Predicting user behavior to improve service

In the era of customer centricity, businesses have the opportunity to listen to their users

Events that are attended by many people take place on a daily basis. These include sports or cultural events, demonstrations, etc. If they are not properly identified, these events can alter society’s normal operations, causing logistical issues (a demonstration that closes streets and blocks access to a location), telecommunications issues (overloaded communication networks, leaving an affected area without service), or security issues (a shortage of police or healthcare resources in the event of an emergency).

Although the problem is not new and it would be extremely useful to have information on the estimated attendance far enough in advance so as to prevent issues or minimize their impact, the necessary tools were not available until now. Thanks to the spike in the use of the Internet and social networks, it is possible to analyze the network traffic that is generated in order to perform this estimate.

With a solution that is capable of identifying and classifying events with large turnouts in order to prevent the potential impact on infrastructures, businesses, or security, it is possible to know of a potential change in demand beforehand and adjust the supply accordingly.

In the specific case of telecommunications providers, with information such as the type of event, the location, the type of venue, the start and end dates, the estimated turnout, or the route, they can adjust their networks in order to offer a better service.

Being able to adapt networks to improve service gives telecommunications providers direct (when a call is made or data is used) and indirect revenue (if fans at a concert do not have coverage, they always blame the telecommunications provider, and this could lead them to change providers). However, the company is not the only one that benefits. Users also benefit in terms of improved coverage or additional services that can be offered.

In the era of customer centricity, businesses have the opportunity to listen to their users and make decisions that will result in improved service and greater customer satisfaction.