Industry overview
What is shaping telecommunications
Telecom operators compete on network experience, price and service across consumer and enterprise markets. Retail and distribution still matter in a digital-first world.
- Network experience drives churn and loyalty
- Data plans and bundles are compared constantly
- Enterprise connectivity needs consultative selling
Client background
A mobile operator, working in Saudi Arabia & UAE. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A mobile operator
- Sector
- Telecommunications
- Team engaged
- IT & Development
- Services
- AI & automation solutions, WhatsApp marketing, API development & integration
Client challenge
Call centres handled millions of routine queries about balances, bundles and bills. Waiting times at peak periods were long, and customers often called several times about the same issue.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: a digital assistant for telecom customer service.
- Define requirements and success criteria the solution would be tested against.
- Deliver a reliable, secure solution the team can run and extend.
Target audience
Scope: App, website and WhatsApp channels.
Audiences we typically reach in telecommunications
Mobile and broadband subscribersRetailers and distributorsEnterprise IT buyersChurned customersTower and infrastructure partners
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Saudi Arabia & UAE. Markets: Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
Research methodology
An iterative delivery approach: discovery, design, build and test in short cycles, with the client reviewing each step.
- 1Brief
- 2Contact analysis
- 3Arabic and English assistant
- 4Insight
We built an Arabic and English assistant connected to billing and bundle systems, handing complex cases to agents. We analysed contact reasons and transcripts, designed conversations in Gulf Arabic and English, and connected the assistant to systems so it could show balances, activate bundles and explain bills securely. Complex or sensitive cases were passed to agents with the full conversation history.
AI & automation solutionsWhatsApp marketingAPI development & integration
Sampling strategy
- Users and stakeholders from every affected team took part in discovery workshops and acceptance testing.
Data collection
- Requirements were gathered through workshops, process walk-throughs and a review of existing systems and data.
Data quality & validation
- Peer code review on every change
- Automated and manual testing
- User-acceptance testing with the client
- Release checklist and rollback plan
Data analysis
- Usage and performance monitoring after launch
- Defect and support-ticket trends
- Process time before and after
Key findings
- Routine queries shifted to digital channels, reducing call volumes.
Bilingual design was essential for adoption.
Recommendations
- The operator later extended the assistant to WhatsApp.
- Track adoption and support tickets, and plan the next release from real usage.
What we recommended, and the client put into practice
Business impact
- Customer satisfaction with digital channels rose, and agents had more time for complex issues such as roaming disputes and device faults.
Deliverables & next steps
- Deployed solution with documentation and handover
- Support and maintenance plan
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: what drives subscribers to switch?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.