The Power of Multiple Touch Points and Apps

Introduction

‍In the realm of digital consumer engagement, the focus has shifted from mere digital transformation to prioritising consumer centricity. Telecom operators are realising the significance of managing the digital consumer journey across various touch points and multiple apps. While the prevailing trend leans toward consolidating services into a single monolithic app, we argue that embracing a multitude of touch points and multiple apps can yield numerous benefits. Drawing inspiration from industry giants like Google, Meta, and Microsoft - and how they work with a range of apps -  this blog explores the advantages of having diverse touch points and multiple apps.

Enhanced Consumer Experience: A Personalised Approach

‍One of the primary advantages of having multiple touch points and apps is the ability to deliver a personalised consumer experience. Each app or touch point can cater to specific customer segments or offer tailored services, ensuring that consumers receive relevant information and functionalities. By providing a diverse range of options, operators empower consumers to choose the touch points and apps that align with their preferences and needs. This personalised approach fosters a deeper connection and engagement, as consumers feel understood and catered to on an individual level.

User Simplicity: Meeting Users' Preferences

‍This personalised approach also offers the simplicity that users love. Instead of navigating through a single monolithic app with a complex interface, users can choose the specific apps or touch points that serve their immediate needs. This modular approach allows users to have instant access to the functionalities they desire without being overwhelmed by unnecessary features and layers of menus. Each app can provide a streamlined experience dedicated to a specific task or service, ensuring a user-friendly interface and reducing cognitive load. Moreover, users can customise their digital journey by selecting the apps that resonate with their preferences, granting them a sense of control and empowerment. The simplicity and flexibility provided by multiple apps enhance user satisfaction and promote continued engagement. Finally, this approach is familiar as they are used to operating across numerous dedicated apps on their smartphones.

Seamless Service Differentiation

‍Another compelling argument for multiple touch points and apps is the ability to differentiate services seamlessly. Telecom operators often offer a variety of services with distinct features and benefits. By leveraging different apps or touch points, operators can create a clear distinction between services, preventing confusion or dilution of value. For example, a dedicated app for streaming services can focus solely on delivering high-quality entertainment, while a separate app caters to IoT connectivity or business solutions. Another application can serve any care issues for postpaid users on unlimited plans, while another can offer targeted short packages for prepaid users without unlimited plans or who bridge connectivity gaps between hotspots. This targeted differentiation enhances the overall consumer experience and allows operators to showcase their diverse offerings more effectively - while deep linking them to offer pleasant consumer journeys across multiple apps.

Simplified Software Development and Delivery‍

Contrary to the assumption that multiple apps and touch points would complicate technical management, it actually simplifies the process, especially when handled by multiple teams. When each app or touch point is developed and maintained by a dedicated team, it enables a focused approach and facilitates quicker iterations and updates. This distributed workload prevents bottlenecks and allows for simple and efficient development, release and maintenance cycles. Furthermore, adopting microservices architecture can provide modularity, scalability, and flexibility, making it easier to integrate new functionalities or retire outdated ones without disrupting the entire ecosystem. The decoupled nature of multiple apps also minimises the risk of a single point of failure, ensuring a more robust and resilient infrastructure.

Driving Innovation and Adaptability

‍By embracing multiple touch points and apps, operators foster an environment that encourages innovation and adaptability. Each app or touch point can serve as a sandbox for experimenting with new features, functionalities, or user experiences. This flexibility enables operators to adapt quickly to evolving consumer preferences and market trends. Additionally, the diverse ecosystem of apps allows for partnerships and collaborations with third-party developers, creating opportunities for groundbreaking integrations and expanding the range of services. The resulting innovation and adaptability enhance the overall value proposition for consumers, setting operators apart

More Impactful Analytics‍

Finally, multiple apps will not only result in more users and eyeballs, but also better analytics on the app usage. They will help to measure and manage engagement and retention in a targeted manner. The will help to conclude the most used features, and what consumers want - and which segments want which functions. It will be also clearer to measure conversion from marketing campaigns, as it is easy to isolate, which campaign caused the acquisition of new users - thus helping to be more successful with consumers.

Conclusion

The merits of multi-app strategy are seldom discussed, but based on our analysis the strategy is the winning to drive maximum value and delight to consumers of today.

‍