Loyalty - a strong trend in telecom

In Sweden, there are as many as 3,219,000 active prepaid telecom cards. Competition between the operators is great, and the telecom partner Smart Refill sees a trend that operators are placing greater emphasis on increasing customer satisfaction and thus keeping customers longer. Smart Refill is now expanding the loyalty module in its telecom platform to meet the increased requirements from operators. The first operator to access the functionality is Telenor.

- Many of our telecom customers do solid work to increase consumer satisfaction and make consumers stay longer. They listen to the consumers and adapt the experience to the feedback. We are happy to be able to help the operators in their quest through our upgraded loyalty module, says Henric Ungh, CEO of Smart Refill.

With the expansion, operators can configure the system to reward various activities, for example inviting friends, or pay attention to events such as birthdays. For the consumer, the experience of the service becomes more personalized.

Research, reports and experiences from other consumer-oriented companies clearly indicate the profitability of investing in loyal customers. According to a report from Forrester, it costs five times more to acquire new customers than to retain existing ones, and Harvard Business School concludes in a study that a 5% increase in the proportion of repeat customers on average results in a 25-95% increase in income.

In the telecom platform, Smart Refill has been able to track customer behaviors linked to prepaid cards and unsubscribed subscriptions since 2006:

- We see that how loyal consumers are to their telecom operator varies greatly from country to country. In India, for example, many change their number and operator at each top-up, while Nordic prepaid cardholders change on average every two years, says Henric Ungh.

- We’re taking the next step in improving the Telenor Ladda service by personalizing the customer experience and offering a broad and extended loyalty program with benefits such as extra data after recurring top ups. I am convinced that it will be well received by our customers, says Camilla Nordén, Business Area Manager Telenor Prepaid.

Smart Refill’s five tips for loyal customers

1. Be close to the consumer! Seek active feedback to improve the customer experience.
2. Show that you appreciate the consumer. Can you give something back? Do it!
3. Personalize the service - both when it’s human and when it’s digital.
4. Make it easy to be a consumer. In our apps, for example, you can convert your prepaid card into a contractless subscription.
5. Examine yourself - is it more advantageous for the consumer to switch to a competitor than to stay with you?

About Smart Refills telecom platform

Smart Refill's telecom platform is used by several of the largest operators in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Through web services and mobile apps, end customers are offered to manage prepaid cards and unsubscribed subscriptions, both for themselves and for their families. Customers can, among other things, top-up, set up subscriptions, utilize promotions, see balance and receive bonuses.