The future of telcos: winning the client experience battle

What exactly is the business of telecommunications? The obvious answers – carrying information and connecting people – could soon be too narrow and fail to define the true capabilities of telecommunication companies. At Mazars, we believe that ‘shaping customer experiences’ better describes the present priorities and future direction for telcos.

But to do that, telcos need to leverage 5G – its rapid transfer speeds and its low latency – to shape seamless experiences, while developing their mobile financial services capabilities and keeping up with fierce competition from tech firms, banks and others, which all want to own and brand the new age of customer experiences.

“The business of telcos is changing. Connecting people is no longer enough – instead, telcos want to play a leading role in shaping customer experiences. By using their devices to unlock shared, autonomous cars and ‘shop and go’ without having to reach for a physical wallet, customers are on the verge of a new seamless era. This is where the opportunity lies for telcos, which can use mobile financial services to turn possibilities into reality.” - Julien Huvé, Partner, Head of Telecommunications Services, Mazars 

To highlight the global opportunities and challenges that stand before telcos seeking to win the customer experience battle, Mazars has created the Mobile Payments Index, which assesses 17 countries on ten different variables related to three fundamentals: regulation and infrastructure, consumer behaviour and mobile payment penetration.

Huvé says, “The Mazars Mobile Payments Index reveals which markets present the greatest opportunities and challenges to telcos looking to grow their businesses and evolve their offering beyond simply connectivity and digital access.”

Although the report does not describe in details the case of Poland, it is worth mentioning that according to the Mazars Mobile Payments Index, Poland ranks 7th among 17 countries, in terms of „consumers behaviors”. Taking into account the factor „users and payers via mobile devices”, Poland is in 8th position. And if it comes to evaluate adjustment of regulatory provisions and infrastructure that triggers fast growth of mobile payments, Poland ranks 14^th among 17 positions in the report.

“The market of mobile payments in Poland is one of the most advanced in Europe. Works on implementation of 5G are currently underway. This technology may accelerate significantly the market’s development. Potential of technology in this area will mostly depend on positive attitude of Polish legislators, in terms of regulations to be constructed and the adjustment of infrastructure.” – thinks Monika Kaczorek, Partner, Leader of Telecom Services Sector of Mazars in Poland.

Interested in the seamless customer experience that telcos could unlock? Watch the below video to find out more.

Download the report here to learn more about the future of telcos, their role in shaping seamless customer experiences of the future, and the commercial opportunities that exist – if they get it right.