Communicate with the customer and make more revenue!

At Sat Investor, we have looked before at the satellite industry and the importance of marketing. However, I would like to approach this from a slightly different angle this week and that is how the satellite industry relates to its end-users. Is there enough dialogue? Do end-users understand and appreciate what the technology can do? If not, why? What can the industry do to change this? Without the end-user there is no satellite industry. The relationship with the customer is vitally important and it is crucial that the satellite industry is placing itself in front of potential users to increase its appeal to a larger slice of the consumer market.

Whilst at the CommunicAsia event, I was able to take time to speak with major industry players to discuss the state of the industry, what is going well and what isn’t. I found a conversation that I had with Rajanik Jayasuriya, Chief Technology Officer of ST Electronics Satcom and Sensor Systems, particularly interesting. He explained to me that while the satellite industry is doing incredibly valuable and groundbreaking work in many different areas like disaster recovery, cellular backhaul and even satellite newsgathering, there is a real lack of awareness of what the satellite industry is capable of outside of its own circle. Satellite is often viewed by those outside of the industry as a highly complex, often impenetrable, technology and this widely held assumption is actually damaging the advancement of satellite communications as end users are being deterred from using them. Mr. Jayasuriya explained that the marketing that is undertaken by the players in the satellite industry is only used within the industry. It is not put in front of the end user. What the satellite industry needs is a good dose of PR.

Satellite is surrounded by public misconceptions. There is no real understanding outside of those who work in satellite communications as to what their capabilities are. Satellite is considered to be too expensive and complicated when this is far from the case. In fact, in many situations, satellite can prove to be extremely cost-effective and a more efficient and scalable solution than any competing technology.

Perhaps the time has come for the satellite industry to get together and to talk about how it can best reach the end user in order to re-educate them and change their view on satellite technology. No other technology can offer the huge range of applications that satellite can. So why is it that the executives – the people who make the decisions within companies that need communications technology – are not fully aware that a satellite link could provide them a plethora of applications and a highly effective and reliable solution? If the industry can join forces to get out and reach would-be customers, imagine the possibilities. Perhaps it is time to reach outwards instead of navel gazing.

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What did the Top Executives say at CommunicAsia 2009? now!