Telecommunications Digital Capability Development Drives Digital Transformation

Overview

A telecommunications company recognized a major opportunity in its digital ecosystem. Although its web and mobile platforms supported basic transactions, it wasn’t equipped to handle complex customer needs or deliver the digital experiences consumers expect from leading carriers. The company wanted to build a full-service, revenue-driving channel that would support customers through every stage of their journey.

Andrew Reise partnered with the carrier to conduct a comprehensive digital capability assessment. We also performed an organizational audit. Our goal was to identify gaps in technology, talent, and governance essential for digital capability development and define an actionable roadmap to close them.

The result was a stronger digital leadership team and a new strategic foundation. Together, they created a sustainable framework for long-term digital growth and transformation.

Business Challenge

Even with a clear vision and capable platforms, the carrier’s digital team faced structural and operational challenges that limited their impact. Service journeys beyond basic transactions—such as troubleshooting, plan adjustments, and cross-channel support—remained difficult for customers.

Digital capability development was hampered by internal structure. Internally, development was reactive. The team lacked the specialized skills and resources needed to handle non-standard requests efficiently.

Their inability to quickly adapt or handle non-standard requests meant that high-value interactions were pushed to costly physical or call center channels. As a result, operational expenses were higher than necessary, and digitally minded customers were frustrated.

The carrier needed to move quickly. It asked Andrew Reise to create an objective, data-driven assessment to pinpoint barriers and define a strategic path forward.

Our Approach

Andrew Reise provided the analytical rigor and strategic clarity the carrier needed to take decisive action. The engagement began with a full evaluation of digital capabilities, organizational structure, and technical readiness.

Digital Capability Assessment

We designed a tailored framework to benchmark the company’s digital maturity, evaluating 31 core capabilities against 131 industry best practices. This offered a clear, quantitative view of where the digital organization performed well and where there were gaps. These capabilities spanned critical areas, such as personalized content delivery, effective cross-channel journey orchestration, and API integration readiness.

In parallel, we conducted a technical assessment of all digital assets, including the web platform, mobile app, and social channels. The review identified immediate limitations and long-term architectural needs for scalability.

Organizational and Talent Strategy

A high-performing digital channel needs a capable, well-structured team. Our review identified gaps in analytics and customer experience (CX) strategy and design, as well as under-resourced areas that limited the channel’s growth potential.

Detailed Recommendation Delivery

We consolidated our findings from the assessment and organization review into a comprehensive capability assessment with actionable recommendations. These recommendations addressed team reorganization, talent development, and technical improvements.

The Roadmap

The final deliverable was a strategic operating model for digital capability development. This model shifted the organization from a project-based approach to a product-centric system focused on continuous optimization and faster execution. The resulting multi-phased plan showed initiative sequencing, resource needs, and expected business benefits.

We also introduced a governance and measurement framework. It included a centralized digital strategy, a metrics dashboard, and a formal governance structure. Together, these tools ensured alignment and accountability across all digital initiatives.

Results Achieved

By aligning technology and talent around customer-focused metrics, the carrier began building a revenue-driving digital channel. It reduced decision-making lag and cut the average time to market for complex digital features by 35 percent. Our organizational recommendations also led to the hiring of three directors and two senior managers, securing the talent needed for the new product verticals.

Targeted improvements to CX design, led by the new analytics team, increased self-service quality. Within six months, the rate of complex service tasks completed online rose 20 percent, lowering call center volume and operational costs. The company also launched initiatives to enhance web and mobile capabilities based on platform assessment findings.

Andrew Reise’s governance framework strengthened decision-making and linked all digital investments to strategy and business metrics. With this foundation in place, the carrier can continuously evolve its platform and compete as a digital leader in the telecommunications market.

Stop letting an outdated project structure limit your market reach. Partner with Andrew Reise and get the strategic blueprint you need to become a product-centric leader.