Paul Writer launches Innovative Marketer Dialogue, 
Video interview series with CMOs highlights marketing best practices
Abhijat Shukla
Head – Data Customer Lifecycle Management
VODAFONE India
On Multi-channel marketing program and their synergies …
Absolutely, as a telecom company every channel is important to us. We provide flexibility to customers in terms of the various touch points he can access, be it web, IVR, call center, social media or something called as USSD which is a telecom specific channel.
We ensure that whatever we want to communicate or put in front of the customer is pretty much in sync.
“We provide flexibility to customers in terms of the various touch points he can access, be it web, IVR, call center, social media or something called as USSD which is a telecom specific channel.”
I would like to touch upon the kind of campaigns and the offers that we want to extend to customers. There is a recommendation engine that we have and that recommendation engine ensures that a particular product or a combination of products on offer is standardized across different channels, if the customer reaches out to us through the call center or if he wants to use any of our self care channels like our USSD or IVR, what he sees and experiences in terms of all products or the combination of products that we offer to him/ her specifically is standard. He can call the call center and he would get the same response he would get otherwise as well.
I have used BSNL, Airtel, Reliance and Vodafone. Among the four, in terms of experience, I would rate Vodafone above the rest. However, the kind of products on offer confuses the consumers and doesn’t allow them to make a decision, what with different billing cycles and data offers for a month or so.
While multi-channel and similar messaging at all channels are appreciated, it certainly ought to be simplified for a consumer to choose, because Consumers don’t give you a second chance, as opposed to enterprises. In my mind, it should ideally be, ‘simplicity over everything else’ and then the medium of communication.