Greet the Future Now: 5 Tips from a Digital Expert

Meet Edoardo, the head of digital engagement within the consumer and digital department. From his interview, we’ve gathered five tips to help you achieve success in this brave new digital world.

WindTre is happy to have someone like Edoardo on the team. That’s because he knows what it takes to put on your entrepreneurial boots and push to new heights.

Before he arrived at WindTre, Edoardo launched two startups — both of which would enjoy tremendous success. His first, FinecoBank, a leading direct bank in Italy and one of the leading online brokers in Europe, became a listed company in 2014. His next startup, Banzai, an ecommerce company, started selling shares in an initial public offering in 2015.

“My whole career has been in an effort to bring digital to Italy,” notes Edoardo. “My startups taught me a lot about how to succeed at this. Now, I’ve come to WindTre because of the chance to have a bigger impact — there are 31 million customers!”

Clearly, Edoardo can offer a lot of help and advice when it comes to succeeding in the digital age. Lucky for you, we’ve assembled five of his best tips from our talk with him.

Let’s begin…

1. The sky isn’t going to fall down, but understand what’s at stake

You may have seen the movie The Leopard. It’s about a prince trying to preserve his family and status as 1860s Sicily undergoes tumultuous social upheaval. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds.

Anyway, while the world certainly isn’t ending soon (unless you know something we don’t), understand that things are changing. Understanding the importance of it and making the right moves today will ensure a better tomorrow.

When Edoardo discusses why he came to WindTre, he likes to talk about the opportunity to make great things happen in this changing world. It’s what motivates him.

“Telecom needs a shakeup,” he says. “The good thing is that we have 31 million customers after the merger (between Wind and Tre). We’re the enabler and we have the chance to transform so many lives — if we go through the digital transformation right.”

Edoardo knows what’s at stake, and he’s finding ways for his department to be better for the customers. Because the whole country stands to benefit if WindTre can deliver.

“Presently, about half our customers are digital,” states Edoardo. “We can do a lot when it comes to educating people and bringing new services. There is so much good we can do here.”

2. Be as trendy as you can be

If you’ve ever been to a Milan fashion show, you were probably wowed by all the new clothing trends. They seem to come and go, though. If you don’t pay enough attention, you’ll be caught being out-of-style.

Technology constantly evolves as well, albeit in a much different way than fashion. If you don’t pay enough attention, you’ll get left behind in the dust. You’ll also probably get confused when you start having to converse with robots each time you go out to eat (yes, there are already robot waiters).

Instead of being hesitant to learn about new tech trends, embrace them.

“Take something like bots for example,” says Edoardo. “While many people may think their use will fade, they’re both the present and future if you think about it. At Veon, chatbots are already able to handle certain tasks, like customer self-care and simple marketing conversations.”

This is why Edoardo believes we must invest in chatbots, as this technology can help reduce costs and enhance productivity. Over time, he believes, bots will get better at what they do, as they learn to how to better use data and customer behavior to engage in realistic human conversations.

Another trend Edoardo talks about embracing is big data — or, as he puts it, less data (or just the most important data). As he notes, we’re sitting on tons of data at WindTre, so we just have to unlock its value. If we do that, he believes his team will know how to target market segments more effectively, which will lead to delighted customers.

3. Build an ecosystem — and be sustainable

Picture a place like Capri, arguably Italy’s most pristine island. You may be thinking about everything from the deep blue water and mysterious grottos to the colorful gardens and cool cafes. It all seems to fit together so magically, doesn’t it?

While you certainly can’t recreate a place like Capri from scratch, you get the connection to product development. You need to try to build an ecosystem — a product where the design and function flow together seamlessly.

At WindTre, Edoardo is trying to do precisely that. Because plugging everything together in one platform is the way to engage with customers more and satisfy their needs.

“At Veon, we want to build a great platform where customers have more opportunities to do things,” explains Edoardo. “This can build loyalty and allows us to offer customers a more modern value prop. When you have 31 million customers, you can do a lot with a platform.”

On top of building that app-based platform, Edoardo also highlights the need for offline to be a part of the ecosystem. Even though there is a shift in Italy towards ecommerce, people still like the physical touch point and many things are within walking distance. This is why he believes retail stores are here to stay and must be integrated with digital. This will maximize the customer experience.

“We can use our stores to bring in a qualified prospect from online who wants things explained in person,” says Edoardo. “Customers can also sample products in store, which is important in telco.”

So there you have it. To succeed in this digital world, you need to bring it all together in one neat platform — even the offline experience.

4. New ideas + Capital + Execution = Innovation

While you certainly need that light bulb moment, you also need capital and execution to turn that inspirational idea into a reality. That’s how you innovate, believes Edoardo.

“At WindTre, we are in a great position to innovate,” states Edoardo. “We have the capital and we can get new ideas internally and from new hires and partners. With the right strategy and management, we can then execute those ideas.”

For Edoardo, the value to innovating within a big company is that there are so many available resources. But, as Edoardo realizes, innovation in a big company requires a consistent injection of new people and ideas, because old ideas tend to get defended when no changes are being made. The ability to continuously come up with new ideas was why his startups were so successful.

“At Banzai, for instance, we constantly studied giants like Amazon for ideas on customer service,” describes Edoardo. “Openness to new ideas is necessary to succeed in the long run. You can’t be stuck in the same old mindset.”

Those are some great insights from Edoardo. Now that you’ve got his formula for innovation, go do something with it (well, finish the article first).

5. Leadership makes the world go round

In any business, it is crucial for leadership to communicate effectively the importance of things like teamwork, accountability, transparency, and trust. Without solid communication of this, any company can crumble under the weight of itself.

“In a big organization like WindTre, it’s vital that leaders make sure their message spreads throughout the company. It can’t get lost,” attests Edoardo. “The whole company has to be joined together in the same game.”

Edoardo stresses solid communication as the thing leaders — and their teams — must have. It’s what keeps the operation together.

“During the Roman Empire, it was believed that when a fight arrives, you should unite the army on one side and stand together,” states Edoardo. “Leadership and mentorship should have a similar goal — to unite everyone around a common goal.”

Final advice

Now, you know all about Edoardo’s ideas on success in today’s world. No matter what goals you have for tomorrow, it’s worth taking Edoardo’s advice. It’s what will help you build a sustainable future for yourself. Then, at the end of the day, you may get to relax in a place like Capri. Just imagine how sweet that would be.