Insights

Three Lessons for 2016

Jan 08, 2016

In 2015, Somos gathered 150 people in Orlando for the first major convergence of the Toll-Free industry. Together, we examined the key issues and opportunities for our businesses, and discovered several takeaways to bring into 2016 to bring Toll-Free into the future.

1. The IP transition is bringing innovation and opportunity to Toll-Free. 

Every aspect of telecommunication is moving toward full convergence around IP, becoming increasingly embedded into data applications that drive business-to-consumer interaction.

The opportunity is to meet customers where they are: on their phones, on the go and in the most personalized way possible. Toll-Free Numbers are an ideal medium for creating reliable, personalized channels over which businesses and customers can connect.

Our industry needs to find more ways for Toll-Free to work in this data-driven environment. We’ve already taken the first step: text-enabling Toll-Free Numbers. In the next several years, we expect to see even more Toll-Free Numbers become text enabled.

So we need to educate the market on the value of texting to Toll-Free Numbers. Responsible Organizations (Resp Orgs) need to actively promote customer success stories and develop new ways to embed Toll-Free Numbers into IP applications. 

Also, in 2016, Somos will deliver improvements to our SMS/800 platform, focusing on long-term technology modernizations based on current IP standards. These enhacements will enable our customers to meet growing business needs and make their operations more productive.

2. We need to articulate a new value proposition for Toll-Free communication. 

Toll-Free Numbers have been operating in new ways for a long time, so is “Toll-Free” the right word for the services that we offer? Technically speaking, our industry nowadays has very little to do with tolls. One of our most important challenges will be to update people’s understanding about what Toll-Free Numbers can do.

To achieve this, we need to articulate the new values that Toll-Free Numbers create. That means crafting market-friendly terms, mapping their effects in a wide variety of applications,  and distinguishing the advantages of Toll-Free Numbers over local numbers. We know how influential a Toll-Free Number can be, but we need to explain and distribute that knowledge in a way that redefines the role of Toll-Free in communications today.

3. It takes a village to change an industry. 

Keynote speaker Tom Koulopoulos gave an inspiring keynote speech on the need for the Toll-Free industry to learn from our customers and to work together to bring it into the future. He challenged us to understand the behaviors and needs that drive connectivity to discover our opportunity to transform. And he concluded that real change won’t happen unless an entire industry embraces it.  

The Toll-Free User Summit brought together key leaders, creating a forum for new ideas and accelerating discussions that have dominated the industry for years. The industry needs to come together further as we expand the capabilities of Toll-Free and face decisions, such as how best to text-enable Toll-Free Numbers, that need to address the interests of all parities in a complex ecosystem. 

So let’s commit to further collaboration in 2016 and Somos will lead the way to move Toll-Free into the future. Our shared goals must be to promote consumer access and choice. Coming together will enable us to create new services for consumers they can trust and that spur new growth opportunities. That’s the spirit of the IP transition. And that’s what it will take to succeed as our industry evolves.  

Michelle Larsen

SVP & Chief Experience Officer