Convergent BSS required to drive CEM benefits

Fierce competition, ever-increasing customer expectation, and system complexity continues to challenge the communications industry. Customer Experience Management (CEM) has been hailed as the industry saviour, often favourably described as – ‘boosting profitability’, ‘key differentiator’, and ‘driving loyalty’. So if CEM is helping combat customer expectation and competition, what about system complexity? And does CEM affect the complexity of Business Support Systems (BSS)?

In TM Forum’s research on customer experience the challenges cited by CSPs for effective CEM were legacy systems integration and end-to-end control. CSPs have grown through acquisitions and many still have very disparate systems, with operators continuing to augment rather than replace BSS. Without removing the complexity, CEM initiatives add further pressure on the BSS stack.

So, why hasn’t more been done by operators to resolve the obstacles created by legacy systems? Whether due to lack of foresight or concerns regarding cost, risk, or lack of return-on-investment, CSPs will not be able to meet the consumer and business’ CEM demands with their current IT setups.

Why do legacy systems not serve our needs today?

The main issue leads us back to ‘complexity’. With so many devices, packages, and channels many legacy systems still work in silos, causing inaccuracies. This increases the time and cost to serve, impacting customer satisfaction.

The 2014 Telecoms.com industry survey stated that 42.5% of operators are planning to upgrade their customer management systems in the next 12 months. IT environments need to be redesigned to fit in with CEM strategy, in order to realise the customer loyalty and profitability benefits of CEM.

Optimise CEM with convergent BSS

With convergent BSS, CSPs can optimise their operations. Ensuring all data is centrally accessed and updated, keeping accurate customer profiles. This enables operators to create personalised packages, to enhance customer loyalty, and boost revenues. 

To get the most out of CEM, the operator must examine their current BSS environment and invest to break down the barriers of silos. Convergent BSS enables a transparent and cohesive CRM solution. Resulting in service delivery, billing, and customer care operations all working in harmony and opening the pathway up for innovative CEM initiatives.

Written by Natasha Geldard - Marketing Consultant for CoralTree Systems Ltd.