Exploiting end-user trends to create value with sticky services - The “Me” network for the “We” experience [12:43]
The communications industry is experiencing the explosion of the “Me-We” phenomenon! Customers want “Me” services that are personalized, easy to use and focused on their needs. At the same time they want what we call the “We” experience, access to their friends and their social communities, such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube. So how can Service providers address these new market dynamics and user trends, grow their revenue, create value, and retain customer stickiness?
John Giere, Chief Marketing Officer, Alcatel-Lucent explains how the Service Delivery Environment (SDE) is the answer for creating the “Me” network for the “We” experience.
Read more: Article: The “Me” Network for the “We” Experience

Bell Labs Human Factors [06:33 - Transcript included]
Alcatel-Lucent is committed to helping operators deliver a superior user experience. One of the ways to help is to gain an intimate understanding of end-user behavior and the Bell Labs Human Factors team is one of the many groups within Alcatel-Lucent doing just that. The team is made up of Ph.D.s with an average of 15+ years professional usability experience working to understand the cognitive, social and behavioral influences on communication; to grow a collection of profiles and scenarios that will forecast the needs and habits of today’s young adults and tomorrow’s workforce; and to design and create intuitive, engaging applications, based on the research and understanding of human communication, while seamlessly meeting the needs of users.
Cheryl L. Coyle, Ph.D., leads the Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs Human Factors group in New Jersey, USA.
Read more: www.alcatel-lucent.com/usercentric

The Rise of the Millennials [07:42]
Many are considering the “Millennials” as being the next big market for communications services. Connected and aware some 234 million people worldwide known as the Millennials are the next big market segment service providers need to tackle. Millennials have as much clout as Baby Boomers do, and will continue to exert influence in the market for decades to come. Millennials want personalized, flexible services, and they are willing to pay for them. They represent a roughly USD 10 billion market by 2011. To meet these demands and benefit from this market segment, service providers will need a network infrastructure that will deliver next generation IP-based services and offer personalized, blended services. This will help them retain existing customers, attract new ones and increase their ARPU.
In this podcast, Jay Peterson, VP of Global Market Development for user-centric services for Alcatel-Lucent, talks about who the Millennials are, why they should matter to service providers and how Alcatel-Lucent can help service providers address this particular market segment.
Read more: Whitepaper: The Rise of the Millennials

The Alcatel-Lucent website also contains a page with links to research papers that provide detailed insight into the needs and behavior of end users to help operators deliver a superior user-centric experience.