The evolution of telecoms has reshaped the industry. New competitors capitalizing on VoIP and cloud communications services have swallowed up legacy providers. Those who have survived have likely merged with traditional competitors and innovated in some way to stay relevant.

While the bar was once set low for customer experience in telecommunications, with dropped calls, latency and bad signal, modern customers have become accustomed to impeccable customer experience across sectors and telco is not immune.

This signifies a shift from industry services to, instead, customer services. Survivors of the fourth industrial revolution know they must take a customer-first approach to any business strategy, otherwise risk customers going elsewhere.

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Tools for improving customer service

As a telephony provider, you must practice what you preach. Your customers are only your customers if you deliver impeccable service.  

The 2018-19 Digital Customer Experience (DCX) research study by market research firm Nemertes found incorporating an automated customer-facing workflow into your business can help build a positive experience. This is evident from supermarkets to software; self service has emerged as a leader in customer service.

For example, we found that businesses were waiting far too long for their phone numbers to be activated, and that this processing time seriously affects a company’s bottom line. That’s why when we built the SpeakIntelligence webshop, we pre-negotiated contracts with telcos around the world and automated this process to ensure speedy phone number delivery and activation.

As part of the SpeakIntelligence partner ecosystem, your customers can entirely self serve when ordering numbers and benefit from this rapid activation. The widget also enables them to create customizable menus, features, and other telephony services, giving them greater control and giving you a competitive edge.

While the automated widget allows your customers to order and manage their business numbers themselves, becoming a partner benefits you far past customer-facing features. It also allows you to entirely collapse your back office – cutting overheads and inefficiencies to the absolute minimum – meaning you’re giving market-leading service and building high-quality customer relationships at a fraction of the cost.

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Happy customers will tell others about you

It is also widely known that the cost of customer retention is far lower than acquisition, meaning great customer service can help you dramatically reduce business costs.

Both great service and low churn could even help you to acquire new customers without spending a fortune on marketing. That’s because happy customers always tell, and word-of-mouth marketing is a powerful tool in the digital age.

Research from Ipsos Loyalty found 52% of consumers who had a bad experience told their friends, family, or colleagues about it. However, even more (56%) indicate to have shared a good experience with others.

While the numbers may differ in the B2B space or via industry, there’s no disputing that people are at the center of all decisions, and all experiences. The Ipsos Loyalty research highlights human nature – impressed or dissatisfied, people will talk.

You don’t have to agonize over this or make any dramatic changes. Reviews and recommendations are powerful and compelling, but they are also genuine and therefore low maintenance. If you give great customer service at every touchpoint and build a great experience, your customers will shout about you. And with SpeakIntelligence’s built-in affiliate program on every customer account, it is easy for customers to recommend your services.

What’s more, if your customer’s friends convert, further research from Extole suggests they will be more loyal and less likely to leave you for a competitor. At a time where customer loyalty is scarce, this shouldn’t be undervalued.  

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The happiest customers are those who self-serve

Telcos play a somewhat behind-the-scenes role in business. Customers are buying a solution, not an individual service. As a result, packaging up your services into digestible, clearly defined offerings will improve customer service through the management of expectations and removal a complex landscape customer must otherwise deal with.

The easier your products are to navigate, the better your customer experience. Perhaps this is why self service has prevailed – customers know exactly what they can and cannot have, and understand a sales person isn’t shielding them from good deals. At a time where loyalty is at an all-time low and telco competition is rife, this will work in your favor.

That’s why we bundle our services into just three packages for partners to resell, which include instant phone number activation and customizable features for any effective telephony solution. No matter who you are, no amount of traditional phone calls or thank you emails will overcome dissatisfaction if a process is slow and confusing. Instead, remove the problem.

Your customers, buying through the SpeakIntelligence widget, will have one quick and simple digital experience, understanding which button does what, and is supported by an online portal to log back into whenever they need. What’s more, self service also allows for predictability and more reliable outcomes, allowing you to continue to manage expectations.

For you, this means no more staff members manning the phones for repetitive queries.  

Double-down on customer service

The promise of next-gen technologies like IoT and 5G has been long awaited, but the reality is that evolutions will take longer than expected. Telcos can capitalize on this by realizing the benefits automation and adopting it ahead of widespread use.

Customers have long been deterred from acting in their best interest thanks to complex processes, meaning the only way you, as a business, will make gains, is if you simplify this and improve your customer experience – not just through accessible processes but across the board.

Your core functionality should be inseparable from customer experience. Technology allows new ways to grab customers with pricing, packaging, and offers, all of which contribute to a positive experience, but you must go the extra mile. For those willing to invest in change, opportunity awaits.

Becoming a SpeakIntelligence partner allows you to streamline your business without losing any service quality or reputation you’ve spent years building up, while empowering yourself and your customers, through autonomy, to make decisions and changes of service without being passed through the corporate hierarchy.

Partners working with SpeakIntelligence have already benefited from virtuous cycles of increased profit and fewer expenses while attracting new customers thanks to improved user experience, ease of use and a fresh, competitive edge.