CSPs are acquiring new information about their customers every day; what services they use, when and where they use these services, and the capability of its network to support these interactions. As data traffic increases and networks become more complex, sometimes it’s difficult to judge what information to believe. Here, Freddie Kavanagh, vice president of Applications Solutions at Tektronix Communications, explains how CSPs can make the most of their CEM data.
There are a couple of golden rules that a retailer needs to stick to if their business is going to survive and thrive. One is that ‘the customer always comes first’ and that ‘the customer is always right’. These same rules can be applied to a communications service provider (CSP), but while the satisfaction of the customer is of paramount importance to the CSP, the data it collects on the subscriber may not always be right; in fact in some cases it might be conflicting or misleading. The contemporary mobile network is a patchwork of different technologies, standards and protocols. Operators need a mechanism to collect and correlate, the huge quantities of data collected from the network into actionable information. They need a holistic view of the customer lifecycle, the services they’re consuming and their interactions with the network.
To do this effectively, they need to adopt a system that provides them with an end-to-end view of their network. Once they have this automated system in place they will be able to analyse data across multiple technologies and domains. They will have real-time data in their possession that can be used to make strategic business decisions based on user trends, traffic patterns and market conditions. Not only that, but the data will inform them how best to maximise their resources and optimise their networks. In short they will be able to use data collection and analysis to make money and save money. So what is the system called and what does it look like? It’s actually been with us for a number of years and it isn’t a single application, it’s typically a suite of products that are calibrated to perform all of the above; optimised to meet the specification of an individual network or group of networks. It’s widely known and accepted as a solution called customer experience management (CEM).
CEM is now a well-established term, but up until now the CSPs have only scratched the surface of what CEM is capable of delivering. The key to utilising CEM is to acknowledge that it can provide much more than subscriber intelligence – it’s a window onto the network itself.
Understand the data package in depth
Standard network monitoring offers an overview of the network from an operational perspective but provides insufficient data from a commercial perspective; data which can facilitate an appreciation of user behaviours. Most network monitoring solutions offer a broad view across the network and are therefore used to drive QoS enhancements. They typically lack the capability to chart, and interpret the user journey and provide a mechanism to evaluate how services can be delivered in a way that offers a pay-off for both subscriber and network operator. The optimal approach to arriving at an intimate appreciation of what the network is being used for is to understand the data package in depth. There’s no reason why dumb should get any dumber given the technologies and tools now available to underpin some truly revenue-focussed CEM. New developments in network analytics and diagnostics, for example in terms of probebased solutions, can offer unrivalled granularity. They can enable CSPs to gain a unique view of the customer experience by monitoring service usage, and detect and respond to customer events in real-time. The consumption of data services can be broken down by service, subscriber and device, even to the extent that operators can drill down to what peer-to-peer services – such as VoIP – subscribers are using. This sophisticated analysis offers a view of which services are consuming the most bandwidth over any specified time period, be it daily, weekly or longer. Not only can operators monitor QoS at its most basic level, but they can also view how many subscribers are using a given service at a given time.
Understanding the bigger picture
On one level CEM allows the operator to identify heavy users of a service or the most frequently used devices and can also identify the worst affected subscribers, or worst performing devices, for throughput or latency. This approach will enable the operator to refine the network and service delivery to improve the end-user experience and to innovate with new services to address the needs of subscribers based on their consumption habits. Once the infrastructure is in place, the management of network services can be far more strategic. As an example, network data might enable an MNO to throttle peer-to-peer apps but not to throttle VIP subscribers. Operators can, therefore, recommend policies that give priority to monetized streaming services and create service tiers to fill usage gaps. Smartly gathered and intelligently used data can actually be lifted from network probes, warehoused and then interrogated down to the finest detail, to investigate where opportunities may lie. It can be used to drive revenue-capturing opportunities such as tuning the service experience based on the most popular devices and bundling device upgrades with new service offerings, not least keeping hold of roaming customers so they do not migrate elsewhere.
With usage outpacing revenues, business models must evolve. Continual network tuning makes optimal use of existing network resources and accelerates the return on deployed assets. By prioritizing traffic based on performance and revenue recognition requirements CSPs can use new and costeffective charging models to encourage changes in subscriber behaviour.
Seeing what the customer sees
Building, or reclaiming revenue is clearly of prime interest to an operator. However, reducing costs through network efficiencies when combined with targeted service propositions makes for a very strong and compelling commercial model in any competitive environment.
Customers experiencing persistent issues with network services will call customer care, give up using the service or possibly churn – in each case costing the MNO valuable time and revenue. The circumstances triggering these reactions are often invisible to the MNO. An incorrectly configured APN on the handset, for example, will lead to the network blocking access to the user. Whilst it’s right for the CSP to take such an action, the user will perceive it as a disastrous system failure. The CSP receives no indication of customer dissatisfaction because the network is performing exactly as intended. Nonetheless, the customer who is trying to spend money on the network may simply give up in frustration. This inevitable cause and effect relationship can be readily understood through real-time Customer Experience Indicators which enable the CSP to implement corrective behaviours; automatically addressing customer experience issues within moments of occurrence, eliminating customer dissatisfaction, driving service uptake and reducing customer churn.
Combining customer experience data from the network with data from a range of sources within the CSP can create the foundations of sophisticated issue detection and resolution behaviours tailored to the needs of the individual subscriber. CSPs can start having a meaningful positive impact on the experience of the network users.
Making the most of CEM
An integrated CEM solution can provide an endto- end view of a CSP’s business and all of its assets. It can reveal the breadth and depth of a subscriber’s interaction with the network and a detailed and comprehensive view of the services they use. It can also provide a window onto the network, it can provide an operator with an inventory of its network reach and capabilities; identify hot spots, traffic congestion and data throughput, and then align resources accordingly. Apart from making informed business decisions, based on the analysis of subscriber usage and trends, to create new revenue opportunities, CSPs can use CEM to introduce efficiencies and make cost savings. With CEM operators can maximise their network resources, make the best of use of their existing 2G and 3G assets and gradually progress their 4G strategy. However, one key challenge remains and that is how will the carriers address the disparity between traffic and revenue, how do they close that gap? That involves a wider service assurance issue and one we can look at another time.
For more information visit www.tektronixcommunications.com.
