

“Some customers are happy to call and that’s why we started to focus on assisted care,” he says. Undoubtedly though, technology – and specifically data – is playing an ever greater role in this field. “There will be plenty of customers who may not want to use the online tools and would be happier to call,” Rice qualifies, adding that this should be understood, so that no customer is left behind. Today, approximately 30% of all Sprint Customer Care chats are performed by virtual agents using artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, r epresentatives are using tablets to walk through the entire journey online, shoulder-to-shoulder with the customer.” “This meant not only investing in touchpoints like our website and app we also changed the entire journey in our retail stores. “We really invested in the customer journey regardless of the channel,” Rice notes. Whether behind a screen or in the boardroom, one shared goal at Sprint helped teams revamp the customer journey at all interaction points – online, on the phone or in-store. “A lot of companies struggle with this, but we tackled this challenge early.” “When embarking on a digital transformation, there is little chance of success if everyone isn’t ‘pulling the rope at the same time and in the same direction’,” he observes.

For Rice, it was pivotal that the company’s digital strategy aligned with its overarching corporate vision. Why? Because the entire team is behind one unified goal. However, technology always changes so we must have a continuous improvement mindset – we ’re always looking for the next great idea and best solution for our customers.Īny CIO will tell you that the most successful digital transformation plans are those that blur the lines between IT and business. Our customers now experience better service through digitization, because they have more choice and it is much more convenient. We’ve struggled for many years, so we knew that if we wanted to compete, we had to focus quickly on digitizing our applications. “Sprint has a legacy of doing things not only to survive but to thrive. “In some ways, our past is really informing our future,” Rice reflects. Sprint has faced many challenges over the years, but its leadership has not been afraid to reevaluate, change and adapt. Then, we were able to focus on modernizing our applications.”

Many of our systems were legacy ecosystems that operated as silos, so we first had to rebuild and shore up the infrastructure to drive resilience and stability. “We had to embark on a concerted approach to modernize. “When I first took the role of CIO, I inherited an environment that had suffered from a lack of investment,” recalls Rice. Having learned the ins and outs of the business for nearly two decades, Rice notes the Sprint digital transformation has resulted in root-and-branch change.

For a 120-year-old company, this is no small feat, but the task has fallen into the capable hands of Chief Information Officer (CIO) Scott Rice and his team. However, the journey is far from over.Ī fundamental element of this plan has been a reboot of Sprint’s digital footprint. The company strengthened its balance sheet and began delivering an improved customer experience. Sprint devised a five-year turnaround plan which cut billions of dollars in costs and increased investment in its network. So, in 2015, it decided to reinvent itself. A few years ago, the telecom was losing money and struggling to cut through the frantic, competitive buzz of the market. Sprint is working to become the ‘comeback kid’ of the telecommunications industry.
