Vertical Solutions for Small Business: Unlocking Telco Growth Through Industry-Specific Offerings

In today’s telecommunications landscape, small businesses represent a dynamic and rapidly evolving market. Yet, despite their diversity and sector-specific needs, most telcos have historically offered small businesses the same generic connectivity packages—regardless of whether the customer is a retail shop, a healthcare clinic, or a boutique hotel. This one-size-fits-all approach leaves significant value on the table, both for telcos seeking new B2B revenue streams and for small business leaders demanding more relevant, impactful solutions.

As the pace of digital transformation accelerates, the need for differentiated, value-added services tailored to the unique requirements of each industry has never been greater. Telcos that move beyond commodity connectivity and embrace vertical-specific offerings can unlock new growth, drive loyalty, and increase average revenue per user (ARPU).

The small business market is booming, with post-pandemic recovery fueling new business formation and digital adoption. However, as growth stabilizes, competition intensifies, and market saturation looms, telcos can no longer rely on undifferentiated services. As industry experts have noted, the wireless or broadband service for a flower shop is often identical to that for a restaurant or a medical office. While this may have sufficed during periods of rapid expansion, it is increasingly inadequate in a maturing market.

Creating vertical-specific solutions is not just a wise idea—it is overdue. Small businesses in sectors like retail, healthcare, and hospitality face distinct challenges:

• Retailers need secure, reliable Wi-Fi for point-of-sale systems, inventory management, and customer engagement.
• Healthcare providers require robust security and compliance for patient data, as well as telehealth capabilities.
• Hospitality businesses must deliver seamless guest connectivity, manage reservations, and ensure operational efficiency.

By understanding and addressing these unique needs, telcos can move up the value chain, becoming trusted partners rather than mere utilities.

The next wave of telco growth will be driven by value-added services that go far beyond basic connectivity. Examples include:

• Managed Wi-Fi: Secure, scalable wireless networks tailored to the business environment, with features like guest access, analytics, and remote management.
• Security Solutions: Industry-specific cybersecurity packages, including threat detection, compliance monitoring, and data protection—critical for sectors like healthcare and retail.
• Cloud-Based Productivity Tools: Integrated solutions for collaboration, document management, and workflow automation, enabling small businesses to operate efficiently and scale quickly.
• IoT and Smart Devices: Sector-specific IoT solutions, such as inventory sensors for retail or smart thermostats for hospitality, that drive operational insights and cost savings.

These offerings not only address the pain points of small businesses but also create new, recurring revenue streams for telcos.

Delivering effective vertical solutions requires more than just bundling products. It demands a deep understanding of each sector’s workflows, pain points, and customer journeys. This is where Publicis Sapient excels—helping telcos harness the power of data, artificial intelligence (AI), and customer journey mapping to design, launch, and scale industry-specific offerings.

By leveraging first- and third-party data, telcos can gain a 360-degree view of each small business customer. This enables:

• Personalized recommendations for services and upgrades based on business type, usage patterns, and growth stage.
• Proactive support that anticipates needs—such as bandwidth upgrades for a retailer launching e-commerce or security enhancements for a healthcare provider expanding telehealth.

AI and machine learning unlock new possibilities for:

• Predicting churn and identifying at-risk customers in specific verticals, enabling targeted retention strategies.
• Automating onboarding and support, reducing cost-to-serve while improving the customer experience.
• Optimizing network performance for mission-critical applications in sectors like healthcare and hospitality.

Publicis Sapient’s expertise in customer journey mapping ensures that every touchpoint—from initial research to onboarding, support, and renewal—is tailored to the unique expectations of each industry. This approach:

• Identifies friction points and opportunities for delight.
• Guides the design of seamless, omnichannel experiences that drive loyalty and advocacy.

To truly differentiate, telcos must move from being merely functional to becoming “magical” brands—those that customers see as extensions of their own business. Publicis Sapient’s LEAD framework—Light, Ethical, Accessible, and Dataful—provides a proven methodology for elevating every customer touchpoint:

• Light: Fast, intuitive, and responsive experiences that minimize business disruption.
• Ethical: Transparent about data use, clear in communication, and respectful of customer values and compliance needs.
• Accessible: Frictionless and inclusive, enabling businesses to engage across any channel, at any time.
• Dataful: Intelligent and personalized, using data to anticipate needs and continuously improve.

The telecommunications industry stands at a crossroads. As traditional growth levers slow, the opportunity to unlock new value through vertical-specific solutions for small businesses is clear. By moving beyond generic connectivity and embracing tailored, data-driven offerings, telcos can:

• Deepen customer relationships and drive long-term loyalty.
• Increase ARPU through differentiated, recurring services.
• Position themselves as indispensable partners in the digital transformation of small business.

With decades of experience in digital business transformation, Publicis Sapient is uniquely positioned to help telcos realize this vision—combining industry expertise, advanced data and AI capabilities, and a relentless focus on customer experience. The future of telco growth is vertical. Let’s build it together.

Relevant Links

• The State of Telecom: Growth Challenges and the Art of the Possible
• The Telco Brand Challenge: From Utility to Magical Experience
• The State of Telecom: Growth Challenges and the Art of the Possible
• Stratégies de Marketplace pour les Fournisseurs de Télécommunications en Europe : Défis et Opportunités pour les PME (Europe)
• Regional Deep Dive: Transforming Rural Connectivity and Growth in U.S. Telecoms
• Estrategias de Marketplace Digital para Telcos en América Latina: Oportunidades y Desafíos para el Crecimiento de las PYMES (LATAM)
• Estrategias de Marketplace Digital para Telcos en América Latina: Oportunidades y Desafíos para el Crecimiento de las PYMES (LATAM)