Improving new activation experiences for telecom customers

With retail revenue down as much as 30%, telecommunications service providers are going to have to focus on customer retention to maintain market share. That said, new activations are important for two reasons: An existing client has chosen to stay loyal to a telecom provider, or it is the first chance to “wow” a new client with an impressive telecom experience.

Making the new process of activating a new service or device simpler for the end-user means taking a long, hard look at the user’s digital experience. Identify areas where there may be room for improvement, and strive to provide customers with the opportunity to complete new activations without contacting an agent or visiting a location in person. Providing the best telecom customer experience relies heavily on making new activations as simple and pain-free as possible.

Simplify the digital experience for new customer activations

New account sign-ups online should be easy to navigate and straightforward, leaving no doubts or concerns for the user about what they are getting at what price. Straight-forward contracts and clear pricing instill confidence in the buyer’s decision-making, leaving them with a better post-purchase satisfaction rate. Think of this as the beginning of a relationship; overcomplicate things and burden the customer, and they will quickly jump ship and return to where they feel valued.

Part of making new activations simpler will mean that communication service providers will need to take a look at their current customer service technology and find areas where improvements can be made, making it easy for customers and agents to resolve inquiries.

The telecom customer experience from a problem resolution standpoint can be a make-it-or-break-it situation. A dissatisfied customer will change providers if their problems are not heard and resolved within an acceptable amount of time or steps. But, a customer who finds the process of getting through the onboarding with a new provider simple and painless will be eager to recommend that telecom company to friends and family.

Ways to improve online problem resolution:

• Easy to find FAQ section, with a search function that works
• Chatbots with suggested actions
• Live chat with an agent
• Clear and easy to find contact information to customer service

With the new technology that is on the horizon, or in use already, telecoms can create seamless transaction journeys for the customer, both online and in-person, although in the post-COVID world, it is already being surmised that customer buying trends will continue to gravitate to ecommerce and humanless interactions

Key areas to address in making the telecom activation process simpler:

• Contactless is best – Especially in the post-COVID era, consumers are looking for ways to get the things they need without having to interact with anyone else.
• Responsive customer service options – The last thing a customer will do to get a problem resolved is to call a customer service centre. Give as many options as possible for the customer to resolve issues independently, but make finding that contact phone number easy, just in case.
• Improve tools for your customer service agents – As much as possible, give your customer service agents the support, tools and autonomy to solve a customer’s problem in one stop. Consumers get increasingly frustrated when they are shunted by different departments and call center representatives.

Telecommunications service providers need technology and consulting partners that understand their business. Partners who are integrated into their business strategy and who drive the development of technology-based solutions. Acro Commerce has developed a proven strategic development process for telecoms that increases speed to market, resulting in increased product margins, sales volumes and overall market share.