Actual count to help companies identify real sales and loyal customers. STOCK IMAGE
Proactively, cellular operators have installed extra counters and more employees at their front offices and placed even more remote offices to assist their customers. All of the operators have uploaded FAQs (frequently asked questions) on their websites to help their customers understand the process.
The exercise of biometric verification may take a couple of months. A huge influx of customers is expected at all touch points, especially of those who have received messages while the word of mouth is also generating more walk-in than the routine.
Huge walk-in with zero revenue
Typically, this huge walk-in is not generating much revenue for the operators. It is, instead, a threat to their business as they will be losing a reasonable number of their customers when the verification exercise ends and the real count of customers appears. This may lead to a serious damage to their figures, targets and repute. However, there is a brighter side of the picture as well.
Strongest financial muscle
The cellular industry has always been one of the strongest financial muscles of Pakistan’s economy. It has not only produced employment opportunities for the middle class but also deposited a big chunk of taxes in government accounts.
Above all, it has always played a vital role in efforts aimed at eliminating terrorism from the country by shutting down its services when required and by introducing PTA-aligned standard operating procedures (SOPs) of activating new SIMs.
The new SIM activation through 789 in the recent past and then activation through thumb impression on biometric device have already earned a good number of real customers for the cellular operators. And the recent exercise of getting existing numbers verified through the biometric system will help the operators reach the actual number of users.
Biometric verification – a blessing in disguise
Every business needs an actual count of customers to be profitable, productive, innovative and cost-efficient. The cellular industry has a golden opportunity to revisit this all along with its marketing strategy, customer experience, vision and sales targets.
By the end of this biometric verification exercise, cellular companies will get to know the count of on-board customers. It will eventually identify their customers’ lifecycle, customer behaviour and real sales.
The biometric system will help cellular operators in a number of ways.
It will help them identify real sales and loyal customers. They would be able to give their customers absolutely customised offers and bundles of free minutes, SMS and data usage which will not only enrich their usage but will bring back the trust level to their large subscriber base.
Cellular operators will be able to manage their subscriber base on real time usage and park them in a better segmentation model.
Real sale gives real revenue. The organisation does not revolve around fake numbers and does not develop wrong perception of the market. It improves company’s image in its competition and brings good packages for the employees as well.
Customers with lower ARPU (average revenue per user) will not be a liability for them after the re-verification exercise. Low ARPU generating customers can be turned into high ARPU with a better strategy as customers are also bound to stick to a few SIMs instead of having many.
Operators can also find their dormant users and reconsider customers’ lifecycle mapping policies which can eventually bring them back.
3G and 4G can be a hot cake for high ARPU and especially for data users soon after identifying those customers who use their SIMs for data usage only. Hybrid offers for such customers will not only satisfy existing customers but it will also increase the chances of Port In.
Customer’s behaviour will be predictable and the operators will be in a better position to introduce new products for their old customers who will contribute towards their revenue even if they are less productive right now.
With customised packages, offers and customer-centric approach, companies will improve their product quality and overall price perception.
Cellular operators can earn good revenue through their BTL (below the line) promotions and can reduce the possibilities of failed campaigns because of the true data.
Having customers’ information to give them a ‘WOW Experience’ through gifts on their special days has been one of the dreams of the cellular operators. However, it was not possible previously because of the wrong data.
The organisations can plan better when things go smooth soon after verification process. These surprises have a history of achieving customer satisfaction worldwide.
The writer is a corporate training specialist at Mobilink
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2015.
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COMMENTS (11)
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@Sohaib: This is silly. You are placing your thumb on their device. Their computer is reading your fingerprint. So of course they can keep a copy of it. It doesn't matter though because it is even more silly to think that your fingerprints are secret. You leave them on everything you touch. How come so many people in this country think that fingerprints are secret? Does the Pakistani culture make people blind to the most obivious facts?
@Sohaib:
They are never stolen SIMs. It would not be your fault because in the end it all boils down to the honesty of the telcos employees and they are not honest at all and routinely issue SIMs in other people's names. It only costs Rs. 5000 to get such a SIM. There's a whole article about it on propk if you want to read it. It's written by an industry insider.
The employees are corrupt. Sometimes they don't block SIMs even if you go there personally and tell them.
@Mubeen: If my bio verified SIM gets stolen (and gets used in a terrorist activity), whose responsibility would that be? Mine obviously. I should have reported/blocked it the moment it got stolen.
And if not 50%, at least 40% SIMs would be dormant. Even I had a Zong SIM which I never (ever) used in my life. I got rid of it by blocking it recently.
If telcos loose some valid customers, they will soon regain them as the SIMs won't be re-issued to new owners for at least 6 months after the deadline (and if the customer is satisfied with their service, he will get his SIM verified eventually).
Someone said 'huge hassle'??? Hassle my foot. I went for BM SIM verification today and it just took 2 mins at Ufone CSS Gulberg, Lahore and 10 mins at Mobilink CSS, Gulberg, Lahore. The problem in our country is we have way more 'talkers' than doers.
@Sohaib: Because the number of subscribers is expected to decline by 50% that's why. Don't tell me you actually believe 50% of users are fake? Lots of people are not going to get their SIMs verified because it's a huge hassle. Telcos are going to loose customers. Crores of customers that they worked very hard and spent a lot of money to win over.
Our teledensity is also going to decline. That's a significant development indicator for the country.
Worse part is that this whole exercise will have to be repeated in a few years time when TPTB realize that criminals have no problem getting SIMs. Remember the Peshawar attackers had biometric verified SIMs. I wonder what they'll think up next? Iris scans? DNA tests?
@Pakistani: These companies won't get their hands on your fingerprints. Fingerprint verification is being by NDARA at the back end. Only information they'll have now is SIM owner's "real" name and CNIC number.
@Mubeen: The revenue will remain the same. It is not like I will stop using my SIM just because I don't want to verify my SIM against my CNIC. So how is it going to push the whole industry back a decade?
Not to mention the dangers of giving multiple organisations biometric information on everyone!
Biometric verification will help fight crime and obnoxious irritating calls by criminals. Terrorists have been using such unverified SIMs for causing mayhem and murder. Cellular companies are themselves responsible for creating this mess, in connivance with corrupt officials and weak law enforcement.
Please ensure adequate data protection.
All this personal data is now available to international companies.
"It will help them identify real sales and loyal customers."
Oh please! This is so ridiculous! SIMs and mobile phones don't work by themselves. They intereact with the telcos cellular towers and cellular network. The telcos always know exactly how many active users they have and how many dormant SIMs there are. That's why they keep making special offers encouraging people to start using their dormant SIMs again.
This whole exercise is a waste of time and money. It is going to set the whole industry back a decade.