Vodafone CIO: 2012 a big year for customer data, analytics, and M-Commerce

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Summary: Albert Hitchcock, Vodafone's Group CIO, believes there will be significant developments in customer experience and M-Commerce (mobile money and advertising) starting in 2012, driven by improved use of customer data and analytics. He describes Vodafone's approach and early learning in a video interview (below) from our recent New Digital Economics EMEA Brainstorm held in London. (Published January 2012, Foundation 2.0)

Albert Hitchcock Vodafone Group CIO

Research Background

As we've previously described in Consumer Data and Privacy 2.0: Give Customers the Power, Can Telcos Unlock the Value of their Consumer Data?, and Customer Data 2.0: Telcos Must Vie for a slice of the $Multi-Billion ‘PIE’, by using their customer data with appropriate consent from their customers, telcos have a significant opportunity to improve the customer experience they deliver, and to develop new M-Commerce services in payments and advertising that benefit customers, the telcos, and the wider digital economy.

We'll be discussing and developing these themes further at our upcoming brainstorms in Silicon Valley, in March 2011, and London in June 2011, and in further research outlining a 'trust framework' for personal data and describing new innovations and new players in the field. We're also continuing to work with the World Economic Forum to drive an industry-wide governance approach to these opportunities that respect and protect customers' rights as well as enabling new business opportunities.

Introduction

Vodafone's Group CIO Albert Hitchcock spoke to us after his presentation to the EMEA New Digital Economics Brainstorm in November 2011 in London.

In the 7 minute video below he explains how Vodafone's $1Bn global investment in IT systems has been used in part to deliver a 'unified view' of their customers, across the previously 'siloed' information in billing (BSS), customer relationship management (CRM), and network systems.

He says that this has already delivered early learning and improved understanding of customer behaviour and needs, and enabled some useful trials to improve the overall customer service experience. Further, with the appropriate trust frameworks for customer privacy, it could also enable significant improvements in the types of personalised information services available, including more relevant advertising and more secure mobile money services.