ets of telecommunications around the world. Who then could possibly presume to know more about this phenomenon than the industry executives themselves? INTRODUCING THE "CHURN BUSTERS" Indeed, the executive should be cautious in accepting advice from the uninitiated. In a relatively small industry with a unique problem area there is no clear way that other industries or purely academic contributions can provide truly effective and useful insights. There is only one kind of person who can hope to provide this kind of value-added insight, and that would be a consultant who has experience solving churn problems for dozens of companies. That is exactly who we are. Chapter 1 More than three years ago, two consultants, Rob Mattison, a data warehouse, direct marketing, and marketing operations expert, and Dr. Paulo Costa, an experienced statistician and marketing strategist, got together and began to discuss some of the ways that telco churn problems could most effectively be addressed. At the time, only a few companies struggled with churn, but it was clear that the problem would grow exponentially as the industry itself grew. In the time since that first meeting, this team has been able to help customers all over the world with their churn. The team has helped wireless organizations in the U.S., North America, South America, Europe, and Asia deal with the panic that first occurs when churn problems arise, the shock to the organization that follows as they struggle with trying to figure out how to manage it and finally with the development of effective strategies, techniques, and approaches that allowed them to gain control over their churn situations. Eventually, the team got to be known as the "Churn-Busters" because of the effective churn management solutions they were able to deliver. Churn THE CHURN BUSTERS' PRESENT "Churn: THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY" Contained herein you will find a wide collection of insights, information, techniques, tips, case studies, and practical examples of the ways that telcos around the world