Accelerating the pace of digital transformation in Asia

With increasing demand for mobile internet services and unprecedented competition from new market players, telcos find themselves in a perfect storm. Survival requires a combination of innovation and an escalation of operational efficiency.

Three key considerations for telcos to achieve successful digital transformation, based on independent research, are “improved organisational agility is at the heart of the process; a more structured approach to digital services development will deliver long-term upside, and that new forms of ecosystem engagement are essential.”

Digital platforms are in demand – not only from the operators looking for tools and applications but from the customers too, who are becoming more sophisticated in how they buy and use services. With the proliferation of emerging digital offerings, operators are looking to leverage the telco ecosystem by developing a wider range of partnerships. With access to a broader portfolio of services, operators can generate more revenue by accessing new market segments and selling partner offerings through new channels.

In the Asian market, bundled offerings from telco operators are increasingly popular, including OTT services, partner product offerings and those from local content providers. In addition, customers are looking to build their own individual personalised bundles – sometimes several different ones within the same household. This demand for flexibility is placing increasing pressure on the capabilities of the existing customer management systems. Digital transformation is critical if operators are to provide omnichannel experience across different channels, empower customers with real-time recommendations and decision making on selected plans and services and an automated fulfilment journey from request to realization.

Customer experience needs simplicity

The pandemic has placed additional pressures on service providers, not only in terms of the increased demand from customers but in ensuring customer safety and security. With physical offices and stores closed in many regions, a renewed focus on experiences that are seamless and simple for the customer is essential.

From onboarding new customers to the raising and resolution of service issues, today’s enhanced digital platform integration capabilities should be designed so that minimal intervention is needed from agents. Self-care apps, chat boards and artificial intelligence-based interactive voice recognition services that combine with machine learning to support customer queries, all minimise human intervention. This saves time and money for the service provider, increases operational efficiency and provides a more convenient ‘on-demand’ service for the customers so they can become self-sufficient.

Customers need to be able to quickly access and benefit from new services, whether they are for leisure, business or health purposes. Telcos need to embrace digital transformation to give the customers control; to make them as independent as possible in achieving access to the services best suited to them.

Modernising to the cloud will win out

IDC predicts that by 2024, 50% of organisations in Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) that are modernising their legacy mainframe applications will have modernised the underlying application infrastructure, with 70% turning to cloud as their preferred medium. The flexibility of cloud services, coupled with strong partnerships, means that the speed and magnitude of digital transformation will prove to be a real differentiator in the fiercely competitive Asian market.

This article was contributed by Piyush Mishra, Chief Solution Consultant, Tecnotree