NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel<\/a>, Vodafone Idea<\/a> and Reliance Jio<\/a> are changing their operating models<\/a> for the post-lockdown era, enhancing digital recharges<\/a> and deploying more chat bots and other automation<\/a> tools while drastically reducing call centre operations<\/a>.
Industry<\/a> executives and company officials said that even the sales operations will change, with teams now targeting neighbourhoods instead of long distances to generate business leads<\/a>. They are also expected to restart talks to lower network costs, with demand surging in an era where social distancing will become the norm.
“Earlier, subscribers routed their issues to call centres but now that is getting decentralised. Software is being built that will help you access all details via app. Even those who don’t have apps will see more chat bots on their laptop screens or have specific numbers where they can message and get their problems solved,” said a senior executive of a private telco.
Rajiv Sharma, head of research at SBICap Securities, expects such call centre costs to come down by at least 20%.
Another result of the Covid-19 upheaval is the push toward digital recharges across cities and towns. During the lockdown, telcos allowed recharges via tie-ups with local grocery stores and ATMs. That drive will increase so that physical recharges no longer remain an urban practice.
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