How lead-to-order automation saves communications service providers time and money.

The communications industry is at a crossroads. There are enormous opportunities to be had, but sustainability and modernisation challenges are standing in the way for many telcos. Today’s customers expect more from service providers, the employee experience needs to be a priority, and growth depends on the ability to do more with less.

To address these challenges, telcos need large investments that make it possible to reimagine their business model. Many have started modernising their systems and operations, but very few have done this holistically. These investments, while daunting, are key to a telco’s ability to grow, thrive and scale in the modern era.

Too many communications service providers focus on quick wins in front-end applications rather than doing the heavy lift of overhauling back-office systems and processes. This is understandable. These quick wins allow companies to feature things like customer portals, which may look great, but often don't allow the customer to go very far before needing to call in. Front-office applications (like customer portals) rely on a foundation of data and processes. The foundations need to be connected and automated to deliver the best possible experience.

Seventy-eighty percent of B2B decision makers prefer remote interactions or digital self-service, and yet many communications service providers only accept B2B orders over the phone. The lack of self-service, frustrating delays due to data inconsistencies, or need to rework orders due to missing information (despite the fact that they’ve already been submitted), makes for a poor customer experience and an incredibly inefficient business operation.

Meeting today’s customer expectations, and adequately preparing for the future, requires that order management processes are connected, friction free, and completely automated. True digital transformation must include the front and back offices. To truly reimagine the customer (and employee) experience, telcos need a robust series of automated process flows that require minimal intervention. Investing in this type of solution will help address the fundamental pain points of day-to-day operations through the creation of a single source of truth. No more manually rekeying order information or manually checking for inconsistent or duplicate data. Automating order management not only holds the most promise for growth, cost reduction and efficiency, but it also paves the way for future digitisation efforts.