Inspiring and Embedding End-to-End Innovation Across the Business
Tuesday, September 20, 2:00 – 5:30pm

Who Attended: Service provider executives

While minimizing cost remains a core objective for service providers in the low margin, highly competitive African communications market, sustainable growth must also be achieved. So how can African service providers drive growth, while stringently driving down cost in a typically low ARPU market? The answer is innovation.

Service providers must foster innovation across all aspects of the business, from product design and development through to collections and customer experience at the other end. Every department, every function, every employee must be innovative and agile in their approach to supporting the business; maximizing margin and improving customer experience being central to this mission.

While some markets in Africa still have untapped potential, others are approaching maturity. In both scenarios, service providers are operating amidst extreme price wars, eroding voice revenue and cut-throat competition. They must be truly unique not only in what they offer, but also in how they offer it. Compelling propositions, must be backed up by innovative delivery and supreme customer service that builds loyalty and trust.

Taking into account the specific characteristics of the African market - consolidation among a few key players, linguistic, cultural and socio-economic factors, as well as the huge potential for profitable new data services caused by sub-marine connectivity - the Executive Roundtable at Management World Africa brought senior executives together to discuss a path for translating innovative thinking into positive impact on the bottom-line.

With a backdrop of stringent cost control and operational efficiency, this roundtable examined how to drive innovation in service development and delivery, in addressing different market segments with tailored offerings and in forming partnerships with adjacent industries to build communities of loyalty.

Moderator:		Provocateur:
Tony Poulos Market Strategist TM Forum		Dave Parratt Executive MTN Banking
Provocateur:
Peter Thomas Sany Chairman and CEO itcps Management Consulting AG