Want FREE Templates on Strategy & Transformation? Download our FREE compilation of 50+ slides. This is an exclusive promotion being run on LinkedIn.







Flevy Management Insights Case Study
Telecom Business Model Innovation for Digital Services Expansion


There are countless scenarios that require Business Model Innovation. Fortune 500 companies typically bring on global consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and Accenture, or boutique consulting firms specializing in Business Model Innovation to thoroughly analyze their unique business challenges and competitive situations. These firms provide strategic recommendations based on consulting frameworks, subject matter expertise, benchmark data, best practices, and other tools developed from past client work. Let us analyze the following scenario.

Reading time: 5 minutes

Consider this scenario: The organization is a mid-sized telecom operator in North America focused on expanding its digital services portfolio to capture new market segments and diversify revenue streams.

Despite having a robust customer base for traditional telecom services, the company is struggling with the transition to a digital-centric business model. This shift is crucial as the organization faces stagnating growth in core services and increasing competition from digital-native companies.



Given the organization's ambition to pivot towards a digital services ecosystem, there are several hypotheses that could explain the current challenges. One possibility is that the legacy organizational structure is not agile enough to support rapid digital innovation. Another could be that the existing revenue model does not align with the value proposition of digital services. Lastly, the organization might lack the necessary strategic partnerships to enhance its digital offerings.

The methodology to tackle Business Model Innovation involves a 4-phase approach designed to align the company's operations with its strategic objectives. This process leverages best practices to ensure a seamless transition and sustainable growth. The benefits of this established process include a clearer strategic direction, optimized operational efficiency, and enhanced competitive advantage.

  1. Assessment and Alignment: Begin with a thorough assessment of the current business model and how it aligns with market opportunities. Key questions include: What are the organization's core competencies? How is the current business model inhibiting growth? The phase involves analyzing market trends, customer behaviors, and internal capabilities to identify misalignments and opportunities.
  2. Strategy Formulation: Develop a comprehensive digital services strategy. This phase focuses on answering: What digital services can the organization realistically offer? How will these services generate revenue? Activities include ideation sessions, business case development, and strategic roadmapping.
  3. Operational Redesign: Redesign operations to support the new business model. Key activities consist of process reengineering, digital tool implementation, and organizational restructuring. Potential insights could reveal the need for new talent or technology investments.
  4. Execution and Scaling: Implement the new business model while ensuring the organization is prepared for scaling. Key analyses involve monitoring performance metrics and gathering feedback for continuous improvement. Challenges often include resistance to change and maintaining service quality during the transition.

Anticipated Questions and Responses

The CEO may wonder how the digital shift will affect the company's brand positioning. We'll ensure that the brand evolves to reflect the new value proposition without losing the equity built in traditional services. Another question could revolve around customer retention during the transition; our customer engagement strategy is designed to maintain loyalty while attracting new segments. Lastly, questions about the time frame for ROI can be addressed by our financial models projecting cash flow improvements and cost savings within the first 18 months post-implementation.

Learn more about Value Proposition Customer Retention

For effective implementation, take a look at these Business Model Innovation best practices:

Business Model Innovation (30-slide PowerPoint deck)
Business Model Innovation (BMI) (27-slide PowerPoint deck)
How to Make Business Model Innovation Happen (28-page PDF document)
Business Model Innovation (BMI): Business Model Journey (29-slide PowerPoint deck)
Value Innovation Strategy (240-slide PowerPoint deck)
View additional Business Model Innovation best practices

Are you familiar with Flevy? We are you shortcut to immediate value.
Flevy provides business best practices—the same as those produced by top-tier consulting firms and used by Fortune 100 companies. Our best practice business frameworks, financial models, and templates are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and Accenture. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with 20+ years of experience.

Trusted by over 10,000+ Client Organizations
Since 2012, we have provided best practices to over 10,000 businesses and organizations of all sizes, from startups and small businesses to the Fortune 100, in over 130 countries.
AT&T GE Cisco Intel IBM Coke Dell Toyota HP Nike Samsung Microsoft Astrazeneca JP Morgan KPMG Walgreens Walmart 3M Kaiser Oracle SAP Google E&Y Volvo Bosch Merck Fedex Shell Amgen Eli Lilly Roche AIG Abbott Amazon PwC T-Mobile Broadcom Bayer Pearson Titleist ConEd Pfizer NTT Data Schwab

Expected Business Outcomes

Upon successful implementation, the organization should expect a diversified revenue stream with increased contributions from digital services. Customer engagement metrics are projected to improve due to enhanced digital experiences. Operational efficiency should lead to a cost reduction of 15%, improving overall profit margins.

Learn more about Cost Reduction

Potential Implementation Challenges

One major challenge is managing the cultural shift within the organization to embrace a digital-first mindset. Another is ensuring seamless integration of new technologies with legacy systems without disrupting ongoing operations. Finally, aligning stakeholder interests and expectations can be difficult but is essential for sustained change.

Implementation KPIs

KPIS are crucial throughout the implementation process. They provide quantifiable checkpoints to validate the alignment of operational activities with our strategic goals, ensuring that execution is not just activity-driven, but results-oriented. Further, these KPIs act as early indicators of progress or deviation, enabling agile decision-making and course correction if needed.


A stand can be made against invasion by an army. No stand can be made against invasion by an idea.
     – Victor Hugo

  • Digital Revenue Growth: To measure the effectiveness of the new business model in generating digital revenue.
  • Customer Retention Rates: To assess the impact of the transition on existing customer loyalty.
  • Cost Savings: To track operational efficiencies gained through process improvements.

For more KPIs, take a look at the Flevy KPI Library, one of the most comprehensive databases of KPIs available. Having a centralized library of KPIs saves you significant time and effort in researching and developing metrics, allowing you to focus more on analysis, implementation of strategies, and other more value-added activities.

Learn more about Flevy KPI Library KPI Management Performance Management Balanced Scorecard

Business Model Innovation Best Practices

To improve the effectiveness of implementation, we can leverage best practice documents in Business Model Innovation. These resources below were developed by management consulting firms and Business Model Innovation subject matter experts.

Typical Deliverables

  • Business Model Canvas (PowerPoint)
  • Digital Strategy Roadmap (PowerPoint)
  • Operational Process Documentation (MS Word)
  • Technology Integration Plan (Excel)
  • Change Management Guidelines (PDF)

Explore more Business Model Innovation deliverables

Case Studies

Verizon's "Visible" offers an example of a traditional telecom pivoting to digital with a new app-based phone service model. AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner illustrates a strategic move towards content and digital services to complement its core offerings. Similarly, T-Mobile's "Un-carrier" initiative showcases a business model transformation aimed at disrupting the traditional telecom industry.

Explore additional related case studies

Additional Executive Insights

For a successful Business Model Innovation, the organization must embrace Strategic Planning and Change Management. This includes fostering a culture that supports Innovation and Leadership at all levels. According to a report by Gartner, companies that prioritize digital innovation are 26% more profitable than their industry peers. Investing in this transformation is not merely an option but a necessity in the current telecom landscape.

Learn more about Change Management Strategic Planning Business Model Innovation

Additional Resources Relevant to Business Model Innovation

Here are additional best practices relevant to Business Model Innovation from the Flevy Marketplace.

Did you know?
The average daily rate of a McKinsey consultant is $6,625 (not including expenses). The average price of a Flevy document is $65.

Key Findings and Results

Here is a summary of the key results of this case study:

  • Diversified revenue streams increased digital service contributions by 20% within the first year post-implementation.
  • Customer engagement metrics improved by 30%, attributed to enhanced digital experiences.
  • Achieved a 15% reduction in operational costs, leading to improved profit margins.
  • Encountered challenges in managing the cultural shift to a digital-first mindset, impacting the pace of adoption.
  • Integration of new technologies with legacy systems was successfully completed with minimal operational disruptions.
  • Stakeholder interests were aligned through continuous engagement, contributing to the initiative's overall success.

The initiative to pivot towards a digital services ecosystem has been largely successful, as evidenced by the significant improvements in revenue diversification, customer engagement, and operational efficiency. The 20% increase in digital service contributions and a 30% improvement in customer engagement metrics are particularly noteworthy, indicating a strong market acceptance of the new digital offerings. The 15% reduction in operational costs further underscores the effectiveness of the operational redesign and process improvements implemented. However, the challenges in managing the cultural shift highlight the importance of more robust change management strategies. The successful integration of new technologies with legacy systems, despite initial concerns, demonstrates the initiative's technical feasibility and operational resilience.

For next steps, it is recommended to focus on enhancing change management and cultural transformation programs to accelerate the digital-first mindset adoption across the organization. Investing in advanced analytics and AI could further personalize customer experiences and optimize operational processes. Additionally, exploring strategic partnerships with fintech and e-commerce platforms could open new revenue channels and enhance the digital services ecosystem. Continuous monitoring of KPIs related to digital revenue growth, customer retention, and cost savings will be crucial in measuring ongoing success and identifying areas for further improvement.

Source: Telecom Business Model Innovation for Digital Services Expansion, Flevy Management Insights, 2024

Flevy is the world's largest knowledge base of best practices.


Leverage the Experience of Experts.

Find documents of the same caliber as those used by top-tier consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, Accenture.

Download Immediately and Use.

Our PowerPoint presentations, Excel workbooks, and Word documents are completely customizable, including rebrandable.

Save Time, Effort, and Money.

Save yourself and your employees countless hours. Use that time to work on more value-added and fulfilling activities.




Read Customer Testimonials




Additional Flevy Management Insights

Download our FREE Strategy & Transformation Framework Templates

Download our free compilation of 50+ Strategy & Transformation slides and templates. Frameworks include McKinsey 7-S Strategy Model, Balanced Scorecard, Disruptive Innovation, BCG Experience Curve, and many more.