The cost to operators of supporting smartphone customers will increase by tens – and even hundreds – of millions of dollars in some major Western markets over the next five years, according to a new study published this week.
Telcos in the U.S. will face an increase of 13% in smartphone care costs over five years, which translates to an additional US$200 million between them, self-care software provider AetherPal revealed on Tuesday.
In the U.K. the cost will grow by 20%, or $90 million in additional spend for the telcos, and in Germany the figure will be 17%, or $91 milli on, the firm said.
Essentially, growing uptake of increasingly complex devices means a higher volume of calls to an operator’s call centre. And at an average cost of $7 per call, that soon adds up.
"Many of the calls that are coming in are fairly simple," AetherPal’s EMEA vice president Paul Gracie told Total Telecom. These could be addressed with self-care, which potentially provides a better outcome for the customer and a cheaper approach for the operator.
AetherPal’s study covered the U.K., Germany and the U.S. because it has operator customers – that it did not name – in those markets. However, "it’s a global thing," Gracie said, adding that the firm is in discussions with telcos in both developed and developing markets.
"The costs are significant," Gracie said. Customer care can have [a major impact on their average revenue per user."
Self-care is not just about the cost though.
More people will turn to self-care to address a minor issue with their smartphone than would take the time the phone a call centre. In fact, "only one in 10 people call the call centre," Gracie said.
The increased usage of self-care functions means more data for the operator that can be used for proactive customer care and churn reduction.
"This is an area where operators could differentiate themselves," Gracie said.
