Cover Story household is using .”
As to what customers will expect in terms of support , and how this can be managed profitably , Kelly suggests that in an effort to stem churn caused by consumers frustrated with their home WiFi , service providers are increasingly taking ownership of that problem . “ But delivering a hand-tailored configuration for each consumer doesn ’ t scale because the environment is constantly changing . This is where you need to bring cloud AI automation to the table to be able to constantly fine tune the environment to make sure it ’ s running at optimal levels all the time . For example , in any given month you can typically see between 70 and 100 tweaks and adjustments that are made by the cloud AI engine to fine tune a home WiFi environment . To be able to do that for a million customers , you absolutely have to have cloud automation to ensure the WiFi is operating at its maximum potential ,” he stresses . AUTOMATION . “ You also must have a dedicated support service which is also run by a Cloud AI automation system because you can ’ t have individuals fixing every household and as an operator , you want to pre-empt service calls by stopping the issues happening in the first place . So , operators need to ask : ‘ Does my infrastructure provider come with a Cloud AI automation system ?’”
“ Customers expect realtime transparency , control and support over these DIY / digital services ,” says Chomoko . “ They will prefer to do this via self-service applications with assisted-channel support / fallback . The days of linear contracts are over , where you buy Day 1 and received a bill 30 days later . The process of buying , using and paying are completely intertwined . So , the only way of doing this profitably is to automate and digitalise the entire interactive process , including the engagement with partner products and support services . Here , there is another trend in moving toward APIoriented platforms - where all engagement platforms from apps , CRM , CPQ are integrated openly with monetisation and service management platforms to automate the full customer lifecycle from concept-to-cash in real-time across the service lifecycle .”
“ Customers will expect a ‘ one-stopshop ’ for support and information requests – whether that ’ s technical , commercial or whatever . This can only be met by datadriven , AI-enhanced support functions that understand the customer ’ s behaviour and information ,” contends Vos . “ Different levels
of support can also be offered as a service in themselves . Additionally , support should be an automated data-driven service that proactively provides answers even before customers know they need them . On the cost reduction side , automation in the form of AI can be utilised to answer the most frequently asked questions and address the most common problems . The top 10 support issues are usually predictable , already resolved , and the easiest to answer – making them ideal for AI-driven automation via chatbots or self-service .” CONVENIENCE . “ Customers now expect to be able to do everything themselves via self-service portals , apps and digital assistants ; not just managing their telecoms services , but across all areas of life – online grocery shopping , banking , travel bookings , healthcare … the list goes on ,” notes Smith . “ It is the convenience and immediacy that makes the digital-first model a winner for both customer and supplier . However , to do this well , and profitably , it needs to be more than a digital veneer across the top of legacy systems ,
“ A key advantage that CSPs have over SVoD is their ability to monitor and manage end-toend service quality .” - Fredrik Edwall , Subtonomy . digital engagement can only be delivered through comprehensive integration of BSS / OSS solutions and endto-end automation of business processes .”
“ Support will be critical – especially as offerings become more complex – but managing customers cost-effectively will also be vital ,” asserts Cottam . “ Partly this is down to addressing issues like poor and inappropriate customer communications . At the moment most customer support calls are due to customers receiving a bill they think is wrong or they don ’ t understand , or the service not performing as expected . If CSPs simplify and personalise bills and work to make them easier to use and understand then they eliminate a whole source of problems .” EXPECTATIONS . “ Today , people pick their banks , telcos , food delivery and grocery stores based on their digital customer experiences ,” notes Giere . “ Quad-play operators are judged against those same customer expectations . The size of the population that wants to call someone is rapidly shrinking . Making a change to your in 2022 means you don ’ t have to talk to a real person . Thus , operators need to evolve their technical capabilities and enable more options via a sophisticated cloud-based infrastructure .”
“ Customer satisfaction and support are critical to building trust ,” declares van den Broek . “ This starts with data and insight that comes from the powerful combination of the cloud and AI to leverage data and ensure that subscribers are always proactively supported . Plume ’ s self-optimising adaptive WiFi service is constantly monitoring and adjusting to serve the customer the very best experience possible , on every device , according to their own unique needs . Issues can be flagged and resolved before a customer even sees them . Customer expectations are higher than ever . They expect connectivity to “ just work ”. The only way we can meet this expectation is through data .”
“ As per the billing comms experience , 5G customers also expect a personalised support experience , that is available via a self-serve 24 / 7 portal ,” adds Magfhloinn . “ By empowering the customer to view and analyse bills online , this transparency reduces bill shock and confusion , and also the need for costly customer care centres .”
“ The type of support customers expect from their multi-play operator will vary according to their needs , demographics and circumstances ,” observes Jorbeck . “ Likewise , the type of support CSPs wish to provide will need to be aligned to their business model . If CSPs are taking a commodity-driven approach , then Subtonomy enables them to automate as much as possible – feeding self-service applications with up-to-date data about networks so that customers can support themselves , discover or report problems , and avoid the cost and inconvenience of having to contact the call centre . That same information can also be integrated into bots to make them more intelligent and able to support customers at a lower cost .”
“ For service-centric CSPs that wish to offer premium , tailored experiences , this will enable them to deliver a consistent omnichannel support experience that meets their customers ’ needs . CSRs will be able to use the data served up by platforms such as Subtonomy to enable them to quickly resolve queries - making them more efficient , reducing costs and decreasing the stress on both the agent and the customer . Ultimately , more accurate , granular and up-todate data will enable CSPs to meet customers ’ support expectations in an increasingly complex multiplay environment , freeing up agents to add those elements that only humans can deliver such as reassurance , empathy and highly tailored support for premium content and sophisticated connected home experiences ,” he concludes .
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