Telco's now offer homogeneous products and ubiquitous services - and that's why the brand matters more than ever

Unless your and bone fide techie, telecom services have become ubiquitous. The availability and reliability of telecom services have improved significantly over the years, and as service standards improve, it’s brands that play a crucial role in shaping consumer preferences and influencing purchasing decisions.

While the ubiquity of telecom services has increased competition and expanded choices for consumers, telecom brands still hold significance in shaping consumer perceptions, establishing trust, delivering quality services, and driving innovation in the industry.

Telecom brands differentiate themselves through their service offerings, customer support, network quality, pricing, and additional features. Each brand may have unique selling propositions that appeal to different segments of the market. Branding helps consumers identify and choose the telecom provider that aligns with their specific needs or preferences.

Established telecom brands often have a track record of providing reliable services and maintaining customer satisfaction, but consumers (even B2B and enterprise customers) are still more likely to trust brands they are familiar with, especially when it comes to services that are critical to their businesses or daily lives, such as internet connectivity and mobile communication. A trusted brand reputation can provide assurance and peace of mind to customers more than corporate KPIs

That’s why telecom brands must continue to invest in enhancing the overall customer experience through user-friendly interfaces, intuitive apps, self-service options, and personalised support. A well-known brand is more likely to have developed streamlined processes and efficient customer service channels, making it easier for consumers to manage their accounts, troubleshoot issues, and access help when needed. Or perhaps from the brand perspective we should view this the other way around?

Telecom brands often drive innovation in the industry by introducing new technologies, services, and products. They invest in research and development to stay ahead of the competition and meet evolving customer demands. Established brands have the resources and expertise to launch new technologies such as 5G networks, IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity, mobile money, payroll solutions or advanced home entertainment solutions, which can further differentiate them from other providers.

The strength of the brand has allowed many telecoms operators to diversify away from data and voice calls into the new markets of bundled services that include internet, TV, mobile, commerce, security and other telecommunications offerings. The brand plays a crucial role in marketing these bundled packages and creating value propositions that attract customers. A strong brand can communicate the benefits of bundling services and offer convenience and cost savings to consumers.

Seven ways 5G NaaS will improve enterprise connectivity

With the advent of 5G technology arriving in the UK just over a year ago (May 2019), here are my thoughts on the exciting opportunities that this step change in network configuration brings for enterprises, particularly in terms of improving connectivity through Network as a Service (NaaS). I’ve listed my top seven, because it’s my lucky number!

Enhanced Speed and Capacity: 5G offers significantly faster speeds and increased network capacity compared to previous generations. This translates into higher bandwidth availability for enterprises, allowing them to handle large data volumes, real-time applications, and bandwidth-intensive tasks seamlessly. With NaaS built on 5G infrastructure, enterprises can access high-speed connectivity to support their evolving business needs.

Low Latency and Real-Time Responsiveness: 5G networks deliver ultra-low latency, enabling near-instantaneous data transfer. This low latency is crucial for applications that require real-time responsiveness, such as remote monitoring, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. NaaS powered by 5G allows enterprises to leverage these technologies, driving efficiency, productivity, and innovation across various industries.

Reliable and Ubiquitous Coverage: 5G networks are designed to provide reliable coverage, even in densely populated areas. This ensures seamless connectivity for enterprises regardless of their location. With NaaS leveraging 5G's extensive coverage, businesses can maintain uninterrupted connectivity, whether in urban centers, remote regions, or within their own premises. This reliability opens doors for new applications and business models that require constant connectivity.

Network Slicing for Customization: 5G introduces network slicing, which enables the creation of dedicated virtual networks tailored to specific enterprise requirements. NaaS utilizing 5G network slicing allows businesses to have virtualized, isolated network environments customized to their needs. Each slice can be optimized with specific performance characteristics, security measures, and quality of service (QoS) parameters. This flexibility empowers enterprises to prioritize critical applications, manage network resources efficiently, and ensure the desired performance for their operations.

Improved Security and Privacy: 5G networks incorporate advanced security features to protect enterprise data and communications. NaaS built on 5G infrastructure leverages these inherent security capabilities to provide secure connectivity to enterprises. Features like end-to-end encryption, secure authentication protocols, and network segmentation enhance data privacy and protect against potential cyber threats. This enables enterprises to confidently adopt NaaS solutions while maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of their business-critical information.

Scalability and On-Demand Provisioning: 5G-based NaaS offers scalability and on-demand provisioning, allowing enterprises to quickly adapt to changing business requirements. As enterprises expand or contract their operations, they can easily adjust their network resources and bandwidth allocation. This scalability ensures optimal utilization of network assets, cost efficiency, and the ability to scale up or down based on demand fluctuations.

Cost Efficiency and Operational Simplicity: NaaS on 5G reduces the need for enterprises to invest in and maintain complex networking infrastructure. Instead, they can access network services as a subscription-based model, eliminating the upfront costs of hardware and infrastructure deployment. With simplified network management and centralized control, enterprises can focus on their core competencies while relying on the expertise of NaaS providers to handle network operations.

Seven ways SDN will reshape the telecoms market

Software-defined networking (SDN) is poised to revolutionise the telecoms market, bringing significant changes and advancements to the industry. Here are some key ways in which I think SDN will impact the telecoms market:

 Network Flexibility and Agility: SDN enables the separation of network control and forwarding functions, allowing for centralized control and programmability of the network. This enhances network flexibility and agility, enabling telecoms companies to dynamically adapt their networks to changing demands and optimize resource allocation. SDN empowers telecoms providers to quickly provision, scale, and reconfigure network services, leading to improved efficiency and faster service delivery.

Network Virtualization and Automation: SDN facilitates network virtualization, enabling the creation of virtual network overlays and logical network partitions. This allows multiple virtual networks to run on a shared physical infrastructure, leading to more efficient resource utilization. Furthermore, SDN enables automation of network provisioning, configuration, and management processes, reducing manual efforts and human errors. Telecoms companies can leverage SDN to automate tasks like network monitoring, traffic engineering, and security enforcement, resulting in operational cost savings and improved network performance.

Improved Network Performance and Quality of Service: SDN's centralized control and programmability enable intelligent traffic management and optimization. Telecoms providers can dynamically allocate network resources based on real-time traffic patterns and quality of service (QoS) requirements. SDN allows for application-aware routing, traffic prioritization, and traffic engineering, leading to enhanced network performance, reduced latency, and improved QoS for end-users. SDN's ability to dynamically adapt to changing network conditions also enables efficient load balancing and resiliency, ensuring high availability and fault tolerance.

Acceleration of Network Function Virtualization (NFV): SDN and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) go hand in hand. NFV involves virtualizing traditional network functions, such as firewalls, routers, and load balancers, and running them as software-based instances on commodity hardware. SDN provides the underlying infrastructure and programmability to enable the dynamic deployment, chaining, and management of these virtualized network functions. By combining SDN and NFV, telecoms companies can achieve greater network flexibility, cost savings, and faster service deployment through the virtualization and software-based orchestration of network functions.

Enablement of New Services and Business Models: SDN opens up opportunities for telecoms providers to offer innovative services and explore new business models. The programmability and flexibility of SDN enable the rapid development and deployment of new network services, such as on-demand bandwidth provisioning, network slicing for specific applications or industries, and customized service offerings. SDN also facilitates partnerships and collaborations with third-party service providers, allowing telecoms companies to offer value-added services and create ecosystems around their networks.

Enhanced Network Security and Policy Enforcement: SDN provides centralized control and visibility over the network, enabling enhanced security and policy enforcement. Security policies can be dynamically applied and adjusted across the network, ensuring consistent and robust security measures. SDN's ability to isolate and segment traffic through virtual networks enhances network security and containment of threats. Additionally, SDN enables the implementation of granular access controls, threat detection, and response mechanisms, improving the overall security posture of telecoms networks.

Cost Reduction and Operational Efficiency: SDN offers potential cost savings and operational efficiencies for telecoms providers. By decoupling network control from physical infrastructure, SDN allows for the use of commodity hardware and reduces reliance on proprietary network devices. This results in cost savings on network equipment and maintenance. Moreover, SDN's automation capabilities streamline network management and reduce manual intervention, leading to operational cost reductions and improved efficiency.

How is marketing international telcoms different...?

Marketing of technology and telcoms is often conflated as being very similar, but I would argue that there are several unique and quite fundamental differences. The most basic difference is that virtually all telecoms solutions rely on partnerships.

Understanding that all telecoms requires an relationship based approach and that only by building trust and strong relationships can any business scale. Decision-makers within these companies value long-term partnerships and seek vendors who understand their specific needs. Marketers need to focus on establishing credibility amongst their brands and products, demonstrating industry expertise, and nurturing relationships through personalised engagement and tailored solutions.

Telecoms companies operate in a highly technical and complex industry. Marketing to these companies requires a deep understanding of telecommunications technologies, networks, and infrastructure. Marketers must possess the technical knowledge to effectively communicate the benefits and capabilities of their solutions to the telecoms audience. This requires specialized knowledge that may not be as crucial in other industries.

The sales cycles in the telecoms industry tend to be longer and more complex than in many other sectors. Decision-making processes often involve multiple stakeholders, extensive evaluations, and regulatory considerations. Marketers need to develop strategies that account for these longer sales cycles, nurturing leads and providing comprehensive information throughout the decision-making journey.

Marketing to telecoms companies primarily falls under the B2B (business-to-business) realm. This means that the marketing approach focuses on targeting and engaging with other businesses rather than individual consumers. B2B marketing requires building relationships with key decision-makers, understanding the unique challenges faced by telecoms companies, and crafting messages that resonate with their business objectives.

The telecoms industry is subject to strict regulations and compliance standards. Marketers need to navigate these regulatory frameworks and ensure that their marketing campaigns and messaging comply with industry guidelines. This may involve staying updated on changing regulations, working closely with legal and compliance teams, and tailoring marketing strategies to meet these requirements.

Marketing to telecoms companies often requires a high level of industry expertise. Telecoms professionals are knowledgeable about their field and expect marketers to understand the intricacies of their industry. Marketers need to invest time in acquiring industry-specific knowledge, staying updated on technological advancements, and understanding the unique challenges and pain points faced by telecoms companies.

Telecoms companies prioritise solutions that can scale and operate with utmost reliability. Marketing messages need to emphasise the scalability, performance, and robustness of the products or services being offered. Highlighting how the solution can help telecoms companies meet their growing demands and ensure uninterrupted operations is vital.

In summary, marketing to telecoms companies requires a unique blend of technical knowledge, understanding of complex sales cycles, adherence to regulatory requirements, industry expertise, relationship-building skills, and a focus on scalability and reliability. Successful telecoms marketing strategies recognise and address these distinct factors to effectively engage with the target audience and drive business growth in this specialised industry.

Unveiling the Pain Points

In the dynamic realm of international carrier-grade telecommunications, understanding the pain points of your target audience is paramount for successful marketing. By delving into their challenges and requirements, you can position your solutions as indispensable for meeting their needs. In this blog post, we explore effective strategies to discover the target audience and identify their pain points in the realm of international carrier-grade telecommunications. By employing these tactics, you can optimize your marketing efforts and craft compelling messages that resonate with your audience.

Conduct In-Depth Market Research

To unearth the pain points of your target audience, thorough market research is indispensable. Dive deep into the telecommunications industry, analysing market trends, emerging technologies, and the challenges faced by carriers. Leverage industry reports, competitor analysis, and customer surveys to gather valuable insights. By understanding the current landscape, you can identify gaps in the market and position your solutions as the missing piece to alleviate their pain points. Key marketing phrases: market research, emerging technologies, industry analysis, competitive landscape.

Engage in Customer Interviews and Surveys

Directly engaging with customers through interviews and surveys is an effective method to uncover pain points. These interactions provide first-hand information about their challenges, requirements, and expectations from a telecommunications solution. Craft open-ended questions that encourage customers to express their pain points candidly. By actively listening and analysing their responses, you can gain deeper insights into their pain points and tailor your marketing messages accordingly. Customer testimonials and case studies derived from these interviews can also be powerful marketing assets to showcase how your solutions address specific pain points. Key marketing phrases: customer interviews, surveys, pain point identification, customer testimonials.

Collaborate with Sales and Customer Support Teams

Your sales and customer support teams possess valuable insights into customer pain points as they interact directly with them. Foster collaboration with these teams to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by carriers. Conduct joint meetings to gather feedback, exchange information, and identify recurring pain points. Their knowledge of customer pain points can inform your marketing strategy and help you create targeted messages that resonate with your target audience. Leveraging their expertise enables you to align your marketing efforts with the sales process and customer support journey. Key marketing phrases: collaboration, feedback gathering, pain point validation, customer support insights.

 Attend Industry Events and Conferences

Industry events and conferences serve as a treasure trove of information on pain points and emerging trends in telecommunications. Participate in these events to engage with carriers, network operators, and industry experts. Increasingly, large enterprise customers are engaged at these events, as the markets blur and widen. That’s why, actively listening to presentations, joining discussions, and networking to gain insights into the challenges faced by the target audience is so important for marketers. Speaking face to face with customers at industry events and the wider social context offers a unique opportunity to validate existing pain points, identify new ones, and stay updated on emerging technologies.

The tricky bit afterwards is always managing the feedback loops from the sales and product teams and designing a process which allows the incorporation of any new knowledge gained from these events into your marketing strategy enables you to position your solutions as innovative and tailored to address the evolving needs of the industry. Key marketing phrases: industry events, pain point validation, networking, emerging technologies.

Leverage Online Communities and Forums

Online communities, forums, and social media groups focused on telecommunications provide an avenue to connect with carriers and professionals in the industry. Engage in conversations, participate in discussions, and observe the pain points raised by the community. By actively listening and seeking feedback, you can identify common pain points and challenges faced by your target audience. Utilize these insights to shape your marketing messages and content to address their specific needs.

Establishing your brand as an active participant in these communities enhances your credibility and positions you as a thought leader, while also opening doors for potential collaborations and partnerships. Key marketing phrases: online communities, engagement, thought leadership, pain point identification.

Identifying the pain points of your target audience is a fundamental aspect of all marketing. By conducting in-depth market research, engaging with customers, collaborating with internal teams, attending industry events, and leveraging online communities, you can gain valuable insights into their pain points. This knowledge empowers you to develop marketing strategies with confidence; to position solutions effectively; and to demonstrate how your products and sevices willalleviate their challenges, ultimately driving success in the competitive telecommunications landscape.

B2B or B2C - how different can it be?

1. Shared Marketing Principles: B2B and B2C marketing share core principles like clear messaging, audience segmentation, and relationship building.

2. Tailored Messaging: Both require personalized messaging to address specific audience needs, whether targeting businesses or individual consumers.

3. Trust and Relationships: Trust and credibility are essential in both markets, built through consistent quality, transparency, and customer engagement.

4. Digital Integration: Both B2B and B2C rely on digital channels like websites, social media, and SEO for visibility and customer interaction

In marketing, businesses often approach two primary strategies: B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) marketing. While these approaches may appear quite different, they share several core principles essential for success. Recognizing these similarities can help marketers optimize strategies and discover new growth opportunities.

Having worked extensively in both B2B and B2C marketing, I've often noticed the overlooked synergies between the two, particularly when it comes to foundational practices and shared priorities.

Though B2B and B2C differ in tone, complexity, and channels, both require tailored messaging. B2B marketing typically emphasizes business needs, efficiency, and ROI (Return on Investment), while B2C often appeals to emotions, desires, and personal aspirations. Yet, both demand clear, compelling narratives, strong value propositions, and effective solutions to customer pain points. Simplicity and clarity in messaging help capture attention and drive results, no matter the audience.

A fundamental requirement in both B2B and B2C marketing is identifying and segmenting target audiences. While B2B focuses on businesses and B2C targets individual consumers, success in both areas hinges on understanding audience needs, behaviors, and preferences. Effective segmentation allows marketers to craft relevant messages and offers that speak directly to those they aim to reach.

To achieve this, both B2B and B2C marketers use market research techniques like surveys (often insightful), focus groups (sometimes distracting), and data analysis (consistently valuable). These insights help refine marketing strategies, personalize content, and create experiences that resonate with the audience, whether they are businesses or individuals.

Building trust and nurturing relationships is crucial in both B2B and B2C. While B2B often involves long-term partnerships and B2C focuses on individual transactions, the foundation remains the same: becoming a trusted brand. Trust is built by delivering on promises, providing consistent quality, and offering exceptional customer experiences. Transparent communication, timely responses, and genuine engagement help establish credibility and long-term customer loyalty in both sectors.

The rise of digital platforms has further blurred the lines between B2B and B2C marketing. Both approaches now rely heavily on online channels such as websites, social media, email campaigns, and search engine optimization. A strong digital presence, optimized content, and active social media engagement are essential for visibility in both markets. Additionally, as e-commerce has evolved, both businesses and consumers now expect seamless, secure, and intuitive online purchasing experiences.

While B2B and B2C strategies may seem distinct at first glance, their core principles often overlap. From audience segmentation to relationship building, personalized messaging to digital integration, both approaches share essential marketing fundamentals. By recognizing and leveraging these shared principles, marketers can create more effective, cohesive strategies that drive success in any market.

Do brands matter any more?

(Spoiler Alert - yes they do).

Brands matter and have value if people trust them.  Nowadays, aren't we all savvy enough and connected enough to know that no brands should be trusted? What’s changing is the way that brands earn our trust, but not the value of the trusted brand.

The global marketplace now gives us too much choice and information for consumers to possibly have time to research and fully understand the benefits  that each company offers. It’s ironic that in a globally connected world where now more than ever we have access to myriad information sources it is the old fallback of word-of-mouth the matters most. And that is why a trusted brand with a loyal team of brand advocates who are engaged with your company and your employees is still potentially the most valuable asset a company can hold.

Brands have evolved from being visual trade marks or logos that people recognise as a mark of authenticity (something akin to a painter’s signature) to become something that people feel, trust and emote.

Brands compete increasingly for our attention which is why it has become increasingly important for brands to understand how to differentiate themselves through engagement and trust.  The fundamentals of building a brand used to be based on key attributes with which a company could differentiate themselves from their competition. This was enough for a company to make its mark and to establish a position within its own market category.

This is no longer true. Previously a company only had to say what it stood for. Now they need to also be seen to behave positively and transparently in a way that represents the brand and is remarkable. It is how people in your organisation behave and who you choose to partner with that now better defines your brand.  Brand engagement starts from the inside out created by anybody who has a stake in the company (including suppliers, vendors, employees and partners).  For a brand to stand out from the crowd people need to trust and believe in all the company stands for, and to do that we all need to be transparent.  Brands no longer 'say', now brands have to 'do' and it's the customers who will 'say' what your brand is.

With more choice than ever before it has become harder to choose which companies to trust, which companies to work for, and which products most reflect who you choose to be.  Brands no longer simply identify products, but increasingly even in a corporate environment they allow customers to make a statement about themselves.

This is a fundamental shift. Brands now reflect the identity of your customer not just your organisation and because of this, customers are more sensitive and responsive than ever before to corporations that behave unethically or irresponsibly.

And likewise a solid brand, if true to the company’s purpose, will help direct the strategic narrative and framework for all operations across the company. This can range from type of person that is attracted to work to the organisation, how they are recruited, and the corporate environment in which they work. All of a company’s actions will naturally flow from the brand vision, guiding its strategic principles and commercial goals. These can all be focus around the brand and the brand ambitions.

Companies and corporations with a clear brand strategy have a sharper focus their business opportunities, knowing which partners are the closest fit to their ambitions. This impacts vendor relations, channel partners, customers, employee engagement as well as future M&A and expansion plans.

Without a strong corporate brand how can we expect customers to find us, to like us, to buy from us or to ever trust us. 

So, do brands matter any more? Yes, more than ever.

Efficient v Effective

Efficiency is created by achieving maximum productivity with minimum waste. We know that waste is cost, and cost is bad, so that's why efficiency considered to be a good thing.  Efficiency drives change,  often by the desire to build more ‘cost efficient’ processes or systems. But I urge a measured approach where improved cost efficiency is measured against the effectiveness of a company to deliver against it’s promise, or its purpose.

The recent abundance of new aps and internet services which deliver products online gives an impression that all products and services are more efficiently distributed through the interweb. Food is picked and delivered to our door, clothes cleaned, measured, designed and delivered, books, shoes, fresh cut flowers, tradesmen or rock bands are all available to buy online. The last decade has been defined by retailers moving online. This decade will see industries follow their lead and move to an integrated online trading environment.

But does an online web based NHS become more effective at diagnostics and patient care? Or is an online NHS just more efficient, reducing the cost per diagnosis?  Is online legal advice an efficient method for delivering wise counsel or is face to face consultancy more effective? Is a printed newspaper an efficient way of distributing the morning news and can it be as effective as an online version? Efficiency and effectiveness are not mutually exclusive, but are always competing for our attention.

Ever since the invention of the wheel we’ve been designing technological solutions to make us more efficient.  And now these efficiencies are coming at us thick and fast. We need to be careful to choose the ones that help to to be successful in the service that we offer, outside of lower costs.

Technological efficiency saves time by performing difficult tasks automatically, the kind of tasks that would have otherwise have been manual. And if we save time we usually also save money.  But what is lost through cost efficient delivery?

By automating existing processes to make life or business more efficient, we surely miss the biggest opportunity that this new technology has to offer.  Whilst they’re not mutually exclusive, what’s more important to your business right now – efficiency or effectiveness?  

Only if we understand how customers choose to engage with our business (knowing where customers extract value from, not just our products but also our services) will we be able to implement the right savings and make our businesses more effective.  

Confidence & Culture

As I think about my recent roles within the telecoms industry and the companies that I’ve worked with past and present (and before I move on to my next role) I’d like to pose a question.  How is the confidence of an organisation and it’s management team related to the culture (processes, procedures, authority and empowerment of individuals) within that organisation? 

Businesses seem to mimic people in their personalities and cultures, more so when they are owner or founder managed.  So when a business is doing well we enjoy working in an environment that is comfortable with the future and allows people a level of empowerment to take risks, to experiment and to innovate.  The popular management books written about ‘failing fast’ all encourage to this type of leadership culture in positive commercial environments.

But when things take a turn and the future looks less certain confidence can quickly drop and the culture and leadership behaviour in an organisation can also change or adapt with a new 'safety first' but, in my view, myopic zeitgeist. When times get tough in the economic cycle, we’ve all experienced CFO’s reigning in spending especially on items they view as discretionary, like marketing or travel. This is usually in line with new policies and procedures implemented to sure up business cases to ensure spending is curbed and RoI is bullet proof.  This makes good commercial sense – after all who wouldn't tighten the belt when times are forecast to be tough? But how tight should the belt buckle be pulled and how does this turn in the economic cycle impact company culture?

It’s been suggested a that a new way of thinking about these issues is that perhaps that when times turn tough and confidence is low, that this is exactly the right time to change the way we think and operate, to experiment and fail and try to new processes to overcome the new obstacles; and not to revert back to the old, safe and trusted ways of working.

The reason for this is that the added pressure on business cases, the cost controls and the internal focus naturally leaves less time to worry about customers, prospects and the new business for the future. Now's the time to empower and innovate, not restrict and internalise. Now's the time to demonstrate best practice and improve on it for the up-turn, not to internalise and politicise decisions. Corporate culture is decided by the leadership teams and the ways they behave and how they permit other to behave. Any company's strength in a downturn is always its people - let them lead.

Don’t wait for your business to fail further, for pressures to increase to crisis levels before going out on a limb, taking the calculated risks and allowing your teams to innovate.  Maintain your best practices, continue to spend on your customers, encourage future projects and demand positive innovation from everyone. 

It’s the people that make up your business and it's the responsibility of the leadership team to maintain a confident culture.  People are so important that I suspect once corporate confidence is lost it will only be regained by bringing in new people who bring their own buckets full of confidence with them, enough to share across the organisation.  And I believe a companies culture is dictated by the worst accepted or tolerated behaviours of an organisation, and not the best as described in their glossy manifesto.

New 'Purpose' and meaning at work

Today I wrote a short presentation for our HR team on their role in creating a brand. I realized that the foundation for most brands remains ‘purpose’ which is the meaning behind the direction of the company and the reasons we’re traveling that way.

 There are some jobs where almost everyone reports a strong sense of meaning, these are usually referred to a vocational jobs like teaching, the clergy, healing as a doctor or nurse; all of which makes me think that perhaps we’ve moved on from companies having ‘purpose’, and instead our roles require purpose.

 The jobs that hold the most meaning therefore tend to be those that are ‘organisation agnostic’. Perhaps we have the millennial generation to thank for this conscious decoupling of our meaningful work from the purposeful company? Certainly labour mobility and unified communications networks now mean that we can all work from anywhere, and often do just that.  So the organisation, the location and the products are not as important as the role that you’re able to play within the team.

Why has this shift occurred? Over 30 years ago Steve Jobs (2 SJ mentions in 2 blogs – I promise to stop) was able to trap John Sculley to work for him with the question “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or do you want to come with me and change the world?”. I doubt this would work today because people find meaning in their daily work and not in their association with the company.

 Real purpose is no longer defined by the company we work for, but instead is defined in the hands of the people who work in the organisation who are able to constantly shape their roles and deliverables in line with their own passions. Whether it’s the sales guy who helps marketers, the surgeon who now teaches, the farmer who develops properties or the travel agent who builds web sites; we’re all following our own shifting priorities to build meaning.  Where you work is no longer the major source of purpose and unless HR and marketing teams recognise that purpose is created from the bottom up and no longer from the top down and respond with other motivating factors, soon employers will fade even further into the background in the search for purpose.

Expectations v Experiences

Customer experience is a curious thing because two customers who should theoretically share the same experience, often don’t. Have you seen a film with a friend, ordered the same meal, shopped in the same store, traveled in the same brand of car or shared the same broadband supplier – and had widely varying views. Why? And what does this mean for customer services and your brand?

 In business it’s a mistake to try to appeal to everyone because customers aren’t the same which means their perceptions and so experiences will differ.  It's better to focus on your the people who already trust you and understand what it is you’re trying to do and trust is built by keeping promises.  If you’ve made a promise and kept it you’ll soon have a strong and trusted brand with its own followers who know what to expect. They love you for what you do and they’ll already be telling the rest of their tribe about your services.  

But if people don’t get it, it’s more often than not because they expect something other than what you are able to offer – not because your company couldn’t deliver what they want.  I know that when we pull out all the stops we can please anyone – but should we? Think hard before you go and change your product or service offering for disgruntled customers. Someone much smarter than me who wore jeans and a black turtleneck once said "You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new.".

I’m not suggesting that customer complaints are irrelevant, because each one is important, only that some are more important than others in maintaining a customer experience, keeping a promise and therefore in building a brand. Every company screws up and to my mind the measurement of customer experience is how you recover the situation afterwards. 

Gartner describes the customer experience as ”the customer’s perceptions and related feelings caused by the one-off and cumulative effect of interactions with a supplier’s employees, systems, channels or products.”

Because we’re dealing with people, perceptions and feelings we’ll never win them all over to our brand.  Not each expectation can be met, and most brands shouldn’t try to, but it’s very important to recognise when the brand promise has been broken and empower teams to fix it quickly.

This means that everyone in the company must understand the brand promise and how it's used to differentiate for the competitors.  Each staff member, at each customer touch point must be empowered to isolate and fix the customer issue quickly in line with the promise made. It's critical this is done because when a customer is fully engaged with your organisation (for the better or worse), this is where the emotional signposts identified with a brand (perceptions and feelings) are created. This is the time to pull out all the stops and delight them. 

So it’s often when things go wrong (based on expectation brand promise) that the opportunity to build an emotional connection (perceptions and feelings) presents itself.  This is how brands are built and destroyed.

It's no longer about free speech...

It used to be the TV and radio transmitters, and we've seen it time and time again in Asia, in the Middle East, in North Africa, in South America and now again in sub Saharan Africa; but now when governments are put under pressure and scared by social unrest the first port of call is the mobile operators and social media. 

Where people and nations are privileged to enjoy freedom of thought, freedom of expression and freedom of speech, we find that these rights fiercely protected. And in our increasingly connected world we must now protect the enabling freedom to connect.  

It's this freedom to connect that is slowly becoming enshrined in law because it allows people to access to the communications channel which enable these other freedoms to exist.

#washiqurrahman       #BurundiIsAfricaToo

Image from BBC Africa 

Part II, Relationships Matter – unless you’re transactional

When small businesses grow up into ‘adult’ companies (more on that another time) their scale, dependencies and sheer number of moving parts make them trickier to manage.

I’ve seen it in Wasteland, Gateway and other organisations that the original business models, systems and processes used to successfully establish a business are not there to scale the business.

For successful small companies it’s seductive to continue to use the ad hoc processes, that after all grew the company, for evaluating new business development initiatives.  Scale has a new set of issues and a new set of solutions which are needed to transform the organisation.  One thing that can help greatly is an understanding in management about who your core customers are and where they sit on the spectrum of from relationship driven to transactional.

Without this customer profiling new sales can only be attributed to blind heroism in the field and what's more any successes will further blind management to the limits of its sales process and delay or prevent scaling of the business.

Every company works hard to make itself easier to do business with (and for some tribes that means it will be harder to engage), so knowing who your target customer is before you start to invest is really important, and more so if you’re a challenger or little known brand.

Our head of sales constantly reminds us that effective customer selection focuses on the buyer — addressing the problems or opportunities that effect their business. So why do sales managers think its OK that our target account list should be allocated by geography, or through a paid for list?

So, in my previous blog I said that Relationships Matter. Now I’d like to rephrase that because courting the attentions of transactional customers with a solutions sales approach is a gross error of judgment.  You’ll let buyers know all there is to know about the solution, the technology and the service wrap to expect, only to see them wonder off and purchase form your competitor with a full loaded specified wish list! OUCH Leave transactional buyers to buy online, and leave the sales people to relate to customer needs.

And businesses always overestimate their ability to acquire relationship buyers and underestimate the role of brand and brand building in building relationships. Good marketers can help with that.

Part I, Relationships Matter

I was recently asked to sign off on some corporate tickets for the upcoming Rugby World Cup. The sales teams are all keen to have another reason to talk to their customers, but the finance teams want to know the return on the not insubstantial investment.   Where’s the balance?

It’s my view that Deeper Customer Relationships Matter and that sports events are often a very good way for account mangers to grow closer to their customers by bonding over a shared interest.  This bond is strengthened more so because the commonality falls outside of business.

 Typically events works best if the relationship is already established.  It is NOT the environment to try to make a sale or to introduce new product.

 As a consequence it’s almost impossible to offer a ROI for any particular event activity, but when seen in the context of building deeper and more trusted relationships I think that (alongside customer advisory boards, product trials, white papers, customer events, and great account management) sports events play an important role in sales and marketing.

I’m sure you’ve seen yourself that when invited to golf, rugby, soccer, Olympics, World Cup it’s most engaging when hosted by a passionate individual within the organisation who can evangelise about the event and start to build that common interest. So don’t send me to the boxing, and don’t send other skiing, but if you’ve got tickets to the Masters, I’m a customer forever!

I approved the tickets because more than ever relationships matter.

Top 50 Global Telecoms CMO's

It struck me that only three of the Top 50 CMO's recognised by the influential Global Telecoms Business magazine work for African operators. Is this a fair representation of the industry? There are some notable African absentees from the list including marketers from MTN, Vodacom and Telkom SA; and where would Afrinolly, Mocality, M-Farm or Mimba Bora be without their marketing teams? So Africa is alive with market makers innovating and creating value.  But because Africa still struggles with the lowest global internet penetration rates (26% against a world average of 42%) and still has less than 10% of the worlds internet users (source - Internet World Stats) I think that on balance GTB got it about right.  

What is clear from this list is that the role of the CMO and other marketing professionals is changing.  For several years the frustration has been to define what exactly the marketing directors role is. Ask CxO's or agencies and they'll share the same concerns that old school marketing folks don't appreciate the power of the new world marketing tools at their disposal. The upside of this is that we now see a mix of brand, commercial, marketing and communications people, all striving to do the same thing; to make products that people need and to add value. I'm delighted to be included in the list.

The Value of Soft Skills in Hard Tech

Yesterday, during a conversation with an accountant and a marketer, a question came up about the value of soft skills in a hard technology company. These skills could include brand management, internal communications, identifying and nurturing talent, customer service skills, tone of voice or social media management. Because I recently had a frustrating time talking with customer service reps (at British Gas and a local restaurant chain) I want consider the value that could be gained through using soft skills with customers and customer service.

Since the first research into customer care in the 1970’s, billions of dollars have poured into the industry and companies now all claim to put customers at the heart of their organisations.   Research at the time showed that the simple act of complaining made consumers feel better about the products and built brand loyalty, regardless of how or if an issue was resolved. This knowledge built an industry based around CRM.  Understandably, since then volumes of complaints have increased and our expectations have changed. About half of us made a formal complaint to a company last year, which is more than 18% higher than in the 1970’s. But now unresolved issues damage brands quickly and directly impact on companies profitability. 

After all this investment and energy, why are we so dissatisfied with todays service standards? I propose it’s due to our higher expectations and a mismatch between the results that the complainer and the company seek.

• Why did I complain to British Gas and what did I want? My thermostat broke and was just out of warranty but covered by insurance. I wanted someone to fix the issue without questioning or apportioning blame. I wanted the fault fixed.
• What happened? They questioned my competence in understanding the issue, they pointed out that it was not their problem, they pushed me through to another department who referred me on again and 90 minutes later I was put back in touch with the first department I spoke to.
•  Emotional response - No empathy, no dignity, no ownership of the issue, no apology, no validation that my concerns were justified, no resolution of the problem, my time was wasted.

How has their brand value been affected? I have cancelled my home care insurance and have source a local plumber – something I should have done years ago.

• Why did I complain to a local restaurant chain and what did I want? A take away meal gave my wife food poisoning. I wanted them to know and to prevent anyone else from suffering the same illness. The last thing I wanted was more food from them.
•  What happened? They apologised, they looked into which other customers had ordered the same meal and contacted them, they reviewed their supply chain and reported back, they invited us to tour their kitchens and meet the chef.
• Emotional response - They empathised, the apology had compassion and contrition, they took action with the CEO taking ownership to find out more about the problem and report back, not wasting my time.

How has their brand value been affected? Whilst I’m not ready to order from them again soon, they are a company I would recommend and I’m comfortable that everything has been done to prevent a repeat occurence.

 Conclusions - what soft skills add value in customer service?

• Apologise – with compassion and/or contrition
• Know that your response will be shared – people share all news on social media, but good news for your brand has more online salience than bad.
• Respect your customers time – and promise to report back.
• Own the issue – and empower the front line to resolve, train the front line support desk to work within liberal guidelines and give them discretion.
• Treat all customers with your best service level (social media platforms won’t discriminate between gold, silver or bronze).
• Allow customers to share good news – it will be heard louder than bad news.

Important note to reader – I’ve not mentioned credit notes, refunds or free samples. Value here is created using soft skills like empathy, compassion, engagement, dignity and ownership.

Changing behaviour by moonlight

At best, I hope that my work can change people’s behaviour; I know I can’t change their opinions. This week I was lucky enough to work with some of our retail sales team on the streets of Nairobi selling our new high-speed broadband services (up to 100 mbps).  This new service will give Kenyans a chance to change how they work and sell, all benefiting from the opportunities that the Internet provides them.

Selling on the streets, we all understood the enormous potential that this product has to change the lives of the residents we were selling to.  We were armed with a bunch of routers, half a dozen brochures and fist full of contracts.  We had no power, no lights, no retail unit, no advertising and an unheard of  brand.  This was the sharp end of sales in emerging markets.

Roughly 65% of Africans are under 35 years, and more than 35% of these are 15 to 35 which makes Africa the most youthful continent on the planet.

And more than ever Africans need to be connected to international markets.  Because of the internet, barriers to progress are quickly coming down and now there are more opportunities for connected young people than ever before.

They no longer need a publisher, a record label or a production company to be heard. These tools are now in the hands of all energetic, young creative and entrepreneurial Africans.  And it’s the Internet that gives them this chance.

Does marketing change their behaviour, or do consumers change mine?

iPhone negotiations in Great Wall, Nairobi.

Unwanted attention from HQ

For the past two decades I’ve been managing teams (and virtual teams) across diverse organisations and often in disparate locations. I started managing teams based in France from our small office in Fulham Broadway, but soon I was looking after teams in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Hong Kong, South Africa and Kenya and even Warrington.

That’s why this month’s research highlight from the MIT Sloan School of Management is so interesting to me.  They warn against the “Perils of Attention From Headquarters” and offer advice to satellite offices as well as managers from HQ. Certainly, building relationships between a group function and local operating entities often defines success for both parties.

Much of the feedback from their research is familiar to me. People complain of frequent visits which often generate additional workloads for local (and group) functions. These are sometimes created due to a lack of understanding as to what is expected from each party.  One thing that the report misses is the role of clear and consistent internal messaging and the role it plays in mitigating many of these issues.  If we all understand the group strategy and commercial objectives, we know that we’re all pulling in the same directions.  Projects that fall outside of this strategy should simply melt away.

The better the internal communications and the clearer the messages, the closer the relationships will be and it’s more likely that teams will have honest and open dialogue. At best these are without company politics or personal agendas interfering.

It’s always tricky for a group role (where resources are often spread thinly across a wide territory) to avoid behaving like a parent in the relationship.  Flying visits often require as much listening as guiding, and anticipated decisions are expected to be made whilst on site. But the best results come from a more consultative approach, mentoring and guiding and then solving problems together. At Liquid, we’ve defined these roles as ‘centres of excellence’ and they could be located anywhere across the group.

That said, generally local opco’s can also do more to help themselves. If dialogue prior to visits is free and open then both parties will find it much easier to push back on unrealistic pressures on timelines,resources or budgets.  My experience in West Africa was just this way with a great team who were more than happy to offer me advice in a brutally honest dialogue – and we both benefitted because they knew their markets more intimately than me and I brought them a broader and deeper understanding of their tasks.

It’s still unusual for a local office to invite HQ to come and participate in decision-making. If the group functions can sell themselves as helpers and trusted advisers, complimenting the skills of the local decision makers and the ‘doers’, then travel and ‘attention from headquarters’ could become something to look forward to.

Award Season Fatigue - so what's the point?

This week I’ve been disappointed by the press coverage that we’ve had from our litter of industry awards.  It turns out that we’ve won too often and the press no longer want to cover yet another industry win.

So why should we enter awards in the first place?  Even if the press haven’t covered the wins, we’ve sent notes out internally celebrating the successes, so this wins will play a critical role in reinforcing the strong intent of the management team to continue to build and grow our network in Africa.  It’s a clear signpost to everyone of what we’re here to do.  That must be valuable. 

The internal sales message is key when it comes to attracting and recruiting the best teams, especially if the award is for a category that can be tough to recruit in, or better still is recognition for investment in staff and the people who work for the company.

Usually it’s for a boost in sales that CEO’s want to win awards.  But awards are perhaps overrated as a sales medium.  In very competitive markets, an award or peer recognition can often demonstrate that small increment of relative advantage in your category which might make winning new business a little easier, but awards are not a short-cut to fast sales.

So what went wrong with my PR strategy? The role of PR is very sensitive.  Recently, we’ve won al lot of awards, and the local press and trade papers quickly get ‘award fatigue’.  Yet another award becomes none news, and the journalists will often push back in search of deeper qualifying facts and criteria to justify the flurry of awards.

I reckon that good companies win awards and the growth would have been there regardless of the awards. But a study by the University of Western Ontario and Georgia Institute of Technology, showed that from 600 quality corporate award winners,  37% had more sales and 44% had a higher stock price return than their peers who didn’t win the awards (but does this show a causal relationship – I don’t think so). 

To know who will benefit most from any specific award t it depends on the company size and structure.  Smaller companies will gain credibility quickly by being put on the same platform as their larger competitors.  And larger companies can win ‘big time’ by instilling ‘purpose’ and conviction to their teams, demonstrating their investment in people.

Pick your awards based on what you want to to communicate and recognise that as a small growing company, even if you don’t win the BIG gong, a well written and comprehensive award entry will always be read by judges, and these are often journalists, analysts and category experts – just the people you’ll want to get in front of sooner or later. That's the point, now do it.

Why were we so slow to catch on?

According to the ‘FAST FORWARD 2030 - The Future of Work and the Workplace’ report from October 2014 in the near future work will "become a consumer experience. People seek a holistic life: they want to work with intelligent people on exciting and rewarding projects where they can be creative and left alone to get the job done; values and purpose are as important as money; working for social good is an option; and they want to be a part of ‘the next big thing’. 

“Not only are youth seeking happiness over money, but study participants reported that a majority of parents now aspire for their children to have happiness over money. Companies that fail to respond to these trends will do so at their peril.”

Yes, yes, yes,; about time.  Isn't it already like this in most creative agencies? And the forward thinking companies are welcoming this new flexible and engaging workforce.  As a child of the 70’s, this comes as a great relief.  This evolution makes perfect sense to me and I’m glad that my children will demand a work environment with more creativity, humanity and innovation than the workplaces most of us have had to wade through in our early careers.  And I hope they follow their hearts in finding a vocation, choosing those that choose them. (Ref Godin Nov 14)