Best Use of Thought Leadership
COVID-19 has made us more dependent than ever on home connectivity, highlighting the need for fast, reliable services and new applications, while at the same time raising the risk of digital overload. Complex value propositions, too much screen time and frustrating customer support experiences could all derail the better working world that digital products and services can deliver. Increasing government focus on the digital divide, digital inclusion and digital wellbeing also mean that technology, media and entertainment, and telecommunications (TMT) providers are under more scrutiny than ever before.
EY’s Decoding the digital home is an annual quantitative research-based thought leadership programme based on a survey of 2,500 UK broadband households, which uncovers how consumer attitudes to TMT products and services are evolving. In 2020, the programme was adapted at pace to consider the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on digital household activities – with two additional surveys executed between March and May. The subsequent insights achieved substantial press coverage and drove new EY client interactions, enabling the industry to better understand the ‘voice of the customer’ during a period of unprecedented and pervasive societal upheaval. The themes uncovered by our study align solidly with EY’s purpose of Building a better working world.
Better customer experiences, more trusted relationships with digital products and service providers, and clearer value propositions are all essential if technology is to maximise its role as a force for good in society. Crucially, our survey questionnaire was framed around key hypotheses. This helped ensure that our data set is much more than a barometer of behaviour but focuses on the key pain points that service providers should address.
Our ability to fully understand customer needs puts us in a strong and value-adding position to advise clients on how they can build more positive customer relationships, which in turn can deliver greater long-term value. This can also benefit the public and society at large, who increasingly rely on home connectivity for their personal and professional lives.
All our project objectives have been exceeded. Our digital home series has secured a significant share of voice on a topic which resonates within and beyond the TMT industry. Decoding the digital home generated a number of high-impact outcomes. The study findings featured in a range of national and trade press.
The study has also allowed us to emphasise our brand as customer-centric advisors with key TMT industry clients. Meanwhile, the format and approach we have adopted in the UK has now been replicated by teams in other EY countries. In 2021, the programme is running in Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the US. In its entirety, this year’s quantitative research programme now incorporates the views of 17,500 households worldwide.
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