Swapping your mobile phone SIM card can be tricky. But when a merger required Slingshot and Orcon users to move network, a customer-centric process paid huge dividends.
Aotearoa’s third-largest telco formed in 2022, merging 2degrees, Slingshot and Orcon. It kicked off major work to consolidate the three consumer-facing brands into 2degrees.
Easier said than done, since the process required phone users to physically swap their SIM for a 2degrees one. The team knew only highly engaged customers would actively change.
Many parts of the business were called upon to manage the migration. Team members from CVM, Insights, Technology, Digital, Data, Networks, Logistics, Care and Retail were brought together.
Customer experience was crucial.
“We worked extensively with our internal CX team,” says 2degrees. “Starting the process with CX first really helped land the success of this activity.”
Migrating two companies’ worth of phone users is a “challenging ask”, so customers had to feel supported at every step.
It wasn’t a traditional rebrand, but customers were first acquainted with the idea that Slingshot/Orcon and 2degrees were now part of the same family. Templates familiar to Slingshot and Orcon customers were used and the Slingshot character Stu featured on messages.
A user-friendly digital journey was set up, giving customers self-service capabilities and confidence to interact online. This was supported by a comprehensive multi-channel communications strategy including eDM, SMS, physical DM, digital and outbound calling.
Extensive customer testing helped refine copy for emails, the online portal and on the SIM sleeve artwork. On a scale of one (very confusing) to five (easy to understand), customers later scored these elements from 4.25 to 4.8.
This translated to great engagement metrics – open rates averaged between 75% and 85%, with click-through rates peaking at 65%.
“We were thrilled with the results, surpassing not only our target objectives but also our internal expectations.”
Of those who migrated, 85% did it themselves after the launch campaign email and up to two reminders – an “exceptional response”.
Even better was the reduction in annual churn, which dropped by eight percentage points vs pre-campaign.
“Success wasn’t just measured by migration volumes; it was evident in the enhanced customer experience we discovered from our post-migration survey. We were delighted to find that customers overwhelmingly viewed the migration as a positive experience.”
Judges’ comments
“The judges were impressed with the care and attention invested in ensuring the customer experience was fully considered.
“Every touchpoint was phased and aligned to deliver a seamless experience. This is truly a best-practice example of change management, using every touchpoint and asset to its fullest, delivering an exceptional result.”
This was first published in the 2024 September-October NZ Marketing Magazine issue. Subscribe here.
