Telecommunications

Telecommunications companies have a two major exchange solution application opportunities.

Using an exchange solution to add, expand and retain the carrier’s customer relationships.

Most telecommunication company follow a traditional sales and marketing model, with the majority of messages and offers focused on various forms of price discounting. Exchange solutions provide carriers and consumers a compelling alternative.

An exchange solution can be used to increase the profitability of the inbound and outbound carrier-customer interactions while also significantly improving the customer’s buying experience. It achieves this win-win outcome by getting the customer directly involved in finding mutually beneficial value exchange agreements.

At each point of carrier-customer interaction, the exchange solution can be invoked to engage the customer in finding “win-win” exchange improvement. For example:

• When paying a bill online, the customer can receive a message offering to forgive the payment that month if the customer would agree to certain offsetting behaviors in return, such as extending a cell plan, buying more pay-per-view movies, etc
• When calling to cancel a telephone plan, the agent can offer to provide the customer with significantly more than the competitive offer, particularly if the customer were also willing to bring some additional connections in return
• When visiting a store to shop for a new connection, store staff could offer to conduct a free “total connections audit” to show the customer how consolidating the other parts of their business with the carrier might allow them to configure a connections solution customized to their particular individual needs and preferences

Exchange solutions can drive significant carrier profit improvement by increasing the close rate and revenue per close of existing inbound and outbound customer and prospect interactions.

Using an exchange solution to advertisers add, expand and retain the carrier’s customer relationships.

Most full service carriers are pursuing strategies to increase revenues by becoming a “four screen” advertising channel for the product and services of other companies. Rather than providing (only) this “sales and marketing channel”, an exchange solution would enable the carrier to provide companies with a “trading channel” for reaching a large number of consumers and businesses.

Companies interested in collaborating with (rather than simply soliciting and servicing) their customers and prospects could use any one of the carriers connected screens to engage the customer in a two-way exchange optimization dialogue. The companies no longer need to use data mining to find the optimal offers to pitch to potential buyers. The customer is no longer bombarded by often irrelevant messages across multiple channels. Instead of simply receiving modest click-through revenues for posting advertising, the carrier can earn bounties for the origination of new business through their multiple-screen trading channel.