A mobile phone service in Switzerland has completely done away with call centres and all human customer support – and it’s all that to the introduction of eSIM.
Swiss operator Sunrise UPC (owned by Liberty Global) runs a digitally supported mobile service called swype, which users can connect each new customer’s phones to the network with an electronic version of the SIM card.
By giving running the subscriber information module (SIM) through software rather than a card, they seduce users into the first step towards automation. Having done away with one manual operation, subscribers become emboldened to take on more. As Confucius said, the hardest part of the 1000 mile journey is the first step. In this case, the eSIM is the first step on the way to automation.
As a new subscriber to swype, once you have downloaded the eSIM from the Apple/Google store, you might feel confident about other forms of self-management. The installation is easy and the flat rate subscription (1.5 swiss francs day) is designed to be simple. The key is to avoid making people fear they are being locked in. In this scheme, the monthly plan can be cancelled at any time.
At first, companies used the vast arsenal of digital weapons to make life really complicated.
You never feel more manipulated than when you’ve tried to claim your ‘reward’ from a Loyalty scheme. That’s when you find out manipulative the marketing was and, as a result, you start to associate deviousness with the company. That’s not brand stigma.
If you don’t want your company to be branded as a cheat, keep your loyalty (i.e. customer service) strategy simple.
For swype subscribers customer service has become 100% digital onboarding. No paperwork, no post and no contact with a call centre, says Christoph Richartz, Chief YOL Officer Sunrise UPC.
Ideally, I’d like to interview someone from the company about this, but there don’t seem to be any human contacts!
Oh This Bloody Computer! 