Big Data Analysis - Customers' Happiness Is Key to Unlocking Its Potential

Operators, fraught with concern over declining revenues from traditional services, are urgently seeking ways to overcome this downturn and address the true threat/opportunity from OTT players. Many are turning to Big Data analysis for answers.

The ability to liberate the value of customer knowledge represents an immense opportunity. Operators possess a holistic view of their customers' activities on mobile devices, compared with the limited ability of OTT providers that can only monitor usage of a single app or site.

A recent White Paper from Analysys Mason highlights that operators are currently formulating strategies to use Big Data Analytics as a tool to mine and monetize customer knowledge from their networks. The prevailing modes for monetization include mobile advertising and the sale of customer data to third parties. However, before these strategies can be enforced, operators must address a critical issue: maintaining customer trust.

Concerns regarding the privacy of personal data were cited by 70% of the operators interviewed by Analsys Mason as the reason why they are not currently generating revenue from Big Data analysis. Unsurprising when you consider the consequences of mishandling personal data, especially given the breadth of media coverage recently awarded to such errors.

Employing an opt-in policy can get around legal and regulatory constraints on extracting data, with OTT providers actively integrating this into their subscriptions, but where's the incentive for the end customer? As a customer, I want to gain something from sharing my personal information, especially as we're now becoming more aware of its monetary value. Enabling the potential for my operator to make more money just doesn't persuade me to tick that box - but at least I'm being given the option! Hiding an ‘opt-in' within standard T's and C's leaves one feeling frustrated; almost embezzled out of their right to abstain - opinions which no doubt will taint reputations.

AsiaInfo-Linkage is very aware that for Big Data analysis to become an integral component of future business strategies the customer must be given control - and it's this insight which led to the creation of the Veris Convergent Context-awareness Center (C³). Veris C³ collects raw data from mobile and Wi-Fi networks and processes it in real-time to extract detailed information about each subscriber's network usage.

Enabling such detailed customer behavior insights allows the operator to provide a far better mobile marketing experience for the customer. Veris C³ permits operators to deliver targeted and relevant campaigns at suitable times - simply ending the annoyance felt by customers at being sent irrelevant messages at inappropriate times. Not only does this strategy please the customer, but sending campaigns when customers are most receptive maximizes click-through rates, thus pleasing the operator. Everyone's a winner.

Veris C³ goes even further to ensure everyone's happy: via the Real-time Self Service (RTSS) app, customers can opt-in for C³promotions for a specified period and in return receive a resource credit of their choice. The longer they opt-in, the more resource credit can be awarded.

Veris C³ benefits everyone: It provides palpable incentives for the customer, allowing them to personalize and control their mobile data experience. Operators are provided with new ways to monetize highly detailed customer insights via straightforward interfaces through which they can analyze and manipulate the data.

BY CLAIRE MCMAHON - Big Data Analysis - Customers' Happiness Is Key to Unlocking Its Potential