Interconnected Commerce and What it Means for Your Telecom Retail Business

iQmetrix has proudly claimed and stepped into a brand-new category of technology solutions. It’s called Interconnected Commerce.

Just like Uber once claimed and then dominated the new ride-share technology category, and similar to how Lululemon rules athleisure, we at iQmetrix can stand firmly in our category as the only provider of Interconnected Commerce solutions built for telecom. 

Creating a technology category isn’t a marketing stunt or a branding exercise. It’s a long-term stake in the ground that we can stand by as leaders and innovators in the space. Others may also step into this category — and they are free to do so, just as Lyft did after Uber’s launch — but they will not have the depth of experience or long-standing industry relationships that give iQmetrix its competitive advantage.

Let us explain a bit more about what Interconnected Commerce is and what it means for your business.

What is Interconnected Commerce?

iQmetrix’s suite of Interconnected Commerce solutions is a complete set of technologies that are modular, flexible, wireless-specific, and seamlessly connect disparate systems. In combination with our ecosystem of integrated partners, Interconnected Commerce is a streamlined tech stack designed to carry the complexities and weight of telecom retail so all carriers, OEMs, retailers, and sales associates can have frictionless and uplifting experiences — ultimately creating one for your customers. 

Telecom is interconnected. Whether your business is a carrier, a retailer, or a device manufacturer, the entire sector is inextricably interlinked. iQmetrix’s solutions take companies across the industry from multiple legacy systems, a one-to-one integration approach, and disconnected customer experiences to flexible, modular commerce solutions that are interconnected, allowing for a one-to-many and many-to-many integration approach. 

The interconnectivity of our services also relates to the deep-rooted expertise we have in the telecom industry. iQmetrix has been creating uplifting experiences for our clients and, ultimately, their customers for more than 20 years. Our long-standing, sector-wide relationships give us the benefit of an overarching perspective on best practices and innovation. That’s why the leading brands in telecom trust us to be their technology partner.

What elements make up iQmetrix Interconnected Commerce?

Rather than defining our software products based on solution type, we prefer to look at their outcomes for your business, and categorize our solutions that way. 

If you sell devices, whether it’s online or in-store, we can empower you in various ways. Whether it’s the transaction itself, adding or improving activations, fulfilling products, operating your business, unifying the online and in-store experience, or connecting vendors and systems — we can help in every way.

Here are the six families of iQmetrix Interconnected Commerce solutions, built specifically for telecom retail:

Transact

Go beyond merely processing sales to slashing transaction times and revolutionizing the in-store experience for both reps and customers. This suite of solutions includes mobile POS, payment processing, bill payments, and a digital endless aisle of products.

Activate

Streamline the activation process, to deliver fast, intuitive, and stress-free activation experiences, both in-store and online. This includes multi-carrier activations, single-carrier activations, and activation journey creation. 

Fulfill

Take full control over your inventory to ensure you have the right product in the right place at the right time, with visibility at every level. This includes solutions such as inventory and supply chain management, warehouse management, multi-channel management, and dropship. 

Operate

Empower your business to boost profits through increased operational efficiency. This includes customer and workforce management, reconciliation, finance, accounting, data insights, and data analytics to power your business.

Unify

Meet consumer expectations of convenience and personalization by enabling a seamless journey across all channels. This includes solutions such as buy/​reserve online, pick-up in-store (BOPIS/ROPIS), local inventory availability, multi-channel brand management, and in-store queue management. 

Connect

Facilitate effective communication and seamless collaboration between current, future, internal, and external systems. This includes system integrations, data integrations, and connection of an entire ecosystem of integrated vendors.

How did iQmetrix define the Interconnected Commerce category?

iQmetrix has been North America’s leading provider of retail management solutions for telecom for more than two decades. However, the phrases ​“retail management system” or ​“point-of-sale solutions” didn’t feel anywhere near comprehensive enough to cover everything we do for the sector. What’s more, our combined offering is so unique, there was no category in existence that possibly could capture it all. When we considered this, we realized that we needed to establish a brand-new category of technology solutions that truly encapsulates our products, services, expertise, and relationships. And, more importantly, what all those elements combined can do for your telecom retail operations, and the problems that all players in the sector face.

Today’s communication technology — such as the latest smartphone or tablet — often feels effortless and seamless, giving users increasing freedom of communication. But the same can’t be said when it comes to the experience of buying and activating a device. And yet, the experience of this commerce transaction should be as human as the need for connection. 

The rapid growth of telecom retail over the past 25 years has resulted in a vast range of back-end complexities in the processes of selling and activating a device. The result is a costly, complicated, spaghetti-bowl tech stack and mess of disparate systems. And with each new challenge comes another IT project, and more costly changes that need to be made. This has weighed down telecom retailers, taking them away from being able to focus on creating a great customer experience. And it has also reduced the freedom of the consumer, who is often trapped in that poor commerce experience.

iQmetrix realized that, when combining its key competitive advantages of:

• a streamlined, end-to-end, yet flexible tech stack built for telecom retail
• a vast ecosystem of integrated partner vendors supporting the industry, and
• more than two decades of expertise and deep relationships in every area of the sector

… it had a unique offering that interconnected all those disparate systems, smoothed the previously disjointed commerce experience, and solved telecom retail’s specific pain points. 

As a newly defined category, ​“Interconnected Commerce” was born. But iQmetrix has been living and breathing in that space for more than 20 years.

What does Interconnected Commerce mean for your telecom retail business?

For all our existing clients, iQmetrix will continue to be the same trusted technology partner you’ve been working with, offering all the services you’ve come to rely on to keep your business ahead. You may hear your Client Manager suggest some solutions using some of our new terminology mentioned above, but your business will see no negative changes or disruptions.

For those players seeking a seamless technology platform to power their telecom retail operations, iQmetrix Interconnected Commerce now offers an easier, more holistic way of understanding and defining our solutions and what they can do for your business.

What’s more, we believe that our new technology category unlocks a fresh layer of future strategy and innovation within the telecom retail software space, and we can’t wait to explore its potential with our current and future clients and partners.