Softbank leverages big data to amplify customer experience

Summary

SoftBank’s telecommunications business, organised across consumer, enterprise, distribution, and Yahoo! Japan/Line divisions, is examined for how a mature Japanese carrier sustains customer experience leadership even as 5G population coverage approaches saturation. The operator’s “Beyond Carrier” strategy — expanding into new business lines built on public and private network data while continuing to grow its core telecom business — anchors much of the discussion.

A multi-brand approach spanning SoftBank, LINEMO, and Y!mobile is highlighted as a subscriber retention tool, letting customers switch between brands with different data and pricing needs without SIM lock-in or added cost. Employee productivity initiatives built around robotic process automation are examined alongside SoftBank’s early deployment of multi-access edge computing in Japan, aimed at delivering lower-latency 5G experiences.

An accessibility-focused innovation, an app pairing sign language recognition with natural language processing to translate between sign, voice, and text, illustrates how the operator extends customer experience thinking to underserved communities. Transferable lessons on what it takes to lead on telecom customer experience round out the picture in a saturated, highly competitive market.

• Divisions: Consumer, Enterprise, Distribution, and Yahoo! Japan/Line
• Initiatives: Beyond Carrier diversification, the multi-brand retention strategy, and the Sure Talk accessibility app
• Benchmarked against 80 Asia Pacific telcos across digital, service, employee, and brand experience