By Susan Campbell

The mobile broadband services market has become almost hyper-competitive globally. And, it has become increasingly clear that providing superior quality of experience (QoE) to customers, end users as well as third parties, will likely be a (if not the most) critical element in creating sustainable and profitable differentiated value. As a result, mobile service provider investment attention needs to be focused not just on delivering speeds and feeds but also on all aspects of QoE. A holistic approach for concentration on customer care¸ such as the Alcatel-Lucent portfolio of Motive Customer Experience solutions, fits the needs for making sure the best possible user experiences can be provided, monitored and constantly improved.  

Why customer care, and why a comprehensive approach?

The reason is that a holistic approach to customer care is a fundamental tool for reducing vital churn rates. The bottom line is the bottom line here. Service providers (SPs) have the opportunity to make better use of the subscriber and network data to help not only make customers more loyal but also improve average revenue per user (ARPU) based on establishing a relationship that customers view as more “trusted.”  In fact, if done correctly, they can leverage the provisioning of compelling customer experiences into a powerful tool for making satisfied customers enthusiastic brand advocates.

All of the elements of a holistic approach to QoE and the benefits it is capable of providing are highlighted in a recent Alcatel-Lucent Enriching Communications article, Managing the Mobile Customer Experience.

Let’s face it.  Customers today expect their mobile networks today to deliver a high-performance and secure always on/all ways connected experience to their legacy and new bit-hungry personal devices.  Everywhere, every time access to rich multimedia services and advanced applications is table stakes.

This presents a huge challenge and opportunity of mobile service providers around the world. Did you know, for example, that smartphones now account for 27 percent of all phones throughout the world, according to VisionMobile. Projections are they will represent 75 percent in the near future and certainly the vast majority of new phone sales.  Plus, the explosive tablet market is driving a revolution in interactive multimedia apps which all need to themselves provide end users quality experiences if they are to succeed.  They in essence will live or die based on the ability of the networks they rely on to deliver what they promise.

Reality is that it is not enough to simply recognize the fact that traffic in general is exploding as more devices are attached to the global networks.  The nature of that traffic is also radically changing. Multimedia apps, and the use of streamed and real-time interactive video, presents a rising storm of data that already is straining mobile networks capacity in many places as well as the signaling networks that enable them to manage the new complexity.

As the article points out this is the proof case for why SPs, especially in the face of strong competition, need to invest now in efficiently and effectively managing the customer experience with solutions like Motive in order to set themselves apart in a world that is changing very rapidly.

SPs offering mobility are currently struggling to find their place between over-the-top (OTT) providers and customers. As the industry grows and evolves, complexity is bring added to the mix with new operating systems, configurations and applications. As a result, complex technologies are being made available to inexperienced customers, increasing the challenge of delivering a satisfying experience at a reasonable cost.

Management of  QoE  means improving such things as: first call resolution, the provision of self-diagnostic and self-care solutions, the clarification of offered services and how they are billed, and the delivery of a consistent experience across every customer interaction.

In taking the holistic approach to the customer experience, can target their position in the value chain and reinforce it in the mind of the consumer. Leveraging a holistic approach to customer experience management helps in the process by extending QoE to every touch point throughout the entire customer experience.