours)
Own business
- Identify needed business capabilities above that of functionality
- Understand, how our value proposition point by point cover customer needs (facts)
- Visualize, the business model
- Optimize interactions with players and customer within an ecosystem as opposed to systems and employees only.
I am willing to bet €50 that customer journeys will have changed from today's journey in 1-2 years, help by Moor's law. Hence, what is the point of betting on today's behaviour and data processed by old process sequences for survival tomorrow?
Does it make sense for a manufacturer of electric car to analyse spare part stockage and supply chain of old fossils fuel powered cars?
Interested in your response, as there most likely are angles I have not considered.
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Cato Rasmussen
Independent
Original Message:
Sent: Nov 13, 2018 03:21
From: Alma Bytyqi
Subject: Requirements for implementing CEM for a telco
Hi Cato,
I fully agree with you that we have to look at how to improve the future. However, for Customer Experience, we need first to understand its past , improve the present and build the future based on history for a good service towards the user. Even Netflix looked at the past in order to use Predictive Analytics and build products for the future.
Data acquired through Customer Experience platform is a great source for predicting the needs for new products and customize products based on patterns. But first, operators need to provide ( if needed improve) excellent service today and propose good customized products for tomorrow.
regards
Alma
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Alma Bytyqi
ipko
Original Message:
Sent: Nov 12, 2018 04:24
From: Cato Rasmussen
Subject: Requirements for implementing CEM for a telco
Dear all,
I'd like to share a though with you. I place it in this discussion as I feel it is relevant to the question asked.
You may or may not know the various forum initiatives that World Economic Forum have, but they have quite a few one of which is about digital transformation.
Particularly in our industry most companies, including vendors have peace-meal approach to digitise with minimal business effect. It has evolved a unison agreement that a fresh approach to business modelling is required and start with developing "Raw view" of customers.
The Telco, its vendor partners and consulting partner are zooming in on customer journey. I have always been sceptical to this as it do not consider future but the past. How do you all think this approach would have worked for Netflix? see below.
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Cato Rasmussen
Independent
Original Message:
Sent: Nov 09, 2018 06:24
From: Cato Rasmussen
Subject: Requirements for implementing CEM for a telco
Dear Tuan,
I will take a different approach to answer your question, if I may.
Customers will forget what you say!
Customers will forget what you do!
But customers will never forget how you make them feel!
I am not sure if you have been to an Apple store, it is the same going in to Orange in France (at least where I live in Cannes).
Customers are greeted by a representative immediately after entering a store. This often have a small line before customers get to this rep. Immediately when a customer's approach this representative the customer willingly start talking about why they are there and questions or support they looking for. Whether you have god, bad or indifferent Expereince with this approach does not matter in what I am trying to get at, but it is very different to that of asking a customer "Can I help you"? The representative gets an immediate and better understanding how how they - the company can support the customer. i.e. some customers emphasise stability and others bandwidth. That tell something about the customer. just as an example.
Whatever value proposition you company are suggesting, it must aim at providing customer with this value suggestion otherwise revenue will be earned on customer expense and not providing value.
To communicate, provide and continuously support this value need capabilities. Define and document these capabilities and if technical solutions are decided on, then these capabilities needs to be in focus. Old approach of functional specification, vertical process design and engineered data models and ESB based APIs are not the starting point.
The starting point is the customer, identify you proposed value proposition the the customers and identify the capabilities needed. Then build hypothesis and test with customer if this brings value relative to jobs or activities. Then assess if this brings value to you company.
If you do not do this, you may end up just incurring huge investment with limited return.
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Cato Rasmussen
Independent
Original Message:
Sent: Oct 31, 2018 21:35
From: Tuan Anh Nguyen
Subject: Requirements for implementing CEM for a telco
Hi everybody,
i have a question and hope that you guy will share with me your experience in this field
My question is: What are the critical and piority requirements to implement CEM for a telco?
i think it's not a simple question and instanly get the answers but at a basic level what are the needed things we want to prepare to do.
Many thanks
#CustomerExperience
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Tuan Anh Nguyen
Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT)
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