Data services represent one of the best sources of growth potential. I can suggest a low cost low risk way to drive your entry into data if you do not already have one.……ideal for an Operator who may be trying to catch-up in Data service provision or who does not have a skill-set in the Data services management  area. The accelerated data rollout option gives you access to an arpu segment that is slightly more healthy.

Many Mobile Operators in Africa are dissapointed with data uptake despite their best efforts to market and drive these services.Uptake is generally good in the main urban centres but can be slow to take off in secondary cities and towns. This is often because the support structures needed for data services ( which are different to mobile telephony) are not in place. 

The solution identified here is one which taps into the power of local entreprenuers and which provides all the support needed for quick and effective rollout of services.It provides a white-labeled data access service for Operators including local network rollout and data service management support and training.

  Azotel  equips broadband operators with the technology and automated business processes required to build out commercially successful and highly profitable networks – anywhere in the world.

Here are some of the key features :

Ø  Based on a ( ‘plug and play’) revenue share model ….data/internet service branded for the Operator

Ø  focused mainly on high-end personal and SME customers ( $50 ARPU and above)

Ø  No up-front capex for the Operator

Ø  Proven Data service Management  and support provided by rollout partner

Ø  Simple, minimum hassle rollout for Operator

Ø  Superior -service oriented module for dedicated rollout of Internet Café solutions to maximize uptake and reach

By choosing Azotel you will be following in the footsteps of numerous other Azotel Enabled Operators. Proof of the model is further demonstrated by the willingness of banks, financial institutions and governments to invest in Azotel Enabled Operators. In essence, risk is greatly mitigated given that the AEO business is following an already proven model. Resources are not being wasted reinventing the wheel on technology and processes that are now available in a box.

Analysis and insight of your customer usage and behaviour

It is fundamental to have a solid analysis and segmentation strategy.The better you can understand and interpret the beahiour of your customers the better you can compete. The data every Operator has is very rich but not everyone is making good use of it. OneTree has  identified a Service Platform  which analyses your CDR’s and predicts customer behavior allowing you to do your marketing much more effectively ( it does the job of an “SAS Business Intelligence Engine” for a fraction of the cost and much quicker)

 The Idiro platform has been very successful for a number of operators in helping them to predict customer behavior and in identifying customer groups that are “at risk”.
 Armed with a solid analysis of your customers it is essential to have an innovative range of pricing plans and propositions backed up with a systematic segmentation and  communication plan for reaching likely 'churners'; high value segments; identifying and exploiting influencers …..and you must also set yourself apart from the pack in some form and this is where the innovation in services can help enormously.

The Idiro Platform Solution

Idiro’s Social Network Analysis solution allows you, the mobile operator, to reduce churn, acquire customers and improve ARPU by exploiting the social groups – and the influential customers in those social groups - within your customer base. Our software uses your call records to build a social network model of your customer base. It then provides scores specifically designed to meet your marketing needs. For example, the Idiro Churn Pressure Score is used to predict churners who cannot be predicted by traditional means.

With one operator, the addition of this score doubled the operator’s churn prediction accuracy.  

The strong return on investment for this service can be proven quickly and simply using Idiro’s transparent trial methodology. Depending on the option chosen, our solution can be implemented with almost no integration with your existing systems. Furthermore, Idiro provides workshops and training to ensure the mobile operator gains the most value from the Idiro Social Network Analysis modules.

Here is another great service which any Operator could offer as a branded service   to increase messaging from business customers and drive new revenues .

In essence it provides a very flexible broadcast messaging facility which can be used by end users  and which can ,if needed, integrate with all top  CRM packages so that it can easily be used by Callcentres and contact centres.

This is a facility which many Operators use extensively to reach out to customers, provide notifications  and to market new offerings. But traditional SMSC arrangements require that each communication requires a customized set-up and configuration. This new service platform offers the same communication facility to end users in a simple and flexible way.

There are one or two platforms which have done this kind of thing in the past but they do so under their own brand and do not offer the same level of flexibility and convenience for end users .

And it can be deployed on a revenue share arrangement so there is no capital risk

Contact as usual at noel@onetree.ie

About Forcelink

Forcelink is a mobile workforce management system that allows organisations to issue work electronically to their field staff and receive updates from the field, using mobile phones.
Forcelink improves customer service, and reduces costs (20%+ productivity improvement,
very rapid Return on Investment).
Forcelink is a fully hosted solution, making it extremely simple to implement and get started -all that is required is an internet connection, web browser, and smart phones for the field staff.
Forcelink is ideally suited for organisations that do any form of field work over large geographical areas. Typical industries include: Utilities, Telecoms, Public Works, IT Field Service, Asset Inspections, Facilities Management, Roadside Assistance and Maintenance Management companies.

From the front-end, users can maintain their customer and resource database, maintain stock levels and perform all field work management activities, such as issuing of workorders to the field for execution and issuing work requests or quotations for estimations/inspections.
The front-end also tracks all actual information captured from the field, such as:
• Details of work performed
• Actual materials used
• Actual labour used
• Actual mileage travelled per shift and per
workorder
• Fault causes
The front-end uses Google Maps to allow the subscriber to track the position of resources,customers, workorders, work requests and quotations on a spatial platform, as well as perform functions such as work assignment, create workorders/work requests/quotations/customers, and cancel/reallocate work assignments.

Key Benefits

•  Increase Productivity Improves speed and accuracy of work allocation to field resources
• Improve Cash Flow Reduce administration, speed up estimating and sending quotes, faster invoicing
• Improve Customer Service Improve customer communication using standard mobile technology, view and share status with multiple users
• Reduce Administration and Operational costs Reduce field downtime, mileage and repetitive data capture and entry
• Low Cost No upfront licence costs, low running costs, monthly payments, pay as you go and scale as you need
• Accurate Reports Configurable and flexible reporting
• Technology Choice Operates on Android, Symbian and Blackberry smart phones and tablets, SMSbased and WAP legacy versions available
• Real-time Status See work status, field resources, customers on real-time maps, drag and drop assigments
• Accurate Issue Diagnosis Instant feedback from work location
• Highly Configurable Forcelink is flexible and configurable
• Fully Supported and Updated Forcelink issues new functionality on a regular basis, and involves customers in the product development roadmap
• Integration Forcelink is designed for integration, we have experience with direct integration (e.g. SAP PM, IS-u) and middleware, from simple uploads to real time web services
• Informed by Expertise Forcelink is designed and developed by experts in work management systems,with deep domain knowledge from multiple implementations of enterprise software

The Mobile application in Forcelink is used by Field Resources in order to receive workorder information and to provide work feedback, as well as making themselves available/unavailable for duty.
The Forcelink Mobile application has the following key features:
• Set available/not available for duty
• View allocated workorder/quotation/work request list with all of the details (including customer,
location, details of the work to be done)
• Accept/Reject work (with reject reason selection)
• Workorder/Quotation/Work Request Progress feedback
• Milestone Feedback (ETA, ETR, Completed, etc.)
• Resource tracking GPS (mileage calculated per workorder and per shift)
• Ability to work off-line when there is no network coverage
• Routing using GPS navigation software on the phone
• Workorder Technical Feedback
• Materials Management
• Request Additional Resources
• Bar code and photo capture
• Asset management history and asset hierarchy on the mobile device
• Asset and document annotation in the field (redlining)
• Routing (via instructions or on Google maps)
• Invoicing from the field
• Inspection check lists
Forcelink operates on Android, Symbian and Blackberry smartphones and tablets. Forcelink has legacy
WAP and SMS versions with standard functionality except GPS tracking and offline working.