How does Data Science fit in the Telecom Sector?

Did you know? Business Intelligence (BI) vendors like Oracle, SAS, IBM and QlikTech are bridging the gap between unstructured data stores to make sense of excessive qualitative and qualitative information.

Personalized Services

With personalized services being the name of the game the focal point for modern data scientists is improving user experience. To do so, they’re creating autonomous 360-degree profiles assembled from:

Customer Behavior:

• Voice, SMS and data usage patterns

• Customer history

• Social media activity

• Past purchases

• Website visits, duration, browsing trends Customer Demographics:

• Age, address and gender

• Type and number of devices used

• Frequency of usage

• Location

As a result telecom companies are able to offer customized services or products in the purchasing process. In fact, businesses can finetune messages to appear on the right channels (e.g., mobile, web, in-store), in the right areas with the right message and visuals. Big data gives telecom organizations the power to track customer experiences throughout the entirety of their relationship – from the first vendor interaction to post-purchase interaction.

Network Optimization

Costs are an important aspect of assessing these complex processes. For instance, costs may add up when a network is down, underutilized or nearing maximum capacity. By implementing real-time and predictive analytics, companies will be able to analyze subscriber behavior and create usage policies tailored to different customers. This will imminently lead to happier customers, improved efficiency combined with maximum sustainable profitability. Telecoms can merge their knowledge of network performance with internal data (e.g., customer usage or marketing initiatives) and external data to redirect resources to network hubs. On the other hand, real-time analysis can be used for preventive measures and damage control. For example, network issues - every department can observe the effect, locate affected customers and almost instantly implement efforts to resolve the issue. Social Media Angle The boom of social media has altered the way companies view their customers. “Data scientists are harvesting data from reviews, rants and social feeds and subjecting this information to detailed analysis." Their goal in doing so is to help telecommunications companies:

• Improve or consolidate their brand image

• Track usage patterns

• Monitor response to new products, offers and campaigns

• Handle potential problems and identify customer concerns