How service providers can be the bringers of the Metaverse
How service providers can be the bringers of the Metaverse
Imagine the amazing possibility of offering a 3D, virtual customer experience where subscribers can attend the entertainment or sporting event of their dreams.
Imagine subscribers seated in the front row, getting VIP access, and having any question or need addressed by a true-to-life virtual agent who understands their needs and can have them answered in real time, with ease, comfort, and delight.
Now imagine that service providers are the force behind these and many similar revolutionary digital experiences.
Being this force will enable them to capture multiple new monetization opportunities, secure customer loyalty like never before, gain unprecedented service efficiencies, and go far beyond connectivity as the bringers of the Metaverse, delivering game-changing offerings and tectonic-shifting experiences.
The inspiration & mission
The thing is that at Amdocs, we don’t just imagine amazing. We do something about it – we help those who build the future make it amazing.
So, we set out to enable service providers to deliver Metaverse-driven value added services and become a leading force in the ecosystem as the bringers of the Metaverse.
It all got started a few years ago when the buzz around the Metaverse was starting to pick up speed. Facebook had even changed its company name to Meta, and everyone was saying that this is the next big thing.
At the time, we established a Web3 Center of Excellence, which I have the privilege and pleasure to lead. And with a robust team of extremely talented developers, we started playing around with the relevant technologies, including blockchain, 3D imaging, AR/VR, and more, to test their capabilities, push their boundaries, and see what we can make them do for service providers.
We had the right team. We had the funding. And we had the technology.
All the stars were aligned.
A catalyzing compelling event
At this time as well, the TM Forum launched the Moonshot Awards program, which recognizes “the efforts of teams who actively drive innovation, push boundaries, and contribute to positive change for society.”
One of the categories in the program is the Metaverse Challenge , so our direction was clear. We reached out to our partners at Microsoft to collaborate on generative AI for the unique platform we were working on, and to D-ID for their digital human video generator technology.
We also secured the engagement of T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom AG, and Magyar Telecom, a Deutsche Telekom affiliate, to champion the project.
The platform we developed is very exciting, and it’s all about the Metaverse opportunity. It’s real, no smoke and mirrors. It’s here, and it’s ready to change how we view and experience the value of media and communications offerings.
The Metaverse-first customer experience
To help service providers become the bringers of the Metaverse, we developed a single platform that redefines customer experience and loyalty as well as the employee and subscriber service experience.
The solution constitutes an in-activity Universal Telco Kiosk, which is a full-service store that can be deployed in any Metaverse. It leverages digital human and conversational AI , is powered by a Web3 customer loyalty network, and managed by a consortium of global CSPs.
It delivers the first complete – physical and virtual – customer journey, enabling participating service providers to leverage a common platform for introducing new virtual channels to their existing omnichannel customer engagement ecosystem.
Its components include:
-
A 3D product library
for managing reusable glTF file-based 3D assets that can be deployed in different Metaverses.
-
Real-time catalog federation
that enables selling and bundling in-activity content and digital goods (e.g., NFTs).
-
Smart agent management
for orchestrating the virtual replica of real agents and providing generative AI driven service experiences in the Metaverse with xR (VR/AR) experiences that are connected to physical stores.
-
A Web3 to Web2 orchestration layer
for managing customer engagement and payments.
-
A Web3 customer loyalty network
that introduces two new tokens – the Telco Loyalty Token (TLT) and Telco Soulbound Token (TST).
-
A TMF Open API based integration layer
for each participating CSP to plug-in their BSS/OSS.
Through this powerful combination, service providers can overcome the toughest challenges to tapping into the Metaverse opportunity, including:
- Establishing a robust presence in multiple Metaverses with Metaverse-specific service provider stores that will attract and resonate with subscribers, deliver differentiated experiences, enable scalability, and have a clear monetization trajectory.
- Connecting the virtual and physical telco worlds, by integrating Web3 customer engagement and payments with traditional systems and resources for seamless and frictionless customer journeys and processes.
- Delayed or slow adoption of Metaverse-related emerging technologies ,such as digital human and generative AI, by both CSPs and their customers.
In conclusion
There is no doubt that these are exciting times for our industry. We have so many opportunities within grasp for redefining customer loyalty and engagement, tapping into monetization opportunities that were previously unimagined, and ushering in a new era of offerings, experiences, and services.
By bridging the gap between the physical and virtual worlds as the bringers of the Metaverse, service providers can reinforce their pivotal role in shaping the next generation of connectivity, engagement, and experiences.
Exciting times indeed.
To learn more about how Amdocs can help you become the bringer of the Metaverse, I invite you to reach out to me at: jin.suk@amdocs.com .
