4 MIN READ
BY ADMIN | AUGUST 04, 2023
4 MIN READ
BY ADMIN | AUGUST 04, 2023
What makes for a successful business? The question does not seem to have a straightforward answer. Success in business can vary based on all sorts of factors - the industry, geographical location, socio-economic climate, political backdrop, and even weather and season. Yet, there is one critical factor that cuts across these diverse variables and remains true for all contexts: customer experience.
While in the pre-COVID years, offering a quality customer experience was gaining more importance, the pandemic catapulted this to top priority for businesses. The frantic scramble by enterprises to sustain business during lockdowns elevated the position of customers. The developments in cloud technology and the arrival of 5G have cemented the customer’s superior standing in the enterprise-customer dynamic. Keeping a customer happy is now vital for any business to thrive.
Customer satisfaction has become even more crucial in the world of telco, where competition has intensified significantly over the last few years. Thankfully, an effective and sure-fire solution already exists: CPaaS.
Communication Platforms as a Service (CPaaS) allows businesses to integrate real-time communication features into existing applications and software. An omni-channel platform, it allows for the use of the gamut of communication channels like voice, messaging, video and chatbots. More and more enterprises are adopting CPaaS and IDC projects that the CPaaS market will reach $17.7 billion by end 2024. Other industry research forecasts that, by the end of 2025, 95% of enterprises around the world will be utilizing API-enabled CPaaS offerings.
It is clear that CPaaS is able to give businesses a competitive edge. But what exactly does it do for telcos? The short answer is: a lot. More specifically, CPaaS streamlines communication channels, facilitates real-time interaction, and enables personalized communication. In a nutshell, CPaaS paves the way for telcos to enhance customer experience.
Thanks to the wonders of technology and the rapid growth in AI, customers have multiple ways to communicate with a business. They can pick up the phone and call, send an SMS or WhatsApp message, share a video or drop a line on Facebook and Instagram. The choice of which mode to use is more than a matter of preference. It also has a lot to do with how customers are engaging with the establishment at that specific moment. So, for instance, if they are scrolling through social media, they will use the relevant messaging service or, if they are checking out a website, they will most likely address the chatbot. The channel selection is also determined by age and how tech-savvy that customer is.
As the communication channels used vary all the time, for a telco to be accessible to their customers they need to offer all these options. CPaaS provides the full range of communication channels, making a telco available to customers on all touch points. This means customers have the freedom and flexibility to decide which mode they want to use and when, enhancing their experience with the telco.
From the telco’s perspective, because CPaaS streamlines the various channels, they have access to all customer communications in one centralized space. In this way, no query or request is overlooked and all customers are served well.
One of the primary demands of customers these days is immediacy. Customers want prompt answers to their questions and will not abide delays. If they feel the response time is too long, then customers will shift to a competing business.
With its capacity for real-time interactions, CPaaS ensures that a telco is always accessible to customers. AI-enabled chatbots, for example, allow telcos to automate responses to certain types of queries, keeping customers happy through instant replies. The conversation can also be seamlessly transferred to a company agent without losing context or previous content, ensuring that the matter is dealt with appropriately and that the customer is satisfied.
Real-time interaction is particularly valuable when there is a problem, when response time is critical. In fraught situations, an immediate response conveys care. It shows the customer that they matter. Fast replies can diffuse tensions and pacify irate customers, paving the way for an amicable and satisfactory resolution. This kind of timely intervention converts a negative experience to a positive one, fostering stronger customer loyalty.
Telco customers are heterogeneous. The differentiating factors are multitudinous - age, income, location, profession - and the categories are numerous. Sending out generic messages is lethal for a business. Customers will only take notice if the message has a clear and direct bearing on them.
CPaaS is a goldmine of customer data and the data analytics functionality can collate this information into meaningful patterns. The insights gained through data analytics enables telcos to customize communications in line with customer preferences. This kind of targeted messaging is what will get customers’ attention and prompt them to action.
Customer needs too differ from profile to profile. Offering a one-size-fits-all solution simply does not work. By utilizing data analytics, telcos can gain an in-depth understanding of their customers and recommend products and solutions that are matched to their requirements, increasing the potential for purchase. The realization that they are getting what they need will keep them coming back for more.
There are countless success stories of telcos enhancing customer experience through CPaaS. One noteworthy example is of a leading telecommunications provider based in South Asia. Driven by a desire to provide an extensive suite of communication services to its customers, this telco found CPaaS to be the perfect fit. With CPaaS the telco was able to:
Customer testimonials and reviews reveal that the adoption of CPaaS has been a resounding success.
In a business context where exceptional customer service is non-negotiable, a telco needs to somehow find that one thing that places it a cut above its competitors. And CPaaS does just that. By streamlining communication channels, enabling real-time interactions and facilitating personalized communication, CPaaS promotes success in business through a highly enhanced customer experience.
