Delivering a personalised digital experience

Sandeep Raina, director of Product Marketing at MYCOM OSI

In our last blog we looked at the impact a virtualised network will have on CSP’s and how this is an important part of the transformation process towards becoming a digital service provider. In order to make the most of a virtualised network, implementing the right analytics and automation processes is key. This will enable CSP’s to better understand their customer segments and offer highly personalised services.

Analytics & automation experience

In a virtualised environment, automation not only increases efficiency but also quality and speed of service. Elements of human error and inefficient repetitions are removed, reducing the time to delivery of new services.

With the advent of NFV, networks continue to move to the cloud which in turn introduces velocity to the launch of new services. Discerning customers of these new services, especially of video and high speed data, require automated monitoring, says Sandeep Raina, director of Product Marketing, MYCOM OSI.

The slightest service degradation can result in customer care becoming inundated by calls. New services almost always have a high speed, low latency, low jitter requirement, which, even in the most advanced LTE-A networks, are hard to control and manage. The better the operator’s control on these slippery KPIs, the more secure the business.

Analytics, short term and long term, can not only identify the impact of such KPIs on service performance, but also offer deep insights into customer usage and behavior patterns. They can also identify the customer’s proclivity to a particular type of app, device, location or time of day.

However, CSPs may have concerns about a fully analytics-driven automated system. They might not want to handover all operational control until they understand the reliability and security offered by such systems. The pragmatic way to introduce automation is through:

  1. Open Loop actions- recommended corrective actions that can be carried out through user action and verification.
  2. Semi-closed loop actions- a combination of open loop and selected automatic actions whose outcomes are automatically monitored.
  3. Closed Loop actions for those processes/activities which are repetitive, time-consuming and whose outcomes can be automatically monitored and corrected, in case of unsuitable results.

Personalisation experience

Although new technologies have varying uptake around the world depending on region, geography and economy, the collection and correlation of data is gaining equal importance to build context-specific or personalised services.

Processing Technology  series. Interplay of computer chip and fractal elements on the subject of central processing unit, computing and information technology
Processing Technology series. Interplay of computer chip and fractal elements on the subject of central processing unit, computing and information technology

Network and customer behaviour analytics-based insights provide real-time understanding of when/where/which services need to be deployed. This enables contextualised pockets of service roll outs in pertinent network areas, for specific customers/customer groups.

Operators can introduce gradations of services for each customer group such as analysing usage patterns and identifying the type, length and quality of videos being streamed to offer plans and bundles that best suit customer needs.

As an example, if footfall is higher during a particular hour for 18-25 year olds in a specific location, at a certain hour of the day, the CSP could target it instantly, without having to wait for information, development and testing of a service over months. Another example could be streaming a TV programme that is currently popular with that age group or provide more info about a sporting event.

An analytics dashboard that allows drag and drop of targeted services, based on these insights, will enable real-time personalisation of services. Since service situations can develop and dissolve fast, such rapid response can enable the contextual monetisation of customer situations.

Agile service experience

Finally, speed is the key enabler for a satisfying digital experience. Customer demand leaves no time for months and sometimes years of design, test and launch of new services. Instead, operators want rapid delivery and quick retrieval times to enable them to deliver services at a quicker pace. With the ever changing technology trends, it is vital to reduce the risk of CSPs developing services which no longer fit customer needs before they get to market.

Operators are now looking at cloud based automation techniques to deliver the velocity of service as expected. New IT-centric methods of service creation and service rollout are being considered.

It is not enough to know what the current trends are; operators must predict market activity at least 6 months in advance. Operators seeking the skills of data scientists and data modellers, and implementing OSS systems to utilise mathematical prediction models to map customer behaviour, traffic and revenue, are in a strong position to introduce new services early on.

The author of this blog is Sandeep Raina, director of Product Marketing, MYCOM OSI.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @ VanillaPlus OR @jcvplus

RECENT ARTICLES

Connectbase expands baltic connectivity with Bitė partnership

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Connectbase has announced the addition of Bitė to its ecosystem. This partnership marks a step forward in enhancing connectivity options within the Baltic region, providing a link between local and

Read more

IOT Solutions World Congress 2024 connects semiconductor chips to industry

Posted on: March 27, 2024

Essential to manufacture computers, smartphones, cars, refrigerators or any electronic device, semiconductors are critical elements in the implementation of the Internet of Things. For this reason, IOT Solutions World Congress

Read more