Oracle

A contributor from Oracle wrote about CEM in Pipeline back in 2013, and Big Red is still cracking along with a comprehensive suite of data-driven customer experience solutions. The reference architecture that Oracle developed for the communications customer experience consists of four layers—channel interaction, channel coordination, order and revenue management, and order fulfillment. The strongest CEM work is done in those first two layers by their Cross Channel Customer Experience (C3E) solution.

Ericsson

Ericsson is a huge player in every aspect of the traditional OSS/BSS marketplace, so it’s no surprise that when they tackle the customer experience, they get big wins. Just a few days ago, as I write this, Vodafone tapped Ericsson Expert Analytics as a strategic CEM solution in 22 countries. Expert Analytics harnesses big data to examine and predict user behavior, and then take action to improve experiences, retain customers, and increase ARPU. "Vodafone undertook a rigorous evaluation process of CEM solutions to meet its global requirements,” said Ove Anebygd, Ericsson’s Vice President and Head of Solution Area OSS/BSS, in a statement. “Ericsson is proud to be selected as Vodafone's sole preferred CEM solution provider and we look forward to partnering on this important initiative."

CSG International

CSG International’s CEM solution—Singleview Customer Management—nicely sums up a major goal of these solutions in its product description: “A single database shared with billing provides a real-time, 360-degree view of your customers so you can keep your story straight.” And there’s a lot to that idea. These solutions are all designed to keep end-users from feeling like they’re getting a different story from every angle, and that no one knows or cares about the issues they’re having. With centralized customer data shared with billing, Singleview helps reduce that complexity, and CSPs like Virgin Mobile Australia have testified to the power of those results.

Accanto Systems

Accanto is all about big data analytics, and their CEM use case earned them a 2015 Frost & Sullivan CEM Product Leadership Award. They were also highlighted as a key CEM vendor in the 2015 Gartner Hype Cycle. They say they can demonstrate a proven 20% reduction in churn within 4 weeks of rollout, and in a time in which more than a few huge software companies are taking on the CEM market, they continue to hold serious sway.

InfoVista

InfoVista’s VistaNEO solution provides some really neat insights into end-user experience, including a “worst performing subscriber” chart that helps engineers know where to drill down to improve network performance. It also helps to optimize network performance to prevent small problems escalating into big ones.

Medallia

Medallia is all about CEM. Whereas some of the other companies here are really selling data analytics solutions that optimize networks and promote overall improved performance, Medallia is focused on wrangling customer feedback and using it to retain customers likely to churn and fix problems as quickly as possible.

Getting Started

I know this isn’t a comprehensive list of every single vendor that touches the customer and improves overall customer experience, but it is decidedly a start. As more and more organizations realize that customer focus is a necessity, this list will no doubt grow even further. If Pipeline's 2016 Innovation Awards program is any indication, they already are as seen in this year's most hotly-contested Innovations in Customer Experience category. The question for CSPs, then, is not if you need to take charge of your customer experience, but when to start.