spatialbuzz - front and sullivan marketing document
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BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH
© Frost & Sullivan 1 “We Accelerate Growth”
BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH
© Frost & Sullivan 2 “We Accelerate Growth”
Contents
Background and Company Performance ........................................................................ 3
Industry Challenges .............................................................................................. 3
Technology Attributes and Future Business Value ..................................................... 3
Conclusion........................................................................................................... 5
Significance of Technology Innovation .......................................................................... 6
Understanding Technology Innovation .......................................................................... 7
Key Benchmarking Criteria .................................................................................... 7
Best Practice Award Analysis for SpatialBuzz ................................................................. 8
Decision Support Scorecard ................................................................................... 8
Technology Attributes ........................................................................................... 9
Future Business Value ........................................................................................... 9
Decision Support Matrix ...................................................................................... 10
The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards ..................... 11
Research Methodology ........................................................................................ 11
Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices .......................................................................................................... 12
About Frost & Sullivan .............................................................................................. 13
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Background and Company Performance
Industry Challenges
As a result of the exponential rise in the use of mobile phones, there has been a
surge in the number of mobile phone users. In the European market, mobile
network operators (MNOs) are driven to outperform others by differentiating their
product and service offerings by extending value-added and technology-driven
products and services at cost-competitive prices. Some operators acutely focus on
providing exemplary customer service to cement their market position.
Advances in technology like 4G infrastructure and network convergence create
challenges for mobile network operators, who are working to provide seamless
mobile services to keep customer satisfaction high. This implies that apt measuring
and monitoring of end user experience is critical to gain an edge over competitors.
Thus, companies that provide innovative technology platforms and services (as
compared to the conventional network probes and protocol analyzers) that enable
customers to proactively communicate with the operator in real-time, stand to
create a win-win situation for themselves even amid explosive customer demand.
These kinds of platforms and services eliminate user frustration and reduce
customer churn rates.
An additional concern that MNOs encounter is the difficulty in improving customer
service levels without much increase in operational expenditure (OPEX). To meet
customer expectations (with regard to best-in-class services), operators must
constantly invest to improve and upgrade their services; this is the key to superior
customer satisfaction.
Technology Attributes and Future Business Value
Industry Impact
SpatialBuzz has created a unique cloud-based customer experience management
(CEM) platform that provides seamless access to mobile networks through self-
service options. Until the introduction of this innovative platform, very little real-
time communication between customers and operators was possible. The company
has demonstrated unrivaled technological excellence by developing a highly
differentiated customer experience analytics and service monitoring platform,
created specifically to build strong rapport between end users and MNOs.
Resolving user concerns in a prompt and transparent manner whilst reducing OPEX
is truly an industry-disruptive feat. On par with the latest technological trends, the
SpatialBuzz platform has transformed traditional outlook towards network
performance management and made it easy for customers by providing insight into
network status and capability.
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With easy access to customer touchpoints, this platform allows operators to get
information about the network on a 24/7/365 basis. This is a major transformation
of the CEM approach, with customers’ perspectives being given considerable
importance. Previously, with the help of probes and analysers, companies
communicated customer feedback to the operator, and had no way to promptly and
efficiently monitor and manage customer experience. SpatialBuzz’s best-in-class
CEM strategy, based on its sound technical understanding of networks and its drive
for innovation, undoubtedly has the potential to be regarded as an industry
standard, even amid stiff competition from prominent mobile operators, vendors,
and service providers.
Product Impact
The cloud-based customer experience monitoring platform designed by SpatialBuzz
is transparent, making network data communications between customers and
MNOs flawless. Unlike competitors, the company provides distinctive crowd-sourced
analysis of network performance (by readily sharing network data between
customer care and marketing teams), and also provides an early warning of
probable service issues. A live feed from customers and their communication with
operators is a feature that was not previously available in conventional CEM
platforms. By acquiring information from customers (mobile subscribers), it is
possible to centralise the use of cell phone platforms to re-drive a massive amount
of crowd-sourced data towards the operator, thus facilitating intelligent network
performance. Such an exhaustive value-added offering has driven elite Tier I
mobile operators in Europe to deploy SpatialBuzz’s differentiated platform,
consequently providing it with a key competitive edge.
The company recently added new customer engagement features to HDHealth,
SpatialBuzz's Web-based status solution. These features help customers track
alerts associated with a specific network location while also enabling direct-to-
operator feedback. With a direct communication channel, operators can better
understand customer needs and provide a superior customer experience.
“The introduction of these new features affirms our commitment to helping
operators expand their customer experience offerings,” said Andrew Blake, CTO of
SpatialBuzz. “The system can be monitored 24 hours a day, providing an operator’s
customers with an easy-to-use tool to be able to report or track faults impacting
their service in near real-time, thus increasing customer satisfaction levels and
helping the operators to significantly improve the efficiency of their network
management.” 1
1 SpatialBuzz Press Release - http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spatialbuzz-introduces-new-proactive-customer-engagement-features-to-enhance-its-cem-platform-501036151.html
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Visionary Innovation
The CEM platform built by SpatialBuzz has, in a short span of time, built a sterling
reputation for its unmatched innovation. By reaching out to customers and paying
attention to pertinent obstacles and challenges that they face, SpatialBuzz has
created a customer experience monitoring system that addresses the key industry
challenges today. Its transparent approach and prompt resolution, supported by the
digital self-service option that SpatialBuzz’s platform provides, helped capture the
attention of end users and consequently brought down the number of calls made to
the customer service department.
Customer Acquisition & Brand Loyalty
SpatialBuzz's unique CEM platform is in high-demand among customers. This was
largely achieved by generating awareness among end users about the impressive
functionalities of its customer-centric platform. Some of SpatialBuzz’s noted
customers are Tesco Mobile, O2, giffgaff, Telefonica and Eplus. With increasing
awareness of the extended return on investment by deploying this unique platform,
marked by the reduction in customer complaint calls by 35% and a 15%
improvement in the call resolution time, Frost & Sullivan considers this an ideal
solution.
As a good example of customer satisfaction, Telefónica Germany (which licensed
SpatialBuzz’s tools on 20 November 2012), after having deployed the SpatialBuzz
CEM platform, reported that its call centres have achieved network-related call
reduction of 49% on normal days and 72% during key incidents. This clearly
indicates an increase in overall operational efficiency and considerable decline in
customer complaints and frustration.
SpatialBuzz has acquired massive attention in a short span of time. The company
remains committed to its innovative approach and it consistently offer products
unmatched in terms of quality and overall value. To increase brand loyalty by
reaching out to a larger base of customers, SpatialBuzz has recently opened new
facilities in Toronto and Taipei. F
Conclusion
SpatialBuzz has achieved a strong position in the mobile communications space
through its technologically superior approach to addressing challenges and its
ability to satisfy increasing and ever-evolving customer needs. Its unique CEM
platform has redefined the data communications between operators and customers
by bringing down costs and enhancing efficiency for customers. Because of its
strong overall performance, SpatialBuzz is recognized with Frost & Sullivan’s 2015
Technology Innovation Award.
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Significance of Technology Innovation
Ultimately, growth in any organization depends upon finding new ways to excite
the market, and upon maintaining a long-term commitment to innovation. At its
core, technology innovation or any other type of innovation can only be sustained
with leadership in three key areas: understanding demand, nurturing the brand,
and differentiating from the competition.
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Understanding Technology Innovation
Technology innovation begins with a spark of creativity that is systematically
pursued, developed, and commercialized. That spark can result from a successful
partnership, a productive in-house innovation group, or the mind of a singular
individual. Regardless of the source, the success of any new technology is
ultimately determined by its innovativeness and its impact on the business as a
whole.
Key Benchmarking Criteria
For the Technology Innovation Award, Frost & Sullivan analysts independently
evaluated two key factors—Technology Attributes and Future Business Value—
according to the criteria identified below.
Technology Attributes
Criterion 1: Industry Impact
Criterion 2: Product Impact
Criterion 3: Scalability
Criterion 4: Visionary Innovation
Criterion 5: Application Diversity
Future Business Value
Criterion 1: Financial Performance
Criterion 2: Customer Acquisition
Criterion 3: Technology Licensing
Criterion 4: Brand Loyalty
Criterion 5: Human Capital
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Best Practice Award Analysis for SpatialBuzz
Decision Support Scorecard
To support its evaluation of best practices across multiple business performance
categories, Frost & Sullivan employs a customized Decision Support Scorecard. This
tool allows our research and consulting teams to objectively analyze performance,
according to the key benchmarking criteria listed in the previous section, and to
assign ratings on that basis. The tool follows a 10-point scale that allows for
nuances in performance evaluation; ratings guidelines are illustrated below.
RATINGS GUIDELINES
The Decision Support Scorecard is organized by Technology Attributes and Future
Business Value (i.e., the overarching categories for all 10 benchmarking criteria;
the definitions for each criteria are provided beneath the scorecard). The research
team confirms the veracity of this weighted scorecard through sensitivity analysis,
which confirms that small changes to the ratings for a specific criterion do not lead
to a significant change in the overall relative rankings of the companies.
THE RESULTS OF THIS ANALYSIS ARE SHOWN BELOW.
Measurement of 1–10 (1 = poor; 10 = excellent)
Technology Innovation
Technology
Attributes
Future
Business Value Average Rating
SpatialBuzz 9.8 9.9 9.9
Competitor 7.2 7.0 7.1
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Technology Attributes
Criterion 1: Industry Impact
Requirement: Technology enables the pursuit of ground breaking new ideas,
contributing to the betterment of the entire industry
Criterion 2: Product Impact
Requirement: Specific technology helps enhance features and functionality of the
entire product line for the company
Criterion 3: Scalability
Requirement: Technology is scalable, enabling new generations of products over
time, with increasing levels of quality and functionality
Criterion 4: Visionary Innovation
Requirement: Specific new technology represents true innovation based on a deep
understanding of future needs and applications
Criterion 5:Application Diversity
Requirement: New technology serves multiple products, multiple applications, and
multiple user environments
Future Business Value
Criterion 1: Financial Performance
Requirement: High potential for strong financial performance in terms of revenues,
operating margins and other relevant financial metrics
Criterion 2: Customer Acquisition
Requirement: Specific technology enables acquisition of new customers, even as it
enhances value to current customers
Criterion 3: Technology Licensing
Requirement: New technology displays great potential to be licensed across many
sectors and applications, thereby driving incremental revenue streams
Criterion 4: Brand Loyalty
Requirement: New technology enhances the company’s brand, creating and/or
nurturing brand loyalty
Criterion 5: Human Capital
Requirement: Customer impact is enhanced through the leverage of specific
technology, translating into positive impact on employee morale and retention
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Decision Support Matrix
Once all companies have been evaluated according to the Decision Support
Scorecard, analysts can then position the candidates on the matrix shown below,
enabling them to visualize which companies are truly breakthrough and which ones
are not yet operating at best-in-class levels.
High
Low
Low
High
Fu
ture B
usin
ess V
alu
e
Technology Attributes
SpatialBuzz
Competitor
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The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards
Research Methodology
Frost & Sullivan’s 360-degree research
methodology represents the analytical
rigor of our research process. It offers a
360-degree-view of industry challenges,
trends, and issues by integrating all 7 of
Frost & Sullivan's research methodologies.
Too often, companies make important
growth decisions based on a narrow
understanding of their environment,
leading to errors of both omission and
commission. Successful growth strategies
are founded on a thorough understanding
of market, technical, economic, financial,
customer, best practices, and demographic
analyses. The integration of these research
disciplines into the 360-degree research
methodology provides an evaluation
platform for benchmarking industry players and for identifying those performing at
best-in-class levels.
360-DEGREE RESEARCH: SEEING ORDER IN
THE CHAOS
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Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices
Frost & Sullivan Awards follow a 10-step process to evaluate award candidates and
assess their fit with select best practice criteria. The reputation and integrity of the
Awards are based on close adherence to this process.
STEP OBJECTIVE KEY ACTIVITIES OUTPUT
1 Monitor, target, and screen
Identify award recipient candidates from around the globe
Conduct in-depth industry research
Identify emerging sectors Scan multiple geographies
Pipeline of candidates who potentially meet all best-practice criteria
2 Perform 360-degree research
Perform comprehensive, 360-degree research on all candidates in the pipeline
Interview thought leaders and industry practitioners
Assess candidates’ fit with best-practice criteria
Rank all candidates
Matrix positioning all candidates’ performance relative to one another
3
Invite thought leadership in best practices
Perform in-depth examination of all candidates
Confirm best-practice criteria Examine eligibility of all
candidates Identify any information gaps
Detailed profiles of all ranked candidates
4
Initiate research director review
Conduct an unbiased evaluation of all candidate profiles
Brainstorm ranking options Invite multiple perspectives
on candidates’ performance Update candidate profiles
Final prioritization of all eligible candidates and companion best-practice positioning paper
5
Assemble panel of industry experts
Present findings to an expert panel of industry thought leaders
Share findings Strengthen cases for
candidate eligibility Prioritize candidates
Refined list of prioritized award candidates
6
Conduct global industry review
Build consensus on award candidates’ eligibility
Hold global team meeting to review all candidates
Pressure-test fit with criteria Confirm inclusion of all
eligible candidates
Final list of eligible award candidates, representing success stories worldwide
7 Perform quality check
Develop official award consideration materials
Perform final performance benchmarking activities
Write nominations Perform quality review
High-quality, accurate, and creative presentation of nominees’ successes
8
Reconnect with panel of industry experts
Finalize the selection of the best-practice award recipient
Review analysis with panel Build consensus Select winner
Decision on which company performs best against all best-practice criteria
9 Communicate recognition
Inform award recipient of award recognition
Present award to the CEO Inspire the organization for
continued success Celebrate the recipient’s
performance
Announcement of award and plan for how recipient can use the award to enhance the brand
10 Take strategic action
Upon licensing, company may share award news with stakeholders and customers
Coordinate media outreach Design a marketing plan Assess award’s role in future
strategic planning
Widespread awareness of recipient’s award status among investors, media personnel, and employees
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About Frost & Sullivan
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