COVID-19: What are the next challenges for the communications industry?
As we have discussed earlier, a giant number of digital channels for such spheres as entertainment, information, education, communications with family and friends impressively gained in new users when people were severely deprived a wide range of entertainments by the sudden isolation period. Being combined with prevalent shift from classic working routines to home offices, CSPs (standing for communications service providers) found not only approach to new clients by also a short pass to the audience’s trust, which seems to be even more important.
Demonstrating quick response and proactiveness in fighting social immobility of population and pandemic consequences, CSPs mobilized and adjusted to new challenges in demand side proving flexibility with omnichannel approach in all the possible directions. For instance, some operators delivered self-service apps which gave enhanced assistance opportunities without excessive home visits, some promised to provide everyone with entertainment and game services if these users only stayed home (obviously, understanding that sacrificing portion of revenues is still a more beneficial way to contribute into preventing coronavirus spread), others even launched powerful propositions to support society – such as plans for closer work with governments across Europe to ensure they have the tools that they might need.
Even when the world seems to get used to what’s going on, dominant role in supporting individuals, companies and governments is still delegated to telecom players. Specially created plan of actions reveals three most likely “scenarios” of social environment development after the coronavirus to highlights the roles CSPs can play: The Now, which includes an emphasis on supporting people, customers, and suppliers, The Next, which covers refocusing the business to withstand new threats and seize new opportunities in a slowing economy and the Never Normal scenario, which requires rapid shifts in values, cultural norms and behaviors.
Another anticipated challenges are connected with both demand and supply sides, thus, involving higher capacities and forcing providers to apply more advanced operational facilities and keep on investing in Fiber and 5G to handle this, ensuring the customers get the robust omnichannel services and IT maintenance stability as well as the required level of connectivity. CSPs are on the verge of a breakthrough now: they can uniquely transform the digital world we are used to by reinventing the whole process of company-client relations and helping both parties to use secure and stable tools for solving their strategic and everyday tasks in the most effective way possible.
