Letter from the Editor

By: Tim Young

"We’re dealing with sophisticated customers. 
What’s most important to these women is
individuality.  I have to create things she’ll
want to wear, no matter who she is.”

–Oscar de la Renta

It’s not often that the world of haute couture fashion and communication services overlap. After all, we’re selling a service, and that’s a lot different from selling a consumer good, right? Maybe so, but as CSPs shift away from a utility mindset and begin to regard themselves more as retailers than as one-size-fits-all service providers, it is important to keep in mind how crucial a part of personalization and customized experiences can play. 

What’s more, while de la Renta’s customers look for garments that express their individuality and allow their features to shine, they don’t have to live with those dresses day after day in a wide variety of contexts. The sophisticated customers CSPs serve want individualized services that they’ll want to use and which fit their needs at work, at play, and everywhere else.

In this issue of Pipeline, we examine how seriously service providers are taking the trend towards more personalized service, and look into what vendors are doing to enable CSPs to offer products and services designed to fit customers in unique and customized ways. We take a look at why personalized service is now a business imperative for CSPs, and also explore how BYOD programs are continuing to present challenges and opportunities. 

We also check out ways in which new advertising technology is reducing friction for customers looking to have a piece of on-screen products, and discuss how customer loyalty programs are becoming more sophisticated as markets grow and change. We talk about the new ways in which subscriber data is leveraged to support personalization efforts, and how these efforts are complicated in the era of increasing device connectivity. And, as always, we bring you the latest in news and opinion in the communications IT (ComIT) space. 

Enjoy, and remember that if there’s anything we can do to help customize your experience as a reader, we want to hear about it. Drop us a line at editor@pipelinepub.com, check out our Twitter account, or join the conversation on our LinkedIn Discussion Group. 

Best,

Tim Young, Editor-in-Chief