Telecoms companies are set to invest in virtual reality, chatbots and purpose-built mobile apps in an effort to build stronger relationships with customers. This is according to new research from Oracle.
The research report, Can Virtual Experiences Replace Reality?, found that one third (33%) of marketing and sales leaders in the telecoms industry are losing touch with customers because their interactions are not always relevant.
Despite having access to large volumes of rich customer data, telecoms companies are failing to integrate, analyse and exploit this information to deliver personalised experiences. Only one third (37%) examine customer data regularly, and almost two thirds (61%) don’t even include social or CRM data in their customer analytics.
In order to better connect with customers and differentiate themselves in a market that is increasingly driven by price or handset packages, telecoms companies are turning to VR, AI and direct-to-consumer apps.
- 79% will be using virtual reality to deliver CX by 2020, and 35% have already implemented the technology to some degree
- 80% will be using chatbots by 2020, with 34% already using them to manage specific service requests and customer queries
- Telco-owned mobile apps will become ubiquitous, with 84% of respondents planning to use these to engage with customers by 2020
“While many telecoms operators may be concerned about the impact that the growth of VR will have on bandwidth and the core service they provide to customers, our research shows that many are already looking at how they can use the technology themselves to build closer relationships with customers,” said Mark de Groot, marketing director EMEA – Digital Customer Experience at Oracle.
“Historically, telcos’ interactions with customers have been limited to billing and service issues, but recent years have seen an explosion in value-add services like priority access to events or streaming subscription bundles in an effort to boost loyalty. Telecoms companies have woken up to the reality that it’s no longer enough to offer reliable voice, text and data services, and offering engaging experiences on new platforms can give them the edge over competitors.”
Oracle partnered with Coleman Parkes to survey 800 CMOs, CSOs, senior marketers, and senior sales executives across France, the Netherlands, South Africa and the UK. Respondents were also evenly split between three industries: Manufacturing and High-Technology, Online Retail, and Telecommunications.
The report polled 266 senior marketing and sales professionals from the manufacturing and high tech engineering sector across EMEA. The full report can be downloaded here.
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