Deutsche Telekom has embarked on a digital journey to transform its customer service offering , from introducing new smart services to adopting agile working methods internally
It is difficult to think of a job that is being transformed more by digitisation than a customer service agent . The days of the traditional call centre are numbered . In its place , multichannel contact centres that deal with enquires not only by phone , but also email , web chat , text and social media across numerous devices .
Deutsche Telekom ( DT ) is one organisation embracing this new world of digital customer service . One of the world ’ s largest telecoms operators with 156 million mobile customers and 225,000 employees spread across 50 countries , provision of support to customers is no mean task . In Germany , some 68,000 people are dedicated to ensuring its consumer base remains happy .
However , in order to remain happy in the future , customers are demanding a choice of different ways of being served . Almost 85 percent of under
30s expect access to services around the clock , while one in four euros will be spent online by 2020 . Digitisation is coming , and DT has already started to make its move .
Step-by-step Indeed , the company ’ s progress towards digital customer service can be grouped into four major parts : new digital services , working mode and culture , communication and education , and robotics and AI .
At the forefront of the transformation is Gero Niemeyer ( Managing Director Customer Service , Telekom Deutschland GmbH ), Franz Weisenburger ( SVP Customer Experience Management ) and Dominik Bauersch ( SVP Customer Service / New products & Services ).
Asked how far the company has travelled already , Weisenburger points out that there are , technically ,
90 May 2017