Customer service support for smartphones 4 times that of feature phones, InnoPath says: Surveys 200 execs on data implementation concerns

Mobile operators realize they need customers to adopt increased data services to offset declining voice revenues but are not sure how to best implement strategies to facilitate that, according to a December survey of nearly 200 senior-level wireless operators, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by InnoPath Software.
Of the 197 execs interviewed, 44% said they think data revenues will offset declining voice revenues in the next five years. Further, the survey said operators realize that open networks are the future, which means sharing revenues with content providers. Operators also are counting on advanced networks to contain operating costs, but 58% said usage-based pricing would help ensure profitability.
“Operators recognise the challenge posed by non-traditional service providers such as Skype and Google, but they have not yet clearly defined their strategies for making their mobile data businesses more competitive,” says Katherine Dorr Abreu, senior editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
InnoPath, which offers customer relationship management services to global operators, conducted the survey in part to help introduce three enhancements the company is making to its ActiveCare CRM solution.
With roots in over-the-air firmware updates, Innopath is adding more support for smartphones, which are the fastest-growing segment of handsets. Smartphones generate more revenue for carriers, but often require operators to spend more time on customer care for smartphone users because the devices are more complicated, said Dave Ginsburg, VP of marketing at InnoPath. Smartphone support can cost four times that of feature phone support, Innopath estimates.
Despite all of the efforts to push customer care to more automated responses, the majority of customers (72%) still prefer a live agent, which can be costly if that agent keeps having to move the customer up the CRM support chain. Google Inc.’s lack of live agent support for its Nexus One smartphone when it first came to market validates the need for live agents, said Ginsberg. Google is implementing live customer support to address the criticism.
InnoPath said the latest version of its ActiveCare platform offers universal device support for Android, Symbian, RIM and Windows Mobile operating systems today, and will be available on the Apple OS by the end of June. The Frontline Care software enables less-sophisticated customer care representatives the ability to see what is wrong with the handset, thus reducing average call times. The solution also works on feature phones that use the BREW platform. Innopath can show a return on investment for the solution within six to 12 months, Ginsburg said.
The second feature InnoPath is introducing on its ActiveCare platform is called Mobile Update 2, which offers enhancements to both the client and the server that enable better performance with large update packages and scalability. As smartphone manufacturers continue to update their OSes and fix bugs in the system, this solution allows carriers to perform those updates and fixes remotely on a large scale.
Finally, the third enhancement is called Mobile Activate. Already deployed with Tata DoCoMo in India, it ensures that the device is working properly when the customer first turns it on – what InnoPath calls the ‘golden hour.’ Tata DoCoMo turned on its network in June and already counts 25 million subscribers, Ginsburg said. Mobile Activate detects which device is trying to connect to the network and then configures the phone to make sure it is enabled for all of the features and services it is capable of doing, Ginsburg said.
InnoPath supports Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and other tier-one operators.