BBJ: What sets Yepp apart from services offered by competitors, or from other services offered by Yettel?
Nemanja Zilovic: It gives more freedom to the user than any other solution on the market. Firstly, it can be activated at any moment from any location if you have a phone and any kind of internet access. There is no need to go to store or call anyone; the customer can start using the Yettel mobile network within minutes. A subscription covers unlimited internet and you can add voice or SMS only when needed. You are free to suspend or cancel the service at any moment with no questions asked, no paperwork, and no penalty of any kind. This is only possible because we have been able to move all interactions to the app.
BBJ: What are some of the recent trends in the mobile market that informed the launch of Yepp?
NZ: We were not looking for inspiration from the mobile market. We were looking at the services with which customers are most satisfied and tried to learn from that. Kifli, Wolt and Netflix are the best loved services in Hungary, especially with younger audiences, and we were trying to apply some of that “digital first” philosophy to telco. Several industries have already taken this journey; food ordering, content distribution, hospitality. It was about time for mobile providers to break away from the old ways and embrace the digital age fully.
BBJ: Some time has passed since the launch of Yepp. What has been the customers’ reaction so far?
NZ: Based on our preliminary research, we designed Yepp for the 18-35 target group. During customer discussions, it was they who mostly felt they would be happy to use such a service. We have been surprised but happy to find out that it’s not just young people who make up the circle of Yepp users! The 18-35 and 36-55 age groups are equally present in the Yepp subscriber base. This shows that the demand for easy-to-use, convenient services spans generations. These groups will use unlimited internet for completely different purposes, but the convenience of access is just as important to both.
BBJ: What expectations do you have for Yepp? What will make it a success from your perspective?
NZ: Yepp is the first step in the expansion of digitized products. Although the role of personal contact and occasionally consultative customer support and sales remains, customers increasingly prefer digital solutions where they do not depend on others, their time, their mood, etc. We also put the focus more on digitized customer service by expanding the customer service and convenience functions available in our application, which is visibly popular. Yepp is a leapfrog in telco digitization. We took a risk with it; there was a chance that we had dreamed too big and that this concept was ahead of its time. I can happily say that, based on customer feedback and the market reception, we launched Yepp at the right time; the market is mature enough to embrace an innovative telco service like this. It’s supported not only by subjective opinions but objective facts, like the constantly growing number of subscribers.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of October 4, 2024.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
