With digitisation on the rise, the amount of data that needs to be managed /processed is witnessing an exponential rise. Deploying human workforce to manage simple tasks like data entry, generating reports, mapping data between different software, among others, is expensive, time-consuming, and prone to error. Organizations across the world are using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to perform such tasks.
RPA is a software technology that performs simple business tasks or processes and interacts with other software and applications, mimicking the tasks performed and processes followed by the humans.
For example,
This simple process of customer interaction on a shopping platform involves RPA, and the initial chat (text or voice) is conducted via bots (robots that perform automated pre-determined tasks over the internet).
RPA Can Transform the Telecom Sector
Fuelled by the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G technology, the telecom industry has now started to adopt RPA to become more efficient and provide a better customer experience. The telecom sector continues to grow across the world as more people join the network and internet access penetrates the remotest corners. In such a scenario, telecom providers must operate at their maximum efficiency. Here’s how RPA can help the sector:
Network Management
Call drops, slow internet connectivity, among others, are some of the common problems faced by the customers. This often has serious implications for the business and leads to loss of customers and revenue. RPA, coupled with Artificial Intelligence and data analytics, can help telecom operators identify problems, compile a report and share possible solutions to the on-ground technicians in real-time. Thus, solving any problem on a real-time basis and maintaining the quality of the network.
Customer Management
With the number of plans available for the customer (talk time, internet packs, custom plans, etc.) and a meteoric rise in the customer base, it is a daunting task for any operator to assign a human workforce to monitor bill generation, maintain a database of customers, manage records, document verification, take care of contact number registration, etc.
RPA makes it easier for network providers to perform all backend tasks more efficiently and without an error.
Customer Service
As explained earlier, RPA can use data received by the chatbots and take the customer’s request through set parameters, transferring data from one software to another and delivering the desired result in lesser turnaround time. It can also assist customer service representatives in providing more informed solutions to the customer.
Data Mining
Telecom operators rely heavily on various software to collect and analyze data to run their network smoothly. To do so, they deploy heavy programming tools and people skilled enough to map those data sets and further transfer them. RPA can help deploy bots simultaneously across the systems, conduct multiple data transfers, and thus can speed up the process of data mining, error-free.
RPA also helps in gathering data from the competitor’s website, the offers provided by them and other relevant information to be uploaded in a centralised system for further analysis.
RPA can help network operators with faster customer onboarding/offboarding, solve backend tasks, increase the revenue per user, deploy faster & accurate solutions, decrease the workload on backend professionals, among others.
According to a McKinsey report, network cost could double by 2025 as operators opt for 5G and increased efficiency. In such a scenario, when the number of customers is on the rise and the load on the networks is going to increase. RPA is one tool that can diminish the effect of rising costs and help the telecom industry overcome the many issues and challenges that are currently hindering its growth.