Organisations that call their customers are increasingly recognising the gap created between phone calls and the various digital mediums and taking steps to modernise the process in step with other telecommunications methods, writes Lior Shacham,  CEO and Co-founder of PicUp.

In the recent past, when we talked about telecommunications– exchanging information by electronic means – we were simply only referring to the medium of phone calls. I think it can go without saying that this is most certainly not the case today. So much has changed in the last two decades and telecommunications encompasses so many other channels like emails, messages, voicemails, video calls and chat. These are constantly evolving and also gaining more and more volume. Sometimes, simple phone calls seem to belong in the past; the truth is that phone calls in their present form do indeed belong to a bygone era.

If we stop and look around us, every message we receive is digital, branded and personalised. We receive hundreds of messages each and every day across multiple digital platforms. So, maybe it’s just slightly odd that incoming calls seem to look and feel exactly as they did twenty years ago!

Common instances in which customers don’t answer an incoming call may include contact from a bank, insurance company or even telecommunications provider. Despite numerous and persistent attempts, their calls remain unanswered. 

If we receive an email from someone unknown to us or without a subject line, it’s unlikely that we’ll choose to open it. In today’s digital world it doesn’t make logical (or practical) sense to answer an unidentified incoming call. We choose when and whether to answer messages and emails, so why not do the same with phone calls? Organisations that call their customers are increasingly recognising the gap created between phone calls and the various digital mediums and are eager to find solutions that create a bridge between the two, necessary formats. 

The rising number of scam communications have a negative impact on the number which are replied to. Earlier this year, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) warned self-assessment tax customers to be particularly vigilant of calls, texts and email scams. In the twelve-month period to January 2022 nearly 220,000 scams offering fake tax refunds were reported to HMRC. In January 2022, the number of phone scams rose to 3,995. This figure was only 425 in April 2020.

By providing a tailor-made personalised digital layer to mobile phone screens, a caller’s intentions can be immediately known. This results in the receiver feeling more connected to the caller. Our future-focused technology empowers call centres to improve standards of customer service, thus increase sales. Businesses are able to identify themselves and their reason for calling before the customer even picks up the call through data analytics, personalisation of the user experience, safety measures and real-time information. Telecom and enterprise call centre platforms are integrated through SDK (software development kits) to mobile applications which then automatically optimise all calls. Our ultimate goal is to modernise the procedure of making a call.

Phone calls are important for a variety of reasons, and I feel it is fair to say the experience cannot be replaced. As well as being more personal and time-efficient than sending an email or using other messaging systems, a phone call is an authoritative way of delivering bad or difficult news. They also give both parties the opportunity to clarify issues and ensure that data is not lost in translation. Many of us have endured the frustration of sending and receiving multiple emails before adequate information is received and a problem is fully resolved. Phone calls have also become less expensive through VOIP (voice over internet protocol) technology. Video calls, while useful, can be physically and mentally taxing when compared to phone calls. Researchers at Stanford University in the U.S. have even developed a Zoom Exhaustion Fatigue (ZEF) scale which revealed five dimensions of fatigue: general, visual, motivational, social and emotional. 

Advanced technological tools make it possible to connect the outdated telephone channel to the digital mediums and thus provide an innovative and much more efficient customer experience. This kind of communication enables secure, personalised, interactive communications that lead to improved customer service and, ultimately, highly effective calls. When we consider the revenue from business calls to mobiles in the UK amounted to GBP 140 million in 2021 we realise their value and importance. 

The speed and higher capacity functionality of 5G wireless technology will be a particularly important telecommunication trend for 2023. UK5G is the national innovation network dedicated to the promotion of research, collaboration and industrial application of 5G in the UK. The roll-out is expected to be complete for 100 per cent of the UK population by the year 2025. CCS Insight, a UK provider of research about 5G and mobile phones, forecasts that global 5G connections will reach GBP 1.2 billion by the end of this year. This figure is forecasted to reach GBP 4 billion by 2026. 

The impact of 5G technology on the global economy will be massive. Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) estimates that 5G technology will add USD 1.4 trillion to global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by the year 2030. 

After 5G, perhaps stating the obvious, will come 6G. Countries such as China and the U.S. began 6G technology research in 2018 with plans to launch it towards the end of this decade. In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges facing the telecommunications industry beyond 2022 is the need to change the old-fashioned infrastructure of phone calls. A barrier to this is that technological advancements can sometimes be viewed with a certain level of suspicion and even fear.

In 2023, I believe we will see more and more companies adopting technologies that enable them to add digital abilities to their phone channels. This will be the new standard. Customers will receive an identified call, know who is calling them and why, have the option to defer the call, convert to chat and interact with the caller digitally during the call itself.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that digital is very much vital and the phone channel is still a powerful tool for businesses and customers alike.