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All the way back in 2017, Accenture was already trumpeting Artificial Intelligence’s potential to increase corporate profitability by 38% by 2035; but it is safe to say that AI is changing our lives more than we even predicted - even if we don’t always notice it.
Marketplaces are generating a lot of buzz these days, promising revenue growth for communications service providers while allowing them to grow and thrive in the modern digital landscape. Emboldened by emerging IoT and 5G services, many of the world’s largest carriers have significant interest in transforming themselves into telco marketplaces.
Organizations and their sales personnel are often held back by legacy architecture with disconnected data and systems that force them to undertake tedious, repetitive, mundane manual tasks that consume their day and hinder their productivity. As a result, customers are no longer satisfied with the speed at which they receive quotes, having a negative push on profitability.
Today’s business climate is more agile than ever before, with digital transformation forcing companies to rethink what they sell, and how they sell it. Consumers are demanding more, B2B sales across industries are becoming more complex, and companies are feeling the pressure to deliver. Cue Configure, Price, Quote: a suite of applications that help transform the complex process of configuring products and services into a simple and straightforward one.
Time management is essential – especially for your sales team.
This blog is an extract from a larger in-depth guide, in collaboration with TM Forum, entitled “How to build a successful digital marketplace”. You can download and read the full guide for free by clicking this link.
Earlier this year, CloudSense hosted a media-themed roundtable event in the Asia-Pacific region, with attendees from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and more. Our speakers had excellent media credentials: David Rowley, Senior director of data and identity product platforms, products, and platforms at NewsCorp USA, and Carolina Fernandez, Platform solutions consultant for AdForm, and former Director for customer success and Ad Operations at Advanced Local/Condé Nast. We summarized the key points from the first half of the roundtable in this blog. Below, we’ve put together highlights from the remainder of the event.
After a successful roundtable event in North America, CloudSense hosted a follow up media roundtable event in the Asia-Pacific region, with attendees from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and more. The speakers had excellent media credentials: David Rowley, Senior director of data and identity at NewsCorp USA, and Carolina Fernandez, Platform solutions consultant for AdForm, and former Director for customer success and Ad Operations at Advanced Local/Condé Nast. Below, we’ve put together highlights from the event.
In our rapidly evolving world, businesses are gearing up for digital transformation to evolve in response. They have to: the complex nature of the digital-first landscape makes achieving success more competitive than ever.
As telcos search for ways to broaden their value to customers, marketplaces have been expanding at a rapid pace, with a 130% YoY growth in collective sales on B2B marketplaces in 2021.
Digital transformations pose a bit of a dilemma to businesses: on the one hand they are vital to ensure that a business stays competitive during times of rapid change; on the either hand, they also carry a risk of failure that makes hesitancy understandable.
One third of the way in and 2022 is already fast and furious, with a lot to take in. Businesses and consumers have had to rapidly adapt to changes in the environment, from cloud adoption, digital transformation, the aftermath of the pandemic and various other events. Amidst all of these changes, Managed Service Providers, 5G, Communications as a Service providers and marketplaces are key puzzle pieces within the post-pandemic telco landscape. Here are 5 stats you need to know in 2022.
There is a lot of buzz around marketplaces right now. Emboldened by emerging IoT and 5G services, many of the world’s largest carriers have significant interest in becoming a telco marketplace.
Since CloudSense started, we’ve been proud to be 100% Salesforce-native. From day one, we’ve focused on adding functionality to Salesforce to help organizations in a growing range of industries to take Salesforce further.
There is no time like the present, and that’s especially true for Managed Service Providers. With the pandemic driving changes in both consumer behavior and business operations, more and more businesses are seeking exactly the kinds of solutions MSPs can provide.
In today’s hyperconnected world, collecting consumer data from every touchpoint is essential. From changes in privacy regulations, GDPR and the demise of cookies, the saying that “change is the only constant” remains an undeniable truth within the media industry.
Global analyst firm, Info-Tech Research Group recently performed an extensive analysis of the CPQ market, collecting end-user feedback on providers to determine their performance along a variety of metrics, including Net Emotional Footprint, Vendor Capabilities, Product Features, and Likeliness to Recommend.
We have recently explored how the past few years have ushered in major changes to the media ad sales space: the digitization of audience consumption habits has accelerated, print and other traditional media types have waned, and marketing departments find themselves having to do more with less and re-focussing their strategy on digital advertising, as budgets were slashed.
Energy and utilities is probably the only business sector in which suppliers attempt to give their customers as little of their product as possible.
On 7 December 2021, CloudSense hosted an exclusive roundtable event led by LiveIntent CMO Kerel Cooper and CloudSense VP of Media Solutions Stuart Schauman. Together they explored the many challenges and changes facing the publishing industry, particularly as they impact return on investment and profitability.
On January 27, CloudSense’s Global telecommunications lead, Vish Kumar, and Industry Principal Consultant at Infosys, Shri Krishan joined one another to investigate and discuss the coming challenges to the industry brought by 5G, and how B2B telcos in particular should manage the greater complexity that is coming their way.
CloudSense recently commissioned IDC, a premier provider of global market intelligence, to explore how CPQ solutions have evolved over the years beyond the typical “quote-to-contract” workflow, to a more comprehensive solution that can help energy and utility providers achieve three strategic imperatives:
In the digital-first world that we live in, customers expect businesses to go the extra mile to accommodate their wants and needs. One important way of doing that is keeping them informed with automated messages not only through email, but directly to their phone via SMS and WhatsApp.
An important, although perhaps predictable, phenomenon of the past two years has been that the changes in business and consumer behavior that emerged in the wake of the pandemic seem to be sticky.
Well, 2021 was quite a year. Although optimistically predicted to be a return to normal back in January, if anything it was even stranger than 2020.
Well, 2021 was quite a year. Although optimistically predicted to be a return to normal back in January, if anything it was even stranger than 2020.
Well, 2021 was quite a year. Although optimistically predicted to be a return to normal back in January, if anything it was even stranger than 2020.
The combination of recent world events and the ongoing move towards a digital-first world have caused a major shift in the way marketers think about promoting their products and services.
The sudden shift in everyone’s lives that Covid brought about cemented the vital importance of the telecommunications industry in keeping societies, governments and businesses connected during crisis periods, and a new landscape has emerged in its wake.
It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the end of 2021; the past two years really do feel like a blur, and we have emerged out the other end in a significantly altered digital ad sales landscape.
Energy and utilities providers currently face a number of tough challenges: ongoing deregulation driving up competition between providers, ever-escalating customer expectations and broader scrutiny into green credentials.
Although much energy news in recent months has been rather gloomy, with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) eliciting a sometimes frosty reception and accusations of hypocrisy, as well as the unfolding energy crisis particularly affecting Europe and China, developments in the digital space give reasons for optimism.
It’s easy to feel a bit sorry for 5G: its potential is enormous, but it was dealt a massive PR blow over the past two years thanks to hare-brained conspiracies and misinformation linking it to the transmission of Covid.
Whether you are on a diet or not, the constant reminders of - and pleas to consent to - cookies as we navigate the internet are something we all became quietly resigned to in recent years.
The B2B telecommunications world is currently experiencing a set of interesting upheavals.
Everybody loves a good deal, whether buying for ourselves, friends and family, or our work – we all want the best value for money.
We recently took a deep dive into the issue of energy deregulation, exploring three case studies of liberalized markets (in Sweden, Japan and the United States) to learn more about the challenges, pitfalls and opportunities that deregulation can bring.
Remember all the hand-wringing we did back in the 2000s about “text speak corrupting the language of the younger generation”? You don’t really hear those complaints any more - so what happened?
Advertising - for better or worse - is an inescapable part of modern life, but it’s sobering to learn quite how much our exposure to it has grown in just a few decades.
The ongoing energy crisis impacting the UK - one of the most deregulated markets in the world - has taken some major scalps including Avro Energy, Green Supplier Limited, Utility Point and People’s Energy, and led to a spate of panic buying leaving up to 90% of fuel stations in major cities dry.
If you cast your mind back to pre-2020 times, “hybrid”, “agile” or “flexible” working was already becoming a major selling point for companies to employees.
The ongoing proliferation of media channels that businesses can advertise through has given marketers more choice than ever in how they promote their products and services. This has compelled them to think more strategically - scientifically, even - about the specific media channels they choose to employ.
The publishing and advertising landscape has undergone massive changes in the past quarter of a century, and even to this day digitization is exerting unexpected forces on the industry, e.g. the predicted accelerated growth of VR advertising and e-sport advertising.
How we consume media, the delivery of media and the way we pay for media is always changing. So it’s no surprise the industry is undergoing major transformation with new trends, new processes and new technologies.
We’ve written before about the risks of running a patchwork of unrelated systems for your ad operations, and how a central hub can help media organizations streamline their ad sales.
Some things appear paradoxical at first, but make more sense upon further reflection. For example: the more essential a product or service is, the less effort is required to convince the public to purchase it.
Telcos all over the world are chasing new ways to add value to their offerings.
Fulfilling your entire ad sales cycle means you’ll need to integrate with other systems. And as digital advertising has boomed, so has the amount of ad tech available.
5G technology promises a whole new level of hyperconnectivity and innovation across the board.
Traditionally, most global Communication Service Providers (CSPs) have always focused on the B2C market. But times are changing – telcos are shifting from consumer to enterprise.
It’s safe to say that Utilities companies aren’t known for their stellar customer experience (cx). In fact, Utilities lag behind other industries when it comes to digital experience.
As emerging digital technologies drive service and business model innovation the enterprise B2B space in Telecommunications is booming.
The B2B Telco market sits on the cusp of an exciting new era. There are golden opportunities for any CSP set up to support your B2B customers’ ambitions with 5G and cloud services.
A poorly integrated patchwork of systems is a common problem for Media businesses.
Managing complex quotes is a challenge at the best of times.
CSPs have a lot to live up to. Easy to use, digital and hyper-personalized B2B experiences are now baseline expectations.
There’s no pressing pause on technology’s progress. So your sales process should only be going in one direction: faster, more personalized and more digitized. (Ok, make that three directions.)
The easy ride’s over.
Waves of digitalization continue to wash over the Media industry.
Operational efficiency isn’t a glamorous initiative. It doesn’t muster the same as excitement as a new product launch or next-gen tech feature. But it’s time that changed.
Delivering the right digital experience for your customers has never been more important. It’s also never been more difficult.
Your Utilities company is subject to a surging current of change. (First and last pun, we promise.)
The build vs buy software dilemma. It’s a decision you can spend days deliberating as you weigh up the pros and cons.
You’ve given the green light on your Configure Price Quote (CPQ) project – or you’re not far from it. Congratulations! You’ll soon be sealing deals and reaping the rewards CPQ can offer your business.
Deal or no deal? It doesn’t have to come down to chance.
Configure price quote, or CPQ, is big business.
When someone says delivery, you probably picture a mailman at your door with a parcel.
Nowadays we don’t buy, we subscribe. From cars and clothes, to co-working spaces.
In the past, online self-service was seen as inconvenient. It was faster and easier to rely on a person, rather than often slow and erratic technology.
Ever clicked on a company’s website only to be sent to a blank loading page? Or been faced with a lengthy online checkout? If so, you’ve experienced customer friction.
Customers have been forced online faster than anyone could have anticipated. This accelerated digital demand has made Digital Commerce even more vital to your business’ success – now and in the future.
From forging love-hate relationships with grocery store kiosks, to scrolling FAQs and managing our subscriptions online – self-service has become a shopping staple.
