Swisscom – Brochure 2020

A transformation to deliver a true omnichannel experience for customers Project partner

A transformation to deliver a true omnichannel experience for customers Sven Friedli, EVP, Head of Enterprise Architecture & Innovation at Swisscom, discuss how Swisscom is implementing agile architecture to provide a richer customer experience

WRI T T EN BY PRODUCED BY

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Dale Benton And y L l oy d

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A

s the leading provider of

to do their work and also enable their

telecom services and one

private lives wherever and however they

of the leading IT companies

want.”

in Switzerland, Swisscom has a duty to

The challenge then for Swisscom,

ensure that the way in which its custom-

is taking that further and pushing the

ers can access those same services

boundaries of what is possible. As the

and products is simple, pain-free and

company says itself, it looks to shape the

personal. This is a challenge for all major

future and inspire its customers with a

telcos today in that they must satisfy the

cutting-edge network, high-performance

modern day telco customer, who expects

offerings and excellent service and in

the same level of seamlessness and free-

order to continue its success on this front

dom in their shopping experience as they

it embarked on a significant transforma-

do in their own day-to-day lives.

tion journey of its internal architecture.

“The modern customer can use their services wherever they want. He or she can sit outside and do all of their daily work with a wireless device on a seamless online experience. If they want to buy a new service from Swisscom where they don’t wish to go to the shop, they can do it online or via the app,” explains Sven Friedli, EVP and Head of Enterprise Architecture & Innovation at Swisscom.

“When they go to a real touchpoint like a shop or call customer care, we know their history, we know what they have been doing, and we can see if their service has an outage and then deliver the best support possible when they get in touch with us. For Swisscom customers, our services provide great freedom with all-inclusive flat-rate price plans 4

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Friedli, having built his career in software development, project & portfolio management and IT architecture, first joined Swisscom 12 years ago to oversee a customer relationship management (CRM) project for Swisscom’s Corporate Customers. Over the course of those 12 years, he has seen, first hand, significant change in the telco space - both from an external perspective and from the way in which technology plays a key role in enabling a company to better serve its customers. “Technology is an enabler,” he says. “When I worked in software development I found out quite fast that you 5

WITH A GLOBAL network of over 100 innovation

for the success of the journey, we maintained regu-

hubs around the world, delivering cross-industry

lar and close alignments, this was essential to steer

expertise, unmatched innovation and world-class

value generation from the start”

tech and talent, Accenture represents the truest

Accenture looked at decoupling, in order to ena-

embodiment of a partner that delivers real tangible

ble speed and agility without the need for changes

business outcomes in a world of rapidly evolving

in the full stack. A second key part of this journey fo-

leading edge technologies as part of major digital

cused on modularization and reusability. “We rebuilt

transformation journeys.

the framework so that Swisscom can be faster and

It is this commitment to delivering real value and

provide better user experiences,” he says. “You can

expertise that led Swisscom, Switzerland’s leading

do AB testing and you can enable more personalized

telecoms company and one of its leading IT compa-

user journeys to use data in the best way and guide

nies, to call upon Accenture’s support in defining and

the customers. When they switch channels, you know

implementing a major digital omnichannel transfor-

exactly where they have been and are able to delight

mation to ensure its services are leading edge.

the customer with better information.”

“Swisscom was looking for an Architecture that

The customer is what drives this transformation

provided a hyper-personalized seamless experience

and Accenture is all too aware of this and keeps the

across channels. As an early adopter our platform

customer focus at the heart of it all. “It is very impor-

enabled Swisscom to be ahead of the market and

tant to have a really specific KPI dashboard, where

achieve speed by fast scaling and adoption,” explains

you see what the impact will be and be able to make

Stephan Schneider, Managing Director, Accenture.

the changes accordingly. This was a real KPI driven

“We found out very fast that as a premium brand in

development, finding out what drives the client or

Switzerland, they would need a different and better

customer is key in providing the best customer expe-

experience, Taylor made to their needs, rather than

rience, and this was the final goal.

something you can buy from the shelf.”

We took time to carefully understand the needs

A digital transformation of this scale is not without its challenges and so it’s important for partnerships

of Swisscom and showed them a couple of referenc-

to be open and collaborative to overcome these

es in US and Europe. Based on them we crafted an

challenges and find the best solutions to succeed, to-

approach that delivered value at speed with a future

gether. “The most important aspect was that Accen-

proven framework while mitigating the risks.

ture and Swisscom has a long-trusted relationship,

This perfect fit for Swisscom would enable the

backed by hard work as the basis of a successful

company to remain ahead of its competition. In order

outcome. It’s all about how issues are jointly fixed,

to achieve this, it needed to build this solution itself.

and solutions are found”

And so, they did. Together.

“Accenture became the prime partner of the transformation. We shared the risk and objectives with Swisscom and went through the whole journey together” commented Schneider With a solution in mind, the two companies began this digital omnichannel journey. When undertaking a project like this, it is important for partners to understand and recognize the challenges and the pain points in order to achieve desired results together. “I listened a lot and was really connecting the dots. This meant bringing the best of Accenture and aligning that with what Swisscom needed. Sven (Friedl - Head of Enterprise Architecture & Innovation, Swisscom) was the brain behind the transformation, was pivotal

Stephan Schneider Managing Director Accenture

have to have someone who translates the technology for the business units and the people. The biggest change is that a lot of services were built individually with individual software. The future will be more focused on cloud-based standardised software, which makes it easier and faster to drive a digital transformation.”

Despite this evolution, Friedli still firmly believes that technology should always be an enabler for the company and that with this transformation journey at Swisscom, technology is being used to enable greater customer service solutions. “It should always support your daily life,” he says. “The technology should always help people do their business, use their services and communicate with each other, and so we set out to implement an architecture that allows us to provide a service and an experience that does exactly that.”

The digital transformation of Swisscom can be divided into three clear parts,

a significant online shift and self-service increase.

The second component is focused on

each catering to the ‘new needs of

how Swisscom could achieve this. “To

the business’. First, Swisscom needs

deliver a good service to your custom-

to ensure that its online channel, used

ers, you have to put the service user in

by wireless devices, has to be the best

the center,” says Friedli. “Traditionally, the

supported channel so that if a customer

telco companies have had a contract-on-

is accessing it via a mobile or a computer

ly-focused view of the customer, so the

device it is the best possible experience

one which owned the contract of differ-

for them. Through this, you can achieve

ent services is the one you know. But

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“ The technology should always help people do their business, use their services and communicate with each other, and so we set out to implement an architecture that allows us to provide a service and an experience that does exactly that” — SVEN FRIEDLI, EVP, HEAD OF ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE & INNOVATION AT SWISSCOM

if my daughter is watching TV, or I am

microservice base and decoupled archi-

watching TV, we both have different

tecture that would be lightweight for

needs. Swisscom needs to know me or

agile development and reduce complex-

my daughter as specific service users

ity in the business processes and

and put our needs in the middle. Only

it-landscape.

then can you deliver a customised and good experience.”

Through this, and with the support of Accenture, Swisscom looked to build

The third element of this transforma-

an entirely new omni channel platform.

tion looked at the technology architec-

Through a framework called the digital

ture that could power this approach,

omni-channel platform (DOCP), Swisscom

with Swisscom looking to adopt a

was able to look at plugging some of its 9

existing capabilities in order to decou-

in class products for other capabilities

ple its core BSS platform and build up

like CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) and

an omnichannel experience on top of it.

still deliver a very integral experience

“It wasn’t a product, it was a framework

towards our channels.”

that provides the flexibility to reuse some

By focusing on wireless services for

already existing assets,” explains Friedli.

the online channel first, Swisscom could

“As an example, for identity and access

implement and enable a level of agil-

management, we could plug in what we

ity that would allow it to continue roll-

already had as an enabler, and we still

ing out the new omni channel experi-

have the flexibility to integrate the best

ence step by step across its stores and

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customer care services while being able

product managers and product owners.

to respond and react to a constantly

This means they can steer directly the

changing business needs. “I strongly

backlog of development teams and focus

believe that you can only succeed by

on the evolving needs of the business.”

using the agile setups we have imple-

Often the biggest challenge for a tech-

mented in Swisscom,” he says. “We

nology transformation like this is identi-

have BizDevOps value streams based

fying and outlining a clear roadmap that

on SAFe (scaled agile framework)where

truly addresses those shifting business

the business responsible employees

needs. As Friedli notes, the telco market

were integrated in these agile teams as

always changes radically and the days

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gone in which transformation projects

Swisscom succeeds. “We’re not a hierar-

were singular and costly projects that

chical company at all. We have really flat

delivered one new technology or

organisations,” he says. “Our employees

outcome at time. In his own words; “You

are able to drive the decisions and drive

cannot invest in a three-figure million

the transformation, within boundaries of

project over three years that delivers the

course. It’s step by step and day by day.

benefit only at the end of it’s journey. For

You have to give clear boundaries and

sure also the customer needs will change

a clear vision, and let them find the way

over such a time period.”

where to go.”

This was the major hurdle at the start

When Friedli recalls the first steps

of this journey, identifying how Swisscom

taken on this journey, he jokes; “What

should proceed. It needed to address

did we do wrong on day one?”. Friedli is

the shifting needs of the business while

first to admit that this new omni-channel

also continuing to provide great value to

experience was an ambitious goal and

customers of today, but also the customers of ‘two-three years from now’. Friedli stresses that it has to be a step-bystep journey for all. “You have to look at your own track and which direction you go, but you shouldn’t look too far ahead because when it comes to digital services, change happens fast and you can easily be down the wrong road,” he says. “You have to have a clear and understandable vision which you can explain to all stakeholders, but you need to be open and honest enough to say ‘I cannot achieve exactly this result in three years’ because on the way, our goals will change.”. Fast results are the key here, but a patient and collaborative mindset is too. This is where, for Friedli, 12

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not all stakeholders clearly aligned on

complete freedom and everybody can do

how to achieve them. “What is an easy

what they want, but in reality it is being

and simple customer journey?”, “How

able to adjust your plan really fast, but

do we achieve our online shift exactly?”,

in very strict boundaries,” he says. “We

“How do you overcome the balancing

found over time that we had to define

act between best products and simple

very clear boundaries of where to go,

processes?”. These kinds of questions

how to build our microservices, how to

you have to answer in your vision before

test the experience with the customer

you start anchoring it in the teams.”

so you could learn fast and be able to

Swisscom wanted to build up this

change things if they go in the wrong

omnichannel experience within an agile working environment, but how on earth

direction.,” “Agility and flexibility can make things

would it actually go about delivering that?

happen so fast that you can go off track

“Lots of people think agility just means

very easily. We had to adjust our plans

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“ Swisscom needs to know me or my daughter as specific service users and put us in the middle. Only then can it begin to deliver a customised experience” — SVEN FRIEDLI, EVP, HEAD OF ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE & INNOVATION AT SWISSCOM

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and really home in on what our vision should look like and also adjust our roadmap”. Friedli points to a key learning here, one that has continued to help steer him in the right direction throughout this journey. “To achieve simplicity for your customers and touchpoint is for sure not simple. You really have to focus on the relevant needs of them. Don’t make too many compromises to rebuild everything you had in the past and really optimise the experience and performance. Also you should start with small teams to do the first steps to learn and adapt before you scale out.”

The role that Accenture has played in this journey should not be understated. They delivered the DOCP framework, contributed to the target vision and roadmap and helped the teams to improve in the agile way of working.

Following a market wide assessment, Accenture and Swisscom established a key framework that would support Swisscom’s needs and help the company build up this new omni-channel experience. “We were really one common team,” says Friedli. “We had Accenture Scrum masters working together with both Accenture and Swisscom DevOps employees and there were common responsibilities on backlog content and priorities. We had unified goals and often people from outside couldn’t tell who was a Swisscom and who was an Accenture employee. This builds up a good partnership and relationship. There’s real collaboration between us and when things go wrong, we sit down and we work together to solve the challenges that face us.”

Over time, following the support of Accenture, Swisscom was able to run this program independently.

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“ ...you have to build things that are relevant to your customer.”

— SVEN FRIEDLI, EVP, HEAD OF ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE & INNOVATION AT SWISSCOM

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

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Now, two years into this journey, Friedli can reflect on key success factors: 1. A clear business vision is key for success as this was a business case and not purely an IT project.

2. Learn fast and adapt even faster.

Customer and employee feedback were instrumental in steering our roadmap and priorities 3. A multi-speed architecture is required to support your journey to omni-channel transformation “Our theoretical ideas in the beginning weren’t always right. Success in online-usage and conversion rate will give you the needed feedback. Bring new services fast and in small steps to production, so that you can learn from the feedback and adjust your roadmap.”, he says.

With solid foundations in place and successes to back up this B2C transformation, Swisscom is also embarking on

different dimensions,” he says. “You have

a B2B transformation. This journey, once

partners who are selling your services,

more, is focused on supporting the new

who you have to support and then you

business needs. Following a merging

have sales organisations which go to

of small and medium enterprise busi-

the customer, but they want to reuse the

nesses (SMEs), Swisscom has set out

services you build up wherever possible.”

to deliver the same product and same

This B2B transformation, however

experience by harmonising its services

complex, is only in its infancy and Friedli

and processes.

is keen to stress the importance of

“What is different to B2C is that the whole sales experience has much 18

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maintaining the same online mobilefirst mindset in order for the business

to focus on the easy and simple expe-

built up service. Don’t have a fixed plan

rience. The road ahead is still a long

and think that you can roll it out in the

one, with the B2B and B2C journeys

next 30 months and then you’ll achieve

continuously evolving and for Friedli the

your goals. Be able to listen, learn, and

future successes of Swisscom relies on

then adjust towards the increasingly new

not only on this agile framework, but an

needs of your customers.”

agile mindset. “Be willing to learn, like we were,” he says. “Listen to employees if things are going wrong, listen to the partner if he gives you feedback, listen to your customer if he is not using the new 19

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