The application of OSS, CEM & Analytics in Telecoms Companies’ Digital Transformation Investment Priorities

A recent study by Heavy Reading suggests that most telecommunications companies are only now starting to act on the implementation of digital transformation in telecom services.

Yet the Heavy Reading digital transformation report, commissioned by Comarch, also shows that such changes – particularly those relating to process automation and network virtualization – are considered to be of greatest importance in the shift towards new technologies. Furthermore, there is an expectation among 70% of telcos that, five years from now, no less than half of the operations/services they offer will be cloud-based.

On one hand, the survey results mean that companies yet to take their first steps towards digital transformation are not (at the moment) significantly behind the pack. On the other, though, the overwhelming understanding that a digital transformation telecom revolution is on the very near horizon suggests that CSPs must start improving agility, speed and automation very soon.

Which aspects of digital transformation are most important to telecoms?

However, while the technology needs to change, telecommunications companies know that customer satisfaction and loyalty – winning and keeping their clients – is the key to every future business success. That view is reflected in answers to the survey question about the three areas in which they see likely investment in the coming year. Overwhelmingly, CSPs placed analytics, customer experience management and customer-facing applications at the top of the list. Just over a quarter said that, rather than this being a direct monetization strategy, the goal was to better understand their customers and their needs.

This philosophy is what could prove the differentiating factor between CSPs in the very near future. But it must be combined with automation of processes to the extent that every client sees “their” provider at the other end of any form of communication or transaction. Only when they have the agility to personalize customer experience in a cost-effective manner, will telcos stand a chance not of competing in the digital era – but of winning. Read more on the state of digital transformation in telecommunications in our report.