Moving between MNOs has never been easier. While that’s a good thing for customers, it means operators need to step up their game if they’re to retain their users. Promisingly, MNOs recognize churn as a key threat; 30% of Annual Industry Survey respondents identified it as the biggest obstacle threatening their business in 2016. Fortunately, there’s a way to address the issue, and it’s called Customer Experience Management (CEM). We’re not just talking about support over the phone, billing and shop designs. The real challenge is to make the mobile experience itself so compelling and seamless that a customer wouldn’t even consider jumping ship.
A frictionless, hassle-free customer experience is crucial, and MNOs need to look at innovative ways of identifying and addressing connectivity issues as quickly as possible. Failure to act on poor service is a key driver of churn; in South Africa, for instance, bad coverage has led to many customers carrying two SIMs, allowing them to switch between networks.
To combat the problem, MNOs need to capitalize on big data to analyse end-user network reception and evaluate problems as soon as they arise. Thanks to the rise of M2M and IoT technology, there are solutions out there which can analyze end-user network reception and tackle connectivity issues as soon as they arise, such as the QoE Selfcare APP and QoE Applet.
Connectivity isn’t the only aspect of a seamless customer experience. In the digital age, consumers expect MNOs to provide a personalized experience which makes them feel truly valued. Fortunately, the expansion of data provides exciting new opportunities for mobile marketing, enabling MNOs to analyse customer behavior and construct a tailored mobile experience to suit their needs. Operators should be ready to capitalize on the explosion of data, using it to speed up customer care and draw on end-to-end, traffic and subscriber information to produce bespoke marketing initiatives.
Then there’s mobile payments to consider. MNOs need to position themselves at the forefront of the NFC revolution, transforming the smartphone into a digital mobile wallet. Customers expect to be able to complete seamless transactions and enjoy additional rewards, such as coupons and virtual loyalty cards. MNOs need to actively broaden the services they provide and focus on improving the user’s everyday life.
Finally, MNOs have to get the mobile security right if they’re to keep customers happy. The proliferation of data and rise of mobile payments mean that mobile ID and security are more important than ever before. SIM and software-based innovations need to be deployed to protect smartphone content. Crucially, while these solutions have to be robust, they also need to be convenient for the user. Complex authentication procedures could drive customers away.
As you can see, MNOs must get the customer experience right if they’re to prevent churn. Creating a frictionless and tailored service for consumers is paramount if MNOs are to inculcate loyalty among their consumers.
What are your thoughts on the challenges ahead for MNOs? Let us know by tweeting to us at @GemaltoMobile or by posting a comment below.
