Paywizard partners with Verimatrix to enable pay-TV operators to proactively engage customers experiencing QoE issues  
  • Paywizard research shows contacting customer service with problems is one of the biggest pain points in the operator-subscriber relationship
  • Partnership integrates Verimatrix Verspective® RT with Paywizard’s subscriber intelligence platform – Singula™
  • Extends Singula’s single customer view to include real-time updates on quality of service so operators can pre-emptively reach out to subscribers facing issues
London, 6th, September, 2018 - Paywizard, the pay-TV subscription, billing and customer relationship management (CRM) specialist, has today announced that it has partnered with Verimatrix, a specialist in securing and enhancing revenue for network-connected devices and services, to enable operators to proactively engage with customers experiencing problems by utilising quality of experience (QoE) data sets. In a recent Paywizard survey of 3,000 consumers across the UK, USA and the Philippines, 34% of consumers have experienced a major service outage lasting more than four hours in the last 12 months.  While contacting customer service (21%) for both traditional and OTT services was one of the top three interactions identified as the most negative by customers. By tapping into more data through Verimatrix Verspective® RT QoE updates, Paywizard will enrich the single customer view (SCV) created by its recently launched subscriber intelligence platform, Paywizard Singula™, which will debut at IBC 2018 in Amsterdam. Singula™ is a standalone platform that empowers pay-TV operators and over-the-top (OTT) providers to utilise subscriber insights and artificial intelligence (AI) to recommend the ‘next best action’ an operator can take for each and every subscriber at the critical ‘decision moments’ in the customer journey. Bhavesh Vaghela, Paywizard’s Chief Executive, says: “The more data operators have about customers – including service issues they are facing – the better position they are in to take effective action. So, for instance, if a group of subscribers is having a service problem, the operator can immediately and proactively communicate to them that it is aware of the problem and working to fix it – and if the data says this is a recurring issue, the operator can even send out the discount voucher, free offer or whatever other compensation most likely to keep the customer positive about their experience.” Traditionally analysis has been focused on quality of service (QoS) data, which is primarily used to diagnose network challenges, including streaming, audience and configuration, by operational teams and network administrators. The partnership allows this insight to be taken a step further and proactively communicate to customers in real-time when issues are experienced, resulting in a better customer experience, reducing churn and increase loyalty. Tom Pollard, VP of Product Management at Verimatrix, adds: “This partnership is all about providing the best possible customer experiences and building subscriber loyalty by using data and insight wisely – whether that is dealing with a billing issue, proactively recommending a change in content package to a wavering subscriber, or addressing a QoE issue, such as buffering, before the customer even has a chance to contact their service provider.” Not only will the partnership enable pay-TV operators to gain a comprehensive view of QoE issues and take pre-emptive action on problems, they will also be able to access and analyse more consumption data – enhancing their SCV by bolstering their understanding of subscriber viewing behaviour in real-time. In turn, machine learning and AI-driven capabilities within Singula™ will generate more relevant recommendations for the ‘next best action’ - to increase acquisition, grow ARPU or reduce churn. Vaghela, notes: “The defining feature of Paywizard Singula™ is not only the platform’s ability to utilise more data than ever to fuel predictive modelling, but to be able to evolve the SCV and the recommended next best actions with refreshed data. Working with Verimatrix means we have broader, more relevant data that can be actioned to ensure operators don’t miss a beat when it comes to the customer experience.” Paywizard Singula™ will be demonstrated at IBC 2018, where visitors to the Paywizard (14.G27) and Verimatrix (5.A59) booths will be able to see the new partnership and resulting capabilities in action. Paywizard is also working alongside Verimatrix on the Paywizard Singula™ Beta Programme, which will allow operators to experience the combined solution on a trial basis.   To find out more, contact Helen Elma, Senior Marketing Manager at Paywizard at helma@paywizard.com or Kelly Foster at Verimatrix at kfoster@verimatrix.com.  

ENDS

  Notes for Editors on ‘Decision Moments’ Decision Moments is the Paywizard philosophy that there are eight critical pay-TV subscriber engagement points most likely to evoke positive or negative emotional reactions which can impact relationships between operators and subscribers during the customer journey. The eight consumer Decision Moments identified by Paywizard and validated by independent research commissioned by the company are:
  1. ‘Find’: Deciding on a service to sign up to, that best suits the consumer’s content and cost requirements
  2. ‘Join’: The process of signing up, as easily and quickly as possible
  3. ‘Consume’: Seamless viewing of appealing content, at any time, location and on any device
  4. ‘Upgrade’: Flexibly upgrading your services package, as and when you like
  5. ‘Downgrade’: Flexibly downgrading your services package, when it suits
  6. ‘Bill’: Receiving accurate, clear and timely bills, using a favoured payment method
  7. ‘Leave’: Cancelling a subscription with as little hassle as possible
  8. ‘Win Back’: Re-joining a service again, at any time, without re-registering.
About Paywizard Keeping TV subscribers loyal is becoming harder and harder. The key is to use data to drive an appropriate action from the insight you have about each subscriber. Knowing when someone is going to churn is one thing, but understanding what action is best to retain the customer is another. Paywizard’s platform combines artificial intelligence with our award-winning Decision Moments framework and our 20 years’ experience in managing pay-TV & pay-per-view subscribers, to recommend the next best action for each and every one of your subscribers. The result: increased customer acquisition, growth in ARPU and reduction in churn. For more information, please visit paywizard.com and follow us on @Paywizardplc, LinkedIn or Facebook. About Verimatrix Verimatrix specializes in securing and enhancing revenue for network-connected devices and services around the world and is recognized as the global number one in revenue security for IP-based video services. The award-winning and independently audited Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS) family of solutions enables next-generation video service providers to cost-effectively extend their networks and enable new business models. The company has continued its technical innovation by offering a comprehensive data collection platform, Verspective Analytics, for automated system real-time quality of experience (QoE) optimization to drive user engagement and content monetization, and data collection/analytics and Vtegrity, advanced security that addresses IoT threats and service lifecycle management. Its unmatched partner ecosystem enables Verimatrix to provide unique business value beyond security as service providers introduce new applications that leverage the proliferation of connected devices. For more information, please visit www.verimatrix.com, our Pay TV Views blog and follow us @verimatrixinc, Facebook and LinkedIn to join the conversation.   Media contact: Darcie Farrell Platform Communications T: +44 (0)20 7486 4900 darcie@platformcomms.com