#1: CARRIER NETWORKS BUILT ON CONVERGENCE WILL DELIVER A BETTER SUBSCRIBER EXPERIENCE.
Today’s networks must be architected to support a multitude of access devices and on-ramps to service that are tied to a single account and e-wallet with the requisite spending and policy controls. To compete with third party OTT apps carriers must offer subscribers a better user experience, tightly integrated payment facilities, innovative features and original content. A network built on convergence provides the carrier with the flexibility to be as creative in the design of their service offerings as possible while not being constrained by technical limitations.
In a converged services network carriers can provision subscriber accounts for multiple services and flexible price plans that can all draw from a single account’s stored value. Having the ability to service subscribers with a unified service devoid of the need to manage multiple applications, accounts and payment systems improves the subscriber experience and builds carrier revenues.
#2: ORIGINAL CONTENT DRIVES ENGAGEMENT, BUILDS SUBSCRIBER LOYALTY AND DIFFERENTIATES THE BRAND.
In a world of re-tweets and re-posts stale content does little to help with brand differentiation and it does not attract new subscribers nor drive customer loyalty. Having original content that aligns with the brand’s mission and focuses on satisfying subscriber demand helps build traction, uniqueness and value to the brand.
Barry Sher,
VP of Business Development,
IVR Technologies
Focusing content on areas of subscriber interest drives more weight towards original content where carriers can use zero rated/sponsored data to build attractive plan bundles and a wide array of supported media (IPTV, music, video, and gaming) to create a unified subscriber experience. When subscribers are able to receive 360-degree access to their media and communication needs they are no longer compelled to rely on multiple vendors in order to receive all the services they desire.
#3: COMMUNITY BUILDING ENGAGES SUBSCRIBERS AND PROVIDES INVALUABLE FEEDBACK AND IMPROVED BRAND LOYALTY.
Building a strong community that is tightly integrated with products and services is vital to the success of the brand. Community building gives users a voice to help improve the brand by providing a forum within which they can raise common pain points and suggest new features in a medium where users can collaborate on solving technical and/or implementation issues. When community building is embraced it can provide invaluable feedback the carrier can leverage to improve their offering and it also helps develop a strong relationship with the customer that in turn drives brand loyalty.
Integrating the community directly into the carrier’s services is a win/win for everyone -- it reduces operating costs, improves subscriber satisfaction, builds a strong connection between the user and the carrier and when properly implemented can make a significant impact to the success and profitability of the business.
#4: API ENABLEMENT IN CARRIER NETWORKS CREATES SEAMLESS SERVICE ACCESS AND INNOVATION ACROSS ITS ECOSYSTEM OF CONTENT PROVIDERS.
Building an engaged ecosystem around a product and/or service is an important component to the ongoing evolution of a brand. When the network is built to be open and extensible, instead of proprietary and walled off, the opportunity for innovation, competitive advantage and community is greatly enhanced.
By seamlessly bridging gaps with new and empowering applications that are facilitated by a carrier’s open and extensible ecosystem, the platform and subscribers benefit tremendously with wider application selection, more comprehensive services and improved functionality. By building next generation carrier networks on open APIs that cultivate the developer community innovation occurs more rapidly and organically, subscribers benefit from new and unique services the carrier is unable or unwilling to provide, and the carrier benefits from improved competitive advantage.
About The Author:
Barry Sher co-founded IVR Technologies in 2001 along with three other partners who are also veterans in the telecommunications industry. Barry’s roots in telecom data back to 1994 where he was the co-founder of another telecommunications software company, which was named to the Inc. 500 list (#179) and acquired in year 2000. With over 20 years in the telecom industry, Barry has played a significant role in the successful growth of several businesses focused on VoIP, mobile network billing and value-added services solutions. Barry’s core role at IVR Technologies is business development, sales and marketing.
