At a press conference I recently attended, it was surprising to see that as much as 75% of consumers have no clue what mobile number portability (MNP) is, although 66% claim to know it is coming. Is the consumer simply too overwhelmed to care? Or is the advertiser at fault?
I asked a few people if they knew what MNP is. About half "have no clue" and most of the rest "can take a guess, but not sure". The only ones that knew for sure were those involved in the ICT industry.
During the press conference, it was also mentioned that Virgin Mobile probably stands to gain the most out of MNP, not because it is a new entrant to the market and is doing things radically different, but because it is educating the public.
All of the other networks and service providers see MNP as a threat and are combating its arrival by hiring new staff (especially in call centres), opening new regional offices and expanding their services.
Even though all of this is going on in the background, for the rest they are remaining quiet as mice. No advertising, marketing, or educating the users on what MNP is and what it can do for them. It seems they are hoping the whole thing will go away.
Disturbing
It may seem there is no point in spending money on advertising something that may only be potentially detrimental to the business. However, upon closer investigation, it becomes clearer what a negative effect the stillness has had on our local networks and service providers.
Trying to wrap one`s head around ICT products and services without a push in the right direction is a bit like riding a roundabout in the park.
Ilva Pieterse, ITWeb journalist
One person I asked about MNP responded: "I think it`s switching between networks, but keeping your number, and Virgin Mobile has brought that in."
Of course, this is untrue, but disturbing to think it is an existing (and probably common) perception.
Given our advanced mobile uptake and sophisticated use of mobile content and wireless applications, is it not a little bit sad that we are being outshone by an overseas competitor simply because it cares enough to educate its customers?
Consumers are bombarded on a daily basis with adverts on radio, TV, billboards, magazines, flyers and more. Technology products and services present a huge challenge due to the technical concepts and rapid rate of change.
But that does not give vendors and service suppliers the excuse to leave their potential customers uneducated and with a sense of "I want this, I need this, but what the hell is it anyway?" which many of us are often faced with.
Trying to wrap one`s head around ICT products and services without a push in the right direction is a bit like riding a roundabout in the park. Consumers will get off if they begin to feel dizzy. And it is up to the vendors to help them stay focused, regardless of whether there is money to be made or not.
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