Under pressure to improve telco service offerings and customer experiences while managing costs, many telcos have turned to digital telco brands as a solution.

Also known as digital mobile operator (DMO) or digital network operator brands, these can be used to target a specific niche or experiment with new service offerings, experiences, and target audiences to capture more of the market or to spread learnings to the rest of your telco’s main brands. But what does it take to create a great DMO brand? 

Welcome to the first in our series about the primary building blocks that a digital telco brand needs to get off the ground! 

For this first section, we’re starting with the core audience you can target before going to the first steps of the experience: the core offering and a smooth and seamless onboarding.

Digital Pioneers - Meet the New Digital Natives

Today, digital natives have high expectations for seamless services that fit right in with their digital-first lifestyles, especially regarding their need for trust, convenience, and delightful experiences.

For them, mobile connectivity is more than just a service—it’s an essential part of their lifestyle. However, with how critical the internet has become, they have a low tolerance for inconveniences. 

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Digital Pioneers Are Looking for Trustworthy, Convenient, and Delightful Telco Experiences

With how critical push and pull factors are in attracting and retaining Digital Pioneers, the customer experience we give them needs to hit multiple needs, being:

Producing a Trustworthy, Hyper-convenient, and Delightful User Journey

To get ahead, your DMO brand must cater to Digital Pioneers’ need for a convenient and delightful experience they can trust. The key differentiators that stand out to Digital Pioneers are:

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But what could a customer experience playbook look like to hit all these needs? We’ve broken down the user journey into a few broad steps:

In this article, we’ll be covering the plan and onboarding first.

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Selecting a Plan: Providing the Right Core Offering

In a saturated market where connectivity has become a basic utility, your Digital Network Operator must ensure its core offering is robust and reliable. Customers expect flawless service, 24/7 uptime, and flexible plans that meet their needs, whether for data-heavy use, IoT devices, or mobile entertainment.

You must provide more than just the basics to differentiate yourself from competitors. The minimum expectations are seamless connectivity, unlimited data plans, and robust customer support. 

Let users customize their plans as they onboard. Offering options such as unlimited data for video streaming, gaming, or even access to global content should be integrated smoothly into the onboarding process.

As importantly, your DMO’s core offering must be transparent and easily understood to meet Digital Pioneers’ need for trust and transparency. There must be no bill shock or hidden fees, and the plans and add-ons they select must be what they pay for and no more. 

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What a Smooth Onboarding Experience Could Look Like

A frictionless onboarding process is equally critical to your DNO’s success. When customers choose your digital network, their first experience is the onboarding journey, defining how they view your brand going forward. This journey should be intuitive, quick, and, most importantly, digital-first.

The SIM activation and onboarding process must be as seamless and privacy-focused as possible. In some countries, perceived security risks also offer opportunities for telcos to differentiate themselves. 

With a well-designed app interface, your customers should be able to select a plan, customize features, and start using their network within minutes. Lengthy and cumbersome registration processes are a deterrent, especially for digital-native customers accustomed to speed. A study by Google found that 53 percent of visitors left a mobile website when it took more than 3 seconds to load.

To keep the process digital and convenient, eSIM options or SIM Card delivery is available so the customer won’t need to step out of their house. Required documents are kept to a minimum, usually requiring only their national identification number and email address.

In some countries where physical SIM activation is needed, we team up with riders to wear branded items to provide a sense of legitimacy and security. The rider who delivers the SIM card will carry the biometric verification device to instantly activate the SIM right at the doorstep, providing another moment of delight. We call this a ‘phygital’ experience (physical and digital).

Offering eSIM services can eliminate the need for physical SIM cards, drastically reducing the onboarding time. Customers can activate their plans in minutes without waiting for hardware delivery.

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Case Study: Building Award-winning Experiences with KDDI

Digital-first telecom players like KDDI and Circles’ povo brand in Japan have proven the power of focusing on core connectivity and frictionless user journeys. 

In 2022, Povo was awarded “Telecom Company of the Year” at the Asian Telecom Awards 2022 and also achieved a Net Promoter Score of +30 in 2022 as well. 

Povo offers ‘0-yen a month’ plans with customizable add-ons called ‘toppings’ that customers can choose from each month, giving our customers high flexibility. Committed to our motto of ‘no more bill shock’ povo features enhanced flexibility, allowing customers to add on various services based on their individual preferences. 

Povo’s model features seamless onboarding with eSIM activation to customize data-centric plans. This model has demonstrated that an intuitive onboarding process combined with a robust core offering leads to award-winning customer experiences.

In a similar approach, your DNO must provide a tailored and smooth experience that meets the changing needs of your customers while maintaining operational agility. By focusing on providing easy access to core services and delivering an exceptional user experience right from the start, your DNO will build trust and loyalty faster, translating to long-term profitability.

Integrating technologies like full-stack cloud-based SaaS platforms allows you to innovate quickly, launching new features or plans without significant CAPEX investments.

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Conclusion: Make the Digital Shift with Confidence

For telcos aiming to succeed in today’s competitive market, becoming a Digital Network Operator focusing on core offering excellence and a smooth onboarding journey is not just an option—it’s a necessity. 

From delivering frictionless digital experiences to leveraging advanced technology, the path forward is clear: invest in your onboarding process to create lasting customer loyalty and maximize growth.

This is the first in our series on building successful digital mobile operator brands. Stay tuned for next week’s post on localizing these experiences.

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Ready to Take Action?

Ready to accelerate your journey to becoming a leading Digital Mobile Operator? 

Circles’ telco software and real-life experience running DMO brands can help you create award-winning telco user experiences. Don’t miss out, and contact us today to learn more!