Reducing churn through Customer Experience Analytics

Written by Ghassan El-Housseini,
Regional Director for the Middle East,
Actix

As Middle Eastern mobile markets become ever more saturated, operators are starting to look away from customer acquisition and increasingly towards retention. There has therefore never been as crucial a time as today for mobile operators to better understand and manage the experience of existing customers.

Traditionally this was achieved by focusing on improving overall network KPIs, the thinking being that a better network would result in a better customer experience.  But in practice network data, however it is analysed, gives a poor indication as to the true customer experience.

Customer Experience Analytics (CEA) is a key part of the Actix geo-intelligence offering.   CEA doesn’t rely on network KPIs but instead leverages existing network equipment data feeds to capture call by measurement data direct from subscribers. 

This low level data can be geo-located to provide granular insight into people, places and handsets. It allows operators to finally answer common, relevant questions such as:

- Where does poor data performance result in VIP customer churn?
- What is the iPhone dropped call rate inside key corporate HQs?
- Where would be the most effective areas to target LTE and small cells?
- What is the signal strength for roamers using data cards at airports?

The benefits of collecting this data are numerous. Firstly, by identifying areas at risk, tracking where calls are dropped and assessing key corporate accounts, operators can plan service upgrades that are based on real customer demand. 

Secondly, mobile operators can establish what impact new handsets and features are having on their network, mapping performance to allow better prioritisation of resources.

Finally, from an engineering perspective, operators can target their efforts more accurately at churn zones and data hotspots, particularly as CEA enables the identification of indoor coverage and usage.

Without this understanding of exactly what customers are experiencing – delivered through CEA - it’s impossible for operators to truly improve the customer experience, attract new subscribers or keep hold of existing ones.

Ghassan will be speaking at Middle East Com on 4^th December 2012, discussing the importance of geo-intelligence in focusing the mobile operators’ network strategies and operations. For more information, please visit www.comworldseries.com/me and www.actix.com.