Jun 20, 2017 | Telecoms + AI: How to Stay Ahead in this Codependent Industry

By Paige Gasparino, Senior Associate, Strategic Solutions

Ain't no mountain high enough,

Ain't no valley low enough,

Ain't no river wide enough

To keep me from getting to you

Diana Ross went extreme distances to deliver a message, but these days, telecommunications make connection a whole lot easier. Messages are sent with the tap of a key or the click of an icon to the point of subconscious reflex. With that, Telecoms must continuously reinforce their infrastructure to allow for data to seamlessly pass through transmitters, receivers, WHATEVER to ensure messages are received. The amount of attention and reliance on telecoms makes the excuse of the size of the mountain, depth of the valley, or width of the river not fly.

As in other industries, due to the explosion of device usage, service providers see sweeping changes in interactions with and between customers. The difference is that they are directly responsible for the interactions among users. However, as the owners of the infrastructure, their challenge is to advertise unique market offerings while holding a reputation as the best suited to reach demands of consumer needs. This competitive landscape forces Telecom providers to differentiate themselves: the companies that can balance reliable service while meeting the needs of their consumers on a personal level will be as legendary as Ross's music career.

Telecoms and their consumers are in a codependent relationship - Telecoms need consumers to exist, and consumers need them to communicate between themselves. Ultimately, users determine the destiny of Telecoms because the plan they commit to is their choice. If a plan is not working for them or their family's lifestyle, they can simply switch to another provider. Therefore, customers will tailor plans to their needs. This puts more emphasis on Telecoms to leverage marketing to make their reputation as personalized as possible. Enter AI.

To maintain customer loyalty, service providers should look beyond their organization and introduce third parties to differentiate themselves among competitors. By implementing AI in their marketing, Telecoms will be able to activate increasing amounts of their data and uncover the individual desires of existing and potential clients to maximize their footprint. The benefit of investing in outside partnerships will bring the necessary innovation in-house so Telecoms can focus their energy on the classic 'can you hear me now?'

Rocket Fuel's capabilities optimize the frequency and relevance of marketing messages across channels based on observed consumer behavior. As our AI learns more about what consumers want and which actions indicate propensity for which plans, we enable Telecoms to reach potential clients and deliver hyper-personalized experiences for their customers. Machine learning sifts through billions of signals that humans cannot fathom to pull insights and deliver relevant messages. AI fuels authenticpredictivemessages to a desired consumer in the best contextual moment. The right moment is determined through connected devices. Today, various devices and consumer demand inhibit the expectation of instant gratification. Predictive Marketing is one step ahead, which leaves a pleasantly surprised customer.

Telecom companies are driving the digital transformation at the forefront of connected devices. AI learns from countless signals, yielding unprecedented insight into consumer behavior and keeps interactions with Telecoms free flowing at the touchpoint level into devices, households, and individuals. Rocket Fuel's ability to score data, act in real-time, and learn from interactions (useful and disposable) allow customers to connect with their carriers on a personal level. We score moments to deliver messages with the same personalization, just in a more energy-conserving fashion than Diana Ross.

To learn more about how Telecoms can become predictive enterprises download the paper here.