Key learnings Our insight into the evolving way people communicate with each other and brands, coupled with the evidence from the Rogers case study, suggests operators should consider rethinking how they use OTT instant messaging services in their channel mix. Consumers are becoming accustomed to an ‘on-demand’ service model, so operators (and companies more broadly) need to adapt to these new expectations and channel paradigms. We believe that OTT messaging services offer businesses the ability to transform their legacy customer support systems to align with changing customer behavior. Messaging allows businesses to support, manage and react effectively to customers in a conversational, actionable way. To make use of this insight we recommend that operators first prioritize understanding customer pain points related to communications. This insight is readily available both from their own customer service channels and from third party media that operators may be participating in. Understanding customer preferences by leveraging the very data mobile technology has presented enables operators to identify which component of their business would most benefit from direct, private and asynchronous access to consumers and to create prototype customer journeys that would deliver those benefits to consumers. The relatively low cost of these channels and the relatively high familiarity that many employees already have with them, makes running prototypes to test and refine their use comparatively simple, particularly when judged against the typically high cost of change in operator systems. Telecom operators like Rogers are successfully adapting to changing consumer preference by using technology and messaging services to transform into more customer-centric organizations that respond to consumer needs more rapidly and effectively. We believe that OTT messaging services offer businesses the ability to transform their legacy customer support systems to align with changing customer behavior. Digital transformation for telecom operators Adapting to a customer-centric, mobile-first world 7