Co-creation as a success factor. Agility and innovation since 2008. Innovative thinking. Disruptive technologies. Agile methods. Close collaboration. Satisfied retail customers. As an IT development partner, AOE has supported the success of congstar, one of Germany’s most popular mobile network operators and the leading second brand from Deutsche Telekom, since 2008.
Fast time-to-market for new features despite complex Telco processes
Microservices & agility for outstanding customer experience & self-care
thanks to microservice architecture and agility
thanks to customer self-care and personalization
thanks to years of understanding the business case
To better meet current requirements, the architecture of the e-commerce and sales solution was converted from monolith to microservices, for example, and the organization and structure of the development teams were adapted. What remained constant: the agile collaboration as equals, the satisfaction of congstar’s customers (the trade magazine connect recently recognized congstar as “mobile provider of the year” for the eleventh year running), and the aspiration to always tailor products, solutions, and features to the needs of the users. congstar and AOE have always been a perfect match when it comes to their methods and company cultures. The result is a collaboration in which both sides have the necessary grasp of the brand and its business objectives to scrutinize future ideas and approaches critically – and tackle future challenges ideally with combined expertise.
One of the greatest challenges here is to get new products to the market quickly, despite the complex background processes, while continuing to provide an outstanding user experience and optimal customer self-care options.
Therefore, the technology solution not only had to integrate all the systems relevant for the customer-facing channels, but also the apps and distribution partners’ systems, for example. As the scope of the solution grew, the requirements of the structure and extent of the involved teams also increased, making the project even more complex. As a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, congstar also has to manage a balancing act and achieve compatibility between its own innovation-driven aspirations and the historically evolved, safety-focused – and thus more cautious – rules of its parent company.
Agile work was another prerequisite for enabling innovation-driven action. AOE supported congstar in using agile methods from the beginning: The mobile provider was one of the earliest agile projects in Germany and continues to consistently use an iterative method with MVP (minimum viable product) to this day.
This early go-live approach makes it possible to test new functions or products directly with customers and improve the user experience continually, as confirmed by A/B tests and ongoing analyses of user behavior (through customer journey analytics, for example). Personalization at multiple levels (such as personalized offers) gives customer satisfaction an additional boost.
The collaboration has fostered deep understanding of the customer’s business case. As such, AOE is involved in processes and product development at a very early stage and brings historical knowledge of the background of developments to the table, in addition to technological and methodological expertise. When necessary, for example, we brainstorm to find creative ways of fulfilling Deutsche Telekom’s group requirements in the solution without losing speed or the power to innovate – for example, by automating complex documentation processes.
Platform solution for online shop, customer self-care, and distribution partners
Speed and flexibility through agile structures and conversion to a microservice architecture
Customer-centricity thanks to optimized customer self-care portal and personalization
Thanks to the microservice architecture and agile working methods, new features can go live quickly, contributing to high long-term customer satisfaction. This was confirmed by the repeated award as “mobile provider of the year” from the trade magazine connect. Aside from the customer-facing channels (online shop and customer self-care area), the solution also integrates the systems for distribution partners and apps. AOE has supported the mobile provider from the beginning with establishing agile methods and implementing innovations. The result is a future-oriented, scalable, cloud-based platform and trusted collaboration at eye level.
Our experts take a deep dive into your case to understand your requirements, assess your infrastructure alongside your IT team, and develop tailored solutions. With our knowledge and expertise, we enhance your team’s skill set - driving speed and efficiency. Ready to take it to the next level?