Technology is advancing increasingly and it is rapidly changing the world, especially over the last several years with the introduction and expansion of 5G, artificial intelligence, internet of things, robotics, augmented reality… In the surge of the new technological revolution, telecommunications operators are the key drivers of this change. But does their role end here? In the complex digital world the priorities of the customers are changing, new challenges are arising, such as the digital gap, a path is opening for new manners of using technology. Once again the human factor and the experience are placed in the limelight, regardless of the technology standing behind. We talked about this topic with Emilija Andonovska, the Chief Commercial Officer B2C of Makedonski Telekom.

1. What is the role of the telecommunications operators in the new technological era?

We are living in an era of a technological expansion, as well as crises and challenges of a global scale. Therefore, the most important task that we have is to reinstate the rules and the values. Primarily, we need to enable a wide access to the digital world in order to connect everyone to everything that matters to them in their personal and social life. Concurrently, we need to enable participation in the digital world in the simplest possible manner. This is being achieved by means of user-friendly products and services and digital user tools, such as apps and chatbots which make everyday life and service usage easier. But we are moving forward. Our goal is to offer much more than just telecommunication services; to use technology in order to open up a new world of experiences for our customers, their families and friends. Our ambition is to open a new chapter in which the life experiences and the satisfaction of our customers are in the centre of our activity – we want to grow from a telecommunications operator into a valuable daily companion engaged for the satisfaction of the customers at a completely new level.

2. Can you give us a specific example of this new chapter in terms of customer experience?

We have recently introduced Magenta Moments, our digital programme for prizes and benefits for the customers, which is a true example of our commitment to provide the customers with much more than just telecommunication services. This programme is providing attractive offers and benefits from international, national and local brands in many categories related to lifestyle. In cooperation with our partners, the offers comprise food and beverages, entertainment, travel and shopping. In a simple manner, digitally via the TelekomMK App, you can get tickets for the cinema, an extra discount on new furniture or money savings on your next hotel booking. The additional value arises from the fact that this is an international programme of Deutsche Telekom which includes benefits for the customers throughout Europe. In a very short period we have reached over 30 000 activations of this programme, a number which is rising on a daily basis, and this goes to show that there is great interest among the customers. Furthermore, T-Phone and T-Tablet demonstrate our dedication to decreasing the digital gap. We do not ensure only connectivity, but also by offering devices at affordable prices we are enabling access to the new technologies for everyone.

3. Does this mean that technology is taking a back seat?

Quite to the contrary, we are fully dedicated to providing the best connectivity any time and any place, regardless as to whether via a mobile, a fixed network or hybrid technologies. However, now we are making a step forward by putting the emphasis on the experience. No matter what we are doing in the background in order to achieve full connectivity and great speeds, the customers should not worry about any of that. At the moment we are working on applying artificial intelligence via the 5G technology in order to prevent faults even before the customers notice them. Also, we are applying the 5G technology in order to achieve great broadband internet speeds in areas that cannot be reached with fibre optic. All of this caters to the customer experience with the customers not even being aware that all these processes are underway. For instance, the customers in the rural areas should have gigabit speeds just like everyone else and they neither care nor should care how we are going to ensure that; it is our duty to find a solution, to deploy all the technologies that are available to us so that everyone is provided with an equal access and an equal experience in terms of connectivity any time and any place.

4. Today customer experience is turning into a digital customer experience. How is this process evolving and what is changing?

When it comes to experience, we are actually referring to several different aspects of it: the experience with connectivity, the experience with the products and services and the experience with the channels. Digital customer experience means experience with the digital channels, what these channels are like, what they offer and how they make product management easier on a daily basis. We have the TelekomMK App which is constantly enhanced with new features, such as chatbot, livechat… This ensures a constant rise in the number of active users which currently amounts to above 300 000. This year, the number of calls to the Contact Centre has decreased by 10% owing to these features that enable the customers to manage the products on their own. Today the customers are digitally aware and therefore such tools are indispensable. But that is not all: the offer of additional value, such as the Magenta Moments programme which is managed via the app, ensures an even greater enhancement of the digital customer experience. The experience with the products as such is also very important, such as the experience with Magenta 1, which is used by more than 60% of our customers. Integrated services have become the top preference primarily due to the fact that they are user-friendly and they offer more value and advantages. When these three aspects are taken into consideration we achieve a high level of customer satisfaction. I am especially thrilled with the fact that the digital tools are being developed centrally at the level of the DT Group based upon the highest digital experience standards and that they are being continuously upgraded. It means that we are providing our customers with a digital experience via tools used also by the customers throughout Europe where the Deutsche Telekom brand has its footprint.

5. Do you measure the customer experience and what steps are you taking with a view to improvement?

We are fully focused on our customers and we are constantly performing measuring by means of various tools. The TRIM results have recently been published as one of the most important manner of measuring customer satisfaction. We have been no. 1 on the Macedonian market for many years. Customer experience is in the focus of all Deutsche Telekom NatCos and thence we have an enhanced mutual cooperation and commitment to bring additional value. By means of this joint approach we have achieved even better results: In the third quarter of 2023, according to TRIM, almost all NatCos from the Deutsche Telekom Group in Europe are no. 1 on their respective markets. Furthermore, we are developing our own Group-wide platform titled Medalia, a modern tool which enables us to collect and analyze customer feedback via surveys. After two years, the numbers are showing that more than 100 000 customers have stated their opinion, based upon which more than a hundred actions have been taken with a view to improving the performances of the employees, as well as changing the processes and the products in order to resolve customer issues. This contributes to increasing the customer satisfaction. But we are not stopping here; we will continue working together, measuring and improving ourselves, regardless of the fact that we are no. 1. In order to be the best in the eyes of the customers it does not suffice to only meet their expectations, but to exceed them as well.

6. Recently, you have changed the slogan. What is this step aimed at?

Today the world is changing at a faster pace than ever before, with our lives changing in parallel as well. However, all these changes of technologies, facts, fashion, trends, which have an impact on the manner in which we are having fun, working and living, have a common denominator and that is our need, as people, to be connected to what really matters to us. We are deploying the power of the technology we are developing in order to help people remain connected. Our new brand slogan T Connecting Your World reflects our belief that everyone should equally participate in the digital world and it confirms our determination not to stop until we connect everyone with everything that matters to them in their lives. The new slogan will be used in English in all NatCos, thus reflecting the international character of the brand, and it will contribute for creating a unified experience with the brand anywhere in the world.

7. What will customer experience look like in the future?

First of all, we will have to work on decreasing the digital gap and ensuring wide access for everyone to the new technologies. Afterwards, we will have to give “life” to the technology, use it as a tool for connecting, for experiencing, for sharing moments in the personal and professional life of our customers. The digital experience will become personalized in the near future. In other words, the products and the services will be adapted to the special needs of the customers. For instance, whether you are a gamer, a teacher or somebody working from home will make a difference. In order to achieve this, technology will once again have to be used, especially artificial intelligence. In addition, the experience at home will be more personalized, wherein it will be possible to manage all connected devices in the simplest manner. Soon our customers will be able to also enjoy a new television concept with numerous applications and features.

To sum it all up – customer experience will be digital, personalized, with a special emphasis on the experience with using the services, and technology will be used for a better and higher quality of living.

Interview

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