CHAPTER SEVEN
Segmentation Applications in Telecommunications
MOBILE TELEPHONY
It is a jungle out there for mobile telephony network operators, with an environment of strong competition, especially in the case of mature markets. Offering high-level quality services is essential for becoming established in the market. In times of rapid change and fierce competition, focusing only on customer acquisition, which is nevertheless becoming more and more difficult, is not enough. Inevitably, organizations have to also work on customer retention and on gaining a larger “share of customers” instead of trying only to gain a bigger slice of the market. Growth from within is sometimes easier to achieve and equally as important as winning customers from competitors.
Hence, keeping customers satisfied and profitable is a one-way street to success. In order to achieve this, operators have to focus on customers and understand their needs, behaviors, and preferences. Behavioral segmentation can help in the identification of different customer typologies and in the development of targeted marketing strategies.
Nowadays, customers can choose from a huge variety of services. The days of voice-only calls are long gone. Mobile phones are communication centers and it is up to users to select the way of usage that suits their needs. People can communicate via SMS and MMS messages. They can use their phones to connect to the Internet, to send e-mails, to download games ...
