The cell phone as part of the value chain

Thanks to beacon technology, guests in the Davos-Klosters tourist region receive appropriate push messages via app.This article appeared in the May issue 2015 of "Marketing & Communication". Swisscom offers numerous direct and indirect services for companies in the marketing and communications sector. On the one hand, these are specific services with which companies can offer their customers added value and, on the other hand, advice on how customers can fundamentally digitize their business and align it with their customers. the area of customer experience management is particularly interesting for the marketing and communications sector. Swisscom supports its customers in implementing an effective customer experience strategy.Mobile as part of value creation"Digitalization is changing the way companies communicate with their customers and how they sell their products - the focus is always on customer benefit and the customer experience," says Michael Lieberherr, Cummunication Consultant at Swisscom. "The cell phone plays a central role here, but you can't look at it in isolation. It is part of an entire value chain." This includes other topics such as marketing and sales channel integration, multichannel customer interaction, CRM, e-commerce and e-shop integration, support systems for the sales force, customer self-service, social media integration and marketing and sales analytics. "Swisscom develops such business models in collaboration with its customers and ensures integration," says Lieberherr. Specifically, Swisscom offers the following services:- Value-added services for mobile phones- Location-based services/customer experience management- Digitalization of business processes, including marketing and sales (brainstorming, implementation, operation)- Signature services and authentication services- Communication solutions for communicating with customers via various channels- CRM consulting and CRM SAP project expertise and implementation- In principle, Swisscom's offering addresses all industries and company sizes. The modeling of digital business models tends to affect large companies. "However, many questions also arise for SMEs," emphasizes Lieberherr.Creating experiences for customersToday's customers want a seamless offline and online experience. The "mobile first" approach applies here. Companies that have traditionally sold through intermediaries are now increasingly communicating directly with customers. A product in itself is no longer sufficient as a differentiating feature; companies must create experiences for their customers and inspire their end customers with contemporary, intuitive solutions. The classic B2B model is increasingly being replaced by B2B2C. "Today, people are confronted with 3,000 to 5,000 marketing messages every day. They have long since developed a personal firewall," says Lieberherr. "Louder is not better. Messages that are direct, context-based, location-based and individual have great opportunities, keyword "Location Based Services (LBS)".Swisscom interviewed 100 customers in its stores on the subject of "Location Based Services". At the beginning of the interview, only 17 percent of those surveyed could imagine a situation in which LBS could help them in the future. In the next step, they were presented with eight examples of how these LBS could work. These included the following categories: Product information, location-based assistance (orientation), specific local offers, context-related additional information (e.g. museum), advertising, inspiration, recommendations and advice. According to the survey, 91% of respondents thought that LBS could help them in the future. "Digital solutions therefore enable new customer experiences as long as the focus is on the benefits and the technology is only a means to an end," concludes Lieberherr.Matching push message thanks to beaconsWhat could such digital solutions look like in practice? One exciting example is the collaboration between Davos-Klosters Tourism and Swisscom. Together with the tourism organization, the mobile communications provider has developed a fully digitalized solution and implemented an outdoor beacon installation. Beacons are small electronic transmitters based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) that send out signals at regular intervals. Bluetooth-enabled smartphones or other devices receive these signals as soon as they come within range. Whenever guests with the installed app are in the vicinity of a beacon they are interested in, they receive a corresponding push message. This allows them to be inspired according to the situation and location. Local businesses also benefit, as they can address their target group directly, promptly and individually.In addition to Klosters-Davos, Swisscom is in intensive discussions with other customers in tourism and retail. The first projects are being implemented and will be ready for implementation in the coming months. Beacon technology is suitable for applications such as:- Digital customer cards and loyalty programs (e.g. retail)- Indoor navigation (e.g. at airports, trade fair grounds)- Couponing (discount vouchers for e.g. gastronomy, retail)- Providing information (e.g. museums)- Tourism.Payment solution via SMSSwisscom also offers payment solutions for small amounts by SMS. In Geneva, for example, public transport users can simply buy their ticket by SMS. In Zurich, night owls pay their night supplement for the ZVV by SMS. The Lucerne public transport company was one of the first to integrate Easypay (Direct Operator Billing) into its brand new app. This allows customers to use Swisscom mobile billing as well as credit cards to purchase their public transport tickets.security is a much discussed topic in connection with mobile devices. With Mobile ID, Postfinance customers can log into e-banking simply and securely using their cell phone and no longer need a separate device (token). The service works for customers of all three mobile phone providers. The service is platform-independent and does not require an app, as it is integrated on the SIM card. The customer can always log in in the same way for more and more services.Focus on small companiesSwisscom's competitor Sunrise also offers services for corporate customers. "Sunrise is a strong partner for all companies. This ranges from Swiss Post with tens of thousands of employees to very small companies with two or three employees or self-employed people," says Markus Werner, media spokesman for Corporate Communications at Sunrise. "However, we deliberately focus our work on small customers in particular. "Sunrise offers companies a complete range of mobile, fixed network, Internet and data services. Larger companies can also work with Sunrise to develop individual, customized solutions. "Customers today want flexible and individual solutions. We are convinced that we can offer customers more flexible solutions than our competitors," says Werner. "Specifically, we will be launching new services that are tailored to the specific needs of small and medium-sized enterprises. A modular approach allows customers to choose the solutions that exactly meet their needs." Among other things, Sunrise will soon be working with Microsoft to offer "OneDrive for Business" - a secure and reliable cloud storage solution for the small customer segment.From Tamedia to Zurich AirportThis year, Sunrise was able to acquire Cofely and Coop Rechtsschutz as new customers, among others. Since 2014, Sunrise has been able to count Tamedia, one of the country's largest media companies, among its customers. Sunrise provides all of Tamedia's communication services for fixed and mobile telephony. "We have converted Tamedia's 20 or so locations throughout Switzerland, and of course Tamedia employees also make calls on the Sunrise mobile network," explains Werner, adding that RhB employees also communicate with their cell phones, tablets, iPads and notebooks via the Sunrise mobile network. The train attendants are always on the move with several devices, which are used for checking tickets, for example. These devices also communicate via the Sunrise mobile network, and Zurich Airport has been a Sunrise customer for many years. An average of 68,000 passengers use the airport every day. In addition, there are 25,000 people who work at Zurich Airport. Sunrise ensures that they can all make calls, surf the Internet and download data anytime and anywhere.