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.

Cord Cutters and Nevers Part Two: The Rise of the Cord Cutters

In part one of this two part blog on Cord Cutters and Cord Nevers, I spent a week without using my PayTV service, instead using OTT services to sate my need for programming to see just how feasible an option it is.

You can read the whole article here, but in summary, I suggest that the arguments for cutting PayTV are getting stronger all the time and in the UK at least, one could could attempt it quite successfully. But there are still many things hindering cutting ties to PayTV - for example exclusives that you can only get on channels such as Sky Atlantic (Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones) and the convenience that comes from all your TV in one spot, as opposed to multiple apps/services.

In the beginning of the last blog, I led with the following statistic. 18-34 year old's are 77% more likely to become cord nevers and 67% more likely to become cord cutter households [Source]. Of course, it could be quite easy to dismiss stats that say people 'might' cut the cord, people might do a lot of things but the fact is that they are, in ever larger numbers. 

ComScore data published in October 2014 revealed that 24% of 18- to 24-year-olds do not have a traditional pay TV service. Of these people, 13% previously had pay TV service but later cut the cord while 11% have never subscribed to a pay TV service at all. 

In the UK, it's possible to see a possible result of this shift as a report states that, last year, the number of TV households actually fell and by as much as 300,000 as people move to phones, tablets and laptops/computers.

And to see this cord cutting/shaving in action, Reddit (a huge social networking and news website where community members can all submit content on endless topics) there is a cordcutters sub community (subreddit), with 72 thousand unique subscribers, who all share advice, tips and help on how to cut the cord and get cheap/free streaming services legally. They have a dozen related subreddits many again with tens of thousands of subscribers. 

As well as many people who cord cut because of costs, the views of this reddit user are also extremely common;

"For me, it was a combination of things... a lack of interest in a lot of what is on cable TV, combined with a desire for more flexibility in where and how I watch TV. More and more, I watch "TV" on devices other than my television. I watch on my iPad around the house while doing projects or chores, or I watch on my computer while browsing the web, etc."

The problem for this person, is that operators are not keeping up with the changes in how consumers are viewing television - operators need to start getting creative with how they offer TV.

Like a kid in a candy store

Choice, flexibility and price are the three key points, and they're all very much interlinked with each other. 

First and foremost it is likely that going forward operators are increasingly going to need to have some form of OTT offering and a robust means of providing live and catchup TV to subscribers through DVRs, mobile devices and laptops - The SkyGo app is an example of this. 

This is not only a means of dealing with cord cutters by addressing their concerns and providing a solution, but as a service differentiator or perhaps even to keep up date with other service providers. 

AT&T seem to have hit the nail on the head in addressing those three points by providing a service directly to those who want to "cut the cord"

"A $39-per-month bundle [with] 45 Mbps Internet and subscriptions to Amazon Prime and HBO. It's an acknowledgement that subscribers are smart enough to figure out the rest on their own. There aren't any sports channels, cooking shows or 24-hour news stations, and a phone service is completely separate, but these deals are designed for the Game-of-Thrones generation"

It's about empowering the consumer and recognising that there are dramatic changes in the way people are engaging with TV content which is not going to change back. Without these sorts of packages and offers you're making a consumer who is on the fence, choose between having your service or not. And ultimately a consumer who chooses 'not' to take your service brings in no money! 

A provider, like AT&T, with packages that provide the flexibility, choice and prices that customers want, are less likely to see people cutting the cord. 

I believe the industry could make great efforts in eliminating the notion of cord cutters and cord nevers, but they'll have to accept the idea of a cord shaver who is perhaps more money conscious, who is viewing content different but ultimately still wants some, but not all, of the services. 

CoralTree's roundup of 2014

So in good order and good end of year tradition, we felt it worthwhile to recap some of this year's blog articles and see if they correlate with what the key goings on are in the industry.

Customer Experience

We started off the year with a blog on Customer Experience, at the time it proved to be very popular and it remains one of our most read blog articles. This is probably because in this environment of reduced ARPUs, general financial instability, and diverging customer habits getting the upper hand on the competition has been driven, in no small way, by improving Customer Experience.

Maybe that includes getting rid of customer bills?... it might sound controversial, but one operator is already doing it. This is something that we covered in a blog post ingeniously titled "Customers don't really want bills".

Even with things starting to pan out for many operators, as the European economy strengthens, superior customer experience has definitely become something that consumers expect of operators and driving the efficiency agenda can play a part in that as well. Talking of efficiency... 

Operational Efficiencies 

Other ways that operators have sought to improve their bottom line and increase their profits is through operational efficiencies. The OSS side of things has had a lot of focus in recent months with all the talk - and hype? - surrounding 'NFV' (Network Functions Virtualisation).

But BSS efficiencies have been talked about in a variety of flavours and incantations. We covered such topics in "Do we understand the meaning of convergence?" and "Expectations that have sped ahead: efficiency is crucial". 

These topics appear to have dropped off the radar a little bit in the wake of all the NFV talk. However, the OSS/BSS bottleneck that currently prevents some operators maximising efficiencies in NFV, could see BSS efficiencies and even new BSS implementations (make sure you know why they sometimes fail!) being put in place to enable the full benefits of Network Functions Virtualisation integration.

Hopefully this means the topic will get a whole new lease of life!

Viewing Habits

Consumer changes in viewing habits have also come to the fore this year. From the extremes of customers ditching pay-tv services altogether, which have been becoming more of an issue for CSPs, as companies like Netflix become more prevalent. We've started covering this in part one of the "cord cutters/cord nevers" series. To customers general viewing habits changing a topic we looked at in "What’s next? Interactive multi-tasking!"

In a strange twist, North Korea has show just how much viewing habits have changed and how much ready consumers are for change.

With major US cinema chains pulling Sony's new film 'The Interview', but high public demand to view it, Sony called on On-Demand providers YouTube, Google Play, Microsoft Video and more recently iTunes to host the video for a nationwide release which earned them $18m. As much as they had aimed to earn via a national cinema release, so is this the end of the cinema?

We'll be looking at this ever more important topic in the new year.

What can we expect from the coming year? 

Well, all these topics have been high profile topics throughout 2014, but the industry is still far from implementing these features fully. So we should expect to see more of them over the coming year(s)! 

But there are a great many other things that might well present themselves in 2015, such as an increased focus on BSS systems that are able to provide flexible, personalised offerings to customers. Or an increase in telecoms companies adopting more non-traditional services, which are predicted to grow from 8-10% of income, to a potential 15-20% of revenue. This could help sure up bottom lines that are constantly under threat.

What ever the new year brings, Happy New Year, and all the best in 2015! 

Driving the Efficiency Agenda

Efficiency is often considered an internal issue for a CSP. Streamlining processes and minimising the steps to achieve a specific goal; creating efficiency to not only deliver a good service to customers, but also decrease operational costs.

Yet, the part that is often overlooked is evaluating efficiency from the customers’ point of view. Can they communicate and complete the tasks they want to do using the channel of their choice? Can they use multiple channels for the same task? Are the processes within each channel quick and easy-to-use?

In order for the customer to have that efficient experience, the channels have to address the needs demanded by the customer. All this requires an ‘outside in’ understanding. Without this insight, resources can be ploughed into systems that are ultimately not delivering the support demanded by the customers.

The channels desired may well differ from type of customer, or in fact each individual customer. Segmenting the audience to address the core demands is essential. A CSP cannot meet the requirements of all customers. Segmenting allows CSPs to address core concerns of high-value customers, or more loyal ones.

But whatever segment the CSP targets, understanding the customer is crucial. Analysing customer data is important, but further research needs to be done to establish what channels and processes customers want to do, which is not currently possible. This insight can then be applied when mapping out the support systems.

To deliver the ultimate efficient organisation, efficiency must be achieved on the inside, as well as for those using CSPs services. Start with the customers, then work backwards to understand how the vision can be achieved through efficient internal solutions. For the ultimate customer experience – ensure efficiency throughout.

This blog was written by Natasha Geldard, Marketing Consultant for CoralTree.

Real Time Convergent Charging and Policy Management are a necessity!

Real Time Convergent Charging (RTCC) and Policy Management go hand in hand, with 95% of the CSP’s that responded to TM Forum’s recent Insights Research paper ‘RTCC and Policy Management’ [Link] saying that they cannot remain competitive without implementing it in some form.

The benefits of introducing RTCC can be great for the CSPs for a whole number of reasons such as improving customer experience, minimising or negate bill shock and providing a means to monetise the OTT market.

As customer experience quickly becomes the critical focus for operators, RTCC and policy management will allow operators to be much more creative and agile in how they interact with the customer and a lot quicker in the introducing new services and products

Bad Profits

Currently the two largest uses for RTCC and Policy Management are bill shock management and threshold management, which are great, but - even now - there are companies who use them in rather blunt ways. Capping or throttling customers who reach data caps, or charging ‘premium’ prices for going over limits. This creates ‘bad profits’ and does nothing to enhance the customer experience.

However some CSP’s have the idea, using these tools to build a bond with the customer and ultimately using it to drive revenue growth. When customers get close to limits they are warned they're close, and offered ‘extensions’ to their data or broadband usage for a set price, repeat ‘offenders’ can be marked for upsell opportunities offering them a better package at a higher price, but one that would be cheaper than the charges they would otherwise incur.

In the short term, this doesn't drive as much revenue as the charges, but, as should be obvious, a loyal customer is more profitable than a customer who leaves because they feel they've been ripped off.

As the marriage between RTCC and Policy Management becomes more complete (94% will implemented a RTCC & PM strategy within two years and 64% within the next year) operators and CSP’s will be able to produce more innovative offerings to their customers.

This will enable them to increase revenue through USPs – introducing flexible services that the customer can control such as Holiday mode, sharing data, moving portions of broadband download limits onto mobiles – especially as networks move towards 4G LTE. And on the topic of LTE, Policy management and RTCC will be necessary for the introduction of VoLTE to ensure bandwidth is properly managed.

Over The Top

Lots has been made of the need to monetize the OTT trend, and with a RTCC and Policy Management, CSP’s and operators can. 

A good number of them are offering free data when using apps like WhatsApp and Facebook, others are offering Netflix or sports services when they sign up (Virgin Media, Vodafone) whilst others are competing directly with their own offering (Sky’s NowTV, UPC’s Horizon) Policy management and RTCC is vital in letting operators omit these services from customer’s data use. 

The nature of the relationship with OTT players is only really beginning to be explored, but it can be as simple as free data, it could be as one Indian MSO does, offering bundles of access to YouTube, Facebook and other OTT services instead of, or in line with data allowances.

Or CSP’s could really be involved with developing the relationship, making it a truly two way relationship that benefits both, working with Google’s Project Loon or Facebook's Internet.org to bring internet (and telecoms) to remote places with the knowledge, infrastructure and software they already have in abundance. OTT’s get more customers, CSP’s get more customers.

However the future unfolds, one thing appears to be a common theme throughout it all, the need for Real Time Convergent Charging and Policy Management, preferably together, to drive new revenue growth. 


This article was written by Craig Maxwell-Brown. Business Development Associate for CoralTree Systems Limited. Views are not necessarily the companies views.

Big (Little) Data and Customer Experience - CEM Blog Part Four

It has been a little while since the last blog article on Customer Experience Management, so if you're in need of a quick refresher then please follow these links

Part One: Putting yourself in the customers shoes
Part Two: Customer experience and the call centre
Part Three: Going Social

All clued up? excellent.

Big data is proving to be a very important and ever growing part of a business. The ability to collect more and more data from an increasing range of sources provides some very potent opportunities for business. However for businesses to really achieve that ‘write home about’ customer experience, you need ‘little data’.

Big data, better operations

Now, by its very nature, big data gives an extremely broad look at all our customers and what they're up to. It allows us to spot trends in customer behaviour and habits as a whole – both good and bad. CSPs can use this to great advantage, identifying behaviour patterns, trends and pain points for customers and work out solutions that build customer advocacy.

Let us use an example to make it more realistic. An increasing number of people are using OTT services like Netflix and Lovefilm. Not only are more of your customers using them, but they're using them more frequently and these data heavy services can impact the network.

Rob Rich, MD of Insights at TM Forum, says the operators are “using network and customer data to learn the habits of their most valuable customers.” They are using network data to determine where the most strain is being put on the network, so “by comparing the two, they can drive support for future network investments that will improve network performance and boost customer satisfaction.” [source]

This is a perfect example of what big data can do. By looking at the whole picture, companies can find patterns, trends and pain points across a wide section of customers, which can only ever be a good thing.

So what about small data? 

Small data is where unique gains can be made that boosts customer experience and satisfaction. Little data lets us spot opportunities and enables personalised customer interactions. It can be achieved with the data that a CSR should be able to readily access via their CRM.

The key is how easy it is for a customer service agent to access that information and how closely it is linked a 360 degree view of the customer. The customer service agent must be able to view recent customer interactions and all information needs to be clearly accessible, quickly.

Imagine a scenario where you don't have to re-tell the story you've already told to several people because the customer service agent already knows that last week your phone line conked out. The engineer was meant to turn up this morning, but canceled, and that no one has yet replied to your question via social media. It would be blissful, wouldn't it?

Or maybe recognising that a customer is routinely hitting data or download limits. Or that they've been late payers recently, but offering solutions, such as putting a hold on premium services, would be beneficial for the customer for a few months.

All these 'above and beyond' measures build customer loyalty. We know that loyal customers are worth up to 10x their first purchase. [source]

Companies have some, if not all this information available to them already. They have done for a long time. The key to Little Data is making sure you take advantage of it!

Big data and little data are both important strategic considerations for service providers. Ensure the network is performing to its optimum ability and build customer loyalty. Data, big or small, is the gold to each operators armour.

Going Social - Customer Experience Management - Part Three

I recently contacted my mobile provider. I had a short question, nothing important, but couldn’t find answer on website. It wasn’t worth calling up about so I sent them a quick tweet instead. I was able to get on with my day and an hour or two later, I received a reply to my question.

Simple, no fuss answer and I genuinely felt better about the service they were providing me. Plus, I didn’t have to listen to that damn automated voice telling me to ‘press 2’. That’s a pretty simple, cheap, way to grow customer loyalty.

Having a dedicated social media team ready to respond to questions via Twitter and Facebook will make a big difference to your customer and non-customer perception.

In my last blog, I addressed customer experience and the call centre; here I want to discuss more proactive ways of addressing customer experience! In particular, we'll be looking at a couple of examples of excellent customer experience using social media channels.

So what does a good Social Media page look like?

Three mobile UK is an example I like to use for good customer experience (note: that I use a different provider). They present a bright, inviting Twitter page and are not afraid to appear a bit more human - a trend that goes down very well on social media sites.

Have a look at this picture;

(click to view a larger image)

You can see who you're talking too because there are pictures of the team, they sign off their messages with their initials and they have information for opening hours and web addresses, etc.

An honest interaction that doesn’t sound contrite or scripted like it does when you phone a call centre the service is personalised and pleasant…

That’s not all a Social Team can do - Disaster Management

Not so long ago, bad service would have been shared with family, friends and perhaps co-workers. But now customers can talk about companies and experiences to hundreds of people they don’t know - right across the country - in a very public way. And we all know bad news is shared more often than good!

Here however, is the bonus - you can intercept this bad news by addressing the customer and giving them a friendly outlet for their grief.. The bad coverage doesn’t have to go unchecked in the kitchen over a cup of tea!

Addressing it enables companies to diffuse it and solve it directly or refer the customer back to the CSR or support team to resolve it, at this point, it may be worth directing them to a more senior team member as we know what the benefits of that can be!

On the flip side, companies can also share good feedback people have voiced with retweets, likes and by favoriting posts - feedback that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Let’s recap…

The benefits of Social Media Experience Management are obvious – managed properly one can regain, otherwise lost, control over the customer conversation, address concerns and complaints that were previously hidden from view, build a fuller picture of your customer, appear, more human and it really doesn’t cost that much either!

What’s not to love about that?

In the next part I'll be looking at Big Data.
You can find part one here
You can find part two here


CoralTree Systems is a leading provider of innovative BSS solutions, whose clients include some of the market’s leading communications operators. 

You can find out more at our website www.CoralTreeSystems.com

This blog post was written by Craig Maxwell-Brown - Business Development for CoralTree Systems Ltd.

Customer Experience Management: Part Two - Call Centres

Read Part One here

Directly addressing customers’ concerns can enable operators to reduce churn and increase profits – crucial in today’s competitive market . But it is important to understand that Customer Experience Management is not just about the ‘first call resolution’ or the ‘average handling time’

The lesson? listen to your customers!

A great example is T-Mobile Austria, who successfully increased customer satisfaction and effectively reduced churn by listening to their customers. Following an inbound call, an email was sent to customers to gauge their feeling regarding the call and its outcome. A senior manager called back customers who reported an unsatisfactory opinion of the call to discuss and, hopefully, resolve the issue. 

This gave customers a sense of importance and perception that their issues were being taken seriously. As a result T-Mobile recorded an 89% change in positive satisfaction, Customers who were leaving or who had expressed an interest in leaving  were 20% more likely to extend their contract and most significantly, a 5% reduction in churn.

Listening creates impressive results

This example really shows how listening to your customers can have impressive outcomes, results that are backed up by this chart, which looks at why customers stay and leave.

82% of customers in the US stopped doing business with a company due to poor customer experience – why?

• 73% left as a reaction to rude staff
• 51% due to unknowledgeable staff

63% of customers, however, said they'd return if they received an apology or correction from a supervisor or head office.

How much would that apology or correction really cost? Next to nothing, but the financial benefits of having an established customer stick with you are obvious.

Managing customers in a more individual way, so they remain happy can easily be resolved with additional training. Whilst call centre turnover can be high and there is a need to keep costs low, spending that extra time addressing those points can have huge benefits to your company. It can be [up to] 10 times more 
expensive to win a new customer than retain an existing customer.

Addressing these issues and creating a positive experience is crucial, but it’s extremely important that the whole customer experience is frictionless. Proactive CEM is better than reactive CEM. Put yourself in a position where you don't need a senior staff member to call up a disgruntled customer because their experience was exemplary from the start!

In the next part I'll be looking at Social Media and Customer Experience.
You can find part one here


CoralTree Systems is a leading provider of innovative BSS solutions, whose clients include some of the market’s leading communications operators. 

You can find out more at our website www.CoralTreeSystems.com


This blog post was written by Craig Maxwell-Brown - Business Development for CoralTree Systmes Ltd.
TMobile Austria Study: Here
Cusotmer Retention Study: Here

Expectations that have sped ahead: efficiency is crucial

In this fast paced society in which we live, we expect everything to work, and work quickly. When a customer orders a new package, or wants a new service – your BSS systems should work seamlessly, quickly confirming the order and putting into action the necessary steps to deliver. This efficiency of delivery is the expectation by both consumers and businesses alike.

Efficiency is core to how a business should operate and technology should aid this, not hinder. The goal of CRM, billing or order processing system is to manage the customer seamlessly through the required steps, in the shortest possible time for both the customer and the agent.

Old systems tire with the test of time

Traditional BSS systems were not built to cope with the technology of today. They have been built up over many years, by patching software together. The result is an unstable and inefficient system, based on something that was designed many years ago.

Operational efficiencies

Next generation BSS solutions provide a more robust and reliable solution. Traditional systems have a tendency to crash and encounter issues. Any system downtime creates customer frustration and an unmotivated workforce. Further benefits of modern BSS systems are reaped from their support of quad play services, joining up the customer data into one view, as well as providing a speedy service. These all create operational efficiencies, keeping costs low and productivity high. 

A single view of customer data enables opportunities for analysis, enabling operators to be far more adventurous when it comes to package and service offerings, as well as providing the customer a better service. Knowing they have a system that can handle more complex services helps increase customer retention and new customer uptake.

There are no questions about the advantages of advanced BSS solutions, but why should providers invest? Without development of the core functions in delivery to a customer, churn is inevitable. Future technologies will be unsupported and those companies will be uncompetitive in the marketplace. In order to survive in this tough society, speed through operational efficiency is crucial.

CoralTree Systems is a leading provider of innovative BSS solutions, whose clients include some of the market’s leading communications operators. 

You can find out more at our website www.CoralTreeSystems.com

This blog was written by Natasha Geldard, Marketing Consultant for CoralTree.

Customer Experience Management: Putting yourself in the Customer's shoes.

The customer experience has long been considered an important factor in the telecoms industry. But is the industry doing everything it can to enhance existing customer relationships? Operators have to start putting themselves in the customer’s shoes, to really understand the service expected.

The reality of the market challenges operators have faced, such as reduced margins and ARPUs, as well as increasing competition, has meant customer service systems was not such a priority. However, investment is crucial. Traditional CRM systems are not able to provide the customer experience needed to ensure loyalty, especially with the popular rise in new technologies.

Traditional CRM issues

The trouble with traditional CRM systems is that they provide an introverted view of customer interaction. For far too long, companies have focused on quantitative measures, such as the Average Handling Time and First Call Resolution. None of these performance indicators addresses the way the customer felt and responded to the interaction.

An example; a customer calls up to enquire about altering his package because he keeps nearing his usage allowance. The agent informs him that he can’t until he’s been with them for six months and the call ends. Now, the call was quick and during that first call it addressed the customer’s question, but the customer was left with an unsatisfactory response. This most likely left the customer frustrated and created an unsupportive view of the operator.

The customer perspective

The challenge is for the service provider to see things from the customer’s perspective. An IBM whitepaper ‘From Social Media to Social CRM: What Customers Want’ shows just how out of touch businesses can be with what the customers really wants and expect. Demonstrated in the chart below by the misperceptions of the purpose of customer interactions through social sites.

Click to view in full size

Operators need to understand the importance of good customer experience, before anything can be done about it. If customer experience is done right, it can be hugely beneficial to business – from driving profits and an upturn in sales, to creating a more valued and satisfied customer base. Part two of my series on customer experience management will explain more about how to do customer service, the way the customer would.

Read Part Two here

CoralTree Systems is a leading provider of innovative BSS solutions, whose clients include some of the market’s leading communications operators. 

You can find out more at our website www.CoralTreeSystems.com

This article was written by Craig Maxwell-Brown, Business Development Assistant for CoralTree Systems.