Reflection

Project: The Ideal Roaming Customer Journey

Tool: Storytelling

Challenge

Our department was tasked with running a service design workshop to design an ideal roaming  experience for our customers.  Roaming occurs when customers go overseas and want to be able to  continue to use their phone services such as data, calls and text messages in another country. However,  the general perception is that roaming is expensive and complicated to activate and use despite the  significant improvement that has been made over the years in pricing and service quality. This results in  a negative perception of roaming and discourages customers from using the services, becoming silent  roamers or seeking out alternative such as free wifi, local sim cards or turning off their phones all  together.

We decided to look at the roaming journey from the start to end. In other words, we took into account  how we approach customers before they decide to roam, to their actual roaming experience and finally  their coming home experience. Using that timeline as an anchor, we wanted to come up with an ideal  journey that would make roaming a seamless experience and also a viable option to more of our  customers.

Selection

To achieve this, we selected the storytelling tool as it encourages the participants to make the solution  and the messages that we want to convey simple and relatable. This is important as our message to the  customer has to be easily understood. Telling a story also requires one to apply logic towards the story  told, allowing for a clearer flow of ideas and events.

But most importantly the story telling process is about relating to your audience and catering it to them  so that the message you’re trying to share or the story you’re trying to tell remains relevant and  engaging. This is important as we wanted to create a roaming experience that is ideal from the  customer’s perspective. Meaning the services that is provided has to be simple and intuitive to use to  the customer. Hence, understanding the customer’s perspective is key in this designing process.

Application

For this, we gathered the subject matter experts from different departments such as marketing, prepaid  and postpaid to come together, participate and design an ideal customer journey for the roaming  experience.

Starting off, we had the ideation session whereby we put these participants into groups and then asked  them to put themselves in the shoes of our customers to tell a story that they would like to have when  roaming. Setting aside possible limitations and not discounting any ideas, through discussion and

participation, they have to come up with an ideal journey. This is important as story telling takes the  subject matter experts out from their individual silos of information and perspectives to look at the  customer experience as a whole instead of parts that they have worked on. Taking on a fresh  perspective, they then have to tell a story that they (as a customer) would like to experience.

So, we sat them down, gave them post it notes and a timeline so that they could build a story that  reflects the ideal customer journey for roaming. We looked at the points of contact that we had with a  customer, from the type of text messages that we sending, to the frequency that we contacted them all  came into consideration while building the journey.  Thinking from a customer’s perspective,  participants pondered what sort of information should be conveyed and at what point would  information be considered as spam instead of useful. Participants had to find the balance to educate our  customers on the services we have and to get rid of the stigma that roaming is extravagant and difficult  to use. The team wanted to create an experience that was as seamless as possible while keeping in mind  what the customer wants and how to deliver it. All these were done and then each team ended up with  a timeline of events that ideally should occur so that the customer’s experience is seamless and  enjoyable.

Using storytelling allowed our participants to immerse themselves in to the role of the customer and  understand the journey that a customer experiences. With that, they then designed the journey from  the perspective of a customer to cater to their needs and allowed for customization that is in line with  what the customer wants.

Insight

Through using storytelling as a tool to take on the customer’s perspective, which is the key audience  that we are trying to engage in a meaningful interaction, it placed the subject matter experts who were  working on different parts of the customer experience to look at the problem from a wider perspective.  The participants came to understand that communication with the customer is more than just  bombarding them with text but to give them relevant information at the right time and place. It also  allowed us to look at the messages we were sending to the customers and evaluating from a customer’s  point of view, what sort of story we’re trying to tell them. In other words, clear communication and  excluding unnecessary jargons is crucial for our customers to understand what we are trying to share  with them with ease.

This led us to understand the problem better and also design solutions that will more accurately address  the gap between the current journey and the ideal journey.  The participants had also realized that the  awareness on roaming services was lacking and the information that we were trying to convey to our  customers were not effective enough. While improving the quality of the services was an important  point, we should also not lose sight of engaging with our customers as they can only access information  and services that they know of. Thus, creating awareness on the availability of our services is as  important as what we can offer to our customers. Hence, using storytelling as a tool was the  appropriated method as it required the participants to be both the one telling the story and the one

listening to it. This allowed the participants to get into the shoes of our customers, to understand our  audience and then better cater our services and improvements for them.

Approach

Given that we are trying to design a better customer journey, using the storytelling tool to engage the  team into putting on a different thinking cap to understand the customer’s perspective is appropriate.  We want to tell our customers a story that simply would excite and engage. It was important as one of  the concerns were that roaming is associated with the notion of being expensive and complicated to  use. The outcome from the session will be used as a foundation to build on better services that our  customers would like to use.

Often times when faced with a problem that we are trying to solve, we look at it from its individual  blocks instead of in totality. By taking the bigger picture into consideration, we look for solutions that  can more holistically address the problem as opposed to just trying to fix bits and parts of it. I think that  such this approach allows for better problem solving. The clarity on the entirety of the problem, gives  the problem solvers the advantage to look at the issue and be able to prioritize what has to be done.  Most importantly, it creates solutions that better resonates with the audience that we want to engage.


Reflection Project : The Ideal Roaming Customer Journey Tool : Storytelling Challenge Our department was tasked with running a service design workshop to design an ideal roaming experience for our customers . Roaming occurs when customers go overseas and want to be able to continue to use their phone services such as data , calls and text messages in another country . However , the general perception is that roaming is expensive and complicated to activate and use despite the significant improvement that has been made over the years in pricing and service quality . This results in a negative perception of roaming and discourages customers from using the services , becoming silent roamers or seeking out alternative such as free wifi , local sim cards or turning off their phones all together . We decided to look at the roaming journey from the start to end . In other words , we took into account how we approach customers before they decide to roam , to their actual roaming experience and finally their coming home experience . Using that timeline as an anchor , we wanted to come up with an ideal journey that would make roaming a seamless experience and also a viable option to more of our customers . Selection To achieve this , we selected the storytelling tool as it encourages the participants to make the solution and the messages that we want to convey simple and relatable . This is important as our message to the customer has to be easily understood . Telling a story also requires one to apply logic towards the story told , allowing for a clearer flow of ideas and events . But most importantly the story telling process is about relating to your audience and catering it to them so that the message you ’re trying to share or the story you ’re trying to tell remains relevant and engaging . This is important as we wanted to create a roaming experience that is ideal from the customer ’s perspective . Meaning the services that is provided has to be simple and intuitive to use to the customer . Hence , understanding the customer ’s perspective is key in this designing process . Application For this , we gathered the subject matter experts from different departments such as marketing , prepaid and postpaid to come together , participate and design an ideal customer journey for the roaming experience . Starting off , we had the ideation session whereby we put these participants into groups and then asked them to put themselves in the shoes of our customers to tell a story that they would like to have when roaming . Setting aside possible limitations and not discounting any ideas , through discussion and participation , they have to come up with an ideal journey . This is important as story telling takes the subject matter experts out from their individual silos of information and perspectives to look at the customer experience as a whole instead of parts that they have worked on . Taking on a fresh perspective , they then have to tell a story that they ( as a customer ) would like to experience . So , we sat them down , gave them post it notes and a timeline so that they could build a story that reflects the ideal customer journey for roaming . We looked at the points of contact that we had with a customer , from the type of text messages that we sending , to the frequency that we contacted them all came into consideration while building the journey . Thinking from a customer ’s perspective , participants pondered what sort of information should be conveyed and at what point would information be considered as spam instead of useful . Participants had to find the balance to educate our customers on the services we have and to get rid of the stigma that roaming is extravagant and difficult to use . The team wanted to create an experience that was as seamless as possible while keeping in mind what the customer wants and how to deliver it . All these were done and then each team ended up with a timeline of events that ideally should occur so that the customer ’s experience is seamless and enjoyable . Using storytelling allowed our participants to immerse themselves in to the role of the customer and understand the journey that a customer experiences . With that , they then designed the journey from the perspective of a customer to cater to their needs and allowed for customization that is in line with what the customer wants . Insight Through using storytelling as a tool to take on the customer ’s perspective , which is the key audience that we are trying to engage in a meaningful interaction , it placed the subject matter experts who were working on different parts of the customer experience to look at the problem from a wider perspective . The participants came to understand that communication with the customer is more than just bombarding them with text but to give them relevant information at the right time and place . It also allowed us to look at the messages we were sending to the customers and evaluating from a customer ’s point of view , what sort of story we ’re trying to tell them . In other words , clear communication and excluding unnecessary jargons is crucial for our customers to understand what we are trying to share with them with ease . This led us to understand the problem better and also design solutions that will more accurately address the gap between the current journey and the ideal journey . The participants had also realized that the awareness on roaming services was lacking and the information that we were trying to convey to our customers were not effective enough . While improving the quality of the services was an important point , we should also not lose sight of engaging with our customers as they can only access information and services that they know of . Thus , creating awareness on the availability of our services is as important as what we can offer to our customers . Hence , using storytelling as a tool was the appropriated method as it required the participants to be both the one telling the story and the one listening to it . This allowed the participants to get into the shoes of our customers , to understand our audience and then better cater our services and improvements for them . Approach Given that we are trying to design a better customer journey , using the storytelling tool to engage the team into putting on a different thinking cap to understand the customer ’s perspective is appropriate . We want to tell our customers a story that simply would excite and engage . It was important as one of the concerns were that roaming is associated with the notion of being expensive and complicated to use . The outcome from the session will be used as a foundation to build on better services that our customers would like to use . Often times when faced with a problem that we are trying to solve , we look at it from its individual blocks instead of in totality . By taking the bigger picture into consideration , we look for solutions that can more holistically address the problem as opposed to just trying to fix bits and parts of it . I think that such this approach allows for better problem solving . The clarity on the entirety of the problem , gives the problem solvers the advantage to look at the issue and be able to prioritize what has to be done . Most importantly , it creates solutions that better resonates with the audience that we want to engage .