The Lie of Forever: Why Telecoms Must Stop Fearing the Customer Exit

For years, the telecoms industry has been defined by a forward-only drive. When I worked at giants like Orange and Nokia, our world was a whirlwind of innovation, constantly focused on designing new services and launching cutting-edge phones. Yet, in all that excitement, a crucial conversation was missing: how would any of this end? This profound, almost wilful, blindness to the conclusion of the product lifecycle is a problem that continues to plague the telecoms sector today. But it shouldn’t. 

The Cost of Ignoring Endings

The industry's reluctance to create endings creates problems on across, digital, physical and service fronts. For physical products, the lifecycle is a tale of two halves: at the beginning, a phone's materials are meticulously defined and tracked, but at the end, the device is often abandoned. A European Commission report estimates that 700 million phones—more than half of all mobile devices in the EU—are simply kept in households, contributing to a global e-waste problem that reached a record 62 million tonnes in 2022. Companies like Apple, for example, shipped 231.8 million iPhones in 2024 but collected only 15.9 million devices for trade-in and recycling.

This disregard for endings also extends to customer relationships, where the industry's obsession with retention often overshadows a balanced discussion about endings. The common industry mindset is that a customer relationship should never end, which can lead to aggressive tactics to shut down a customer's exit route. But this approach is a blind spot. Your customers are already thinking about endings, with 47% checking a service's cancellation policy before they even sign up. Furthermore, 80% of customers would not recommend a service if they had a difficult time canceling it, demonstrating how a bad ending can become a powerful negative memory.

Learning from a Better Approach

The idea that a smooth ending can be a business advantage is not new. In my book Endineering, I highlight the case of 3 Denmark, a company that realised its retention-at-all-costs model was flawed. An internal audit revealed that staff were spending an inordinate amount of time manually talking customers out of leaving, a process that proved costly and inefficient. At the same time, the company's design team pointed out that their brand promises of "transparency, honesty, and simplicity" were completely absent from the off-boarding experience.

In a move that challenged industry norms, 3 Denmark launched a simple, app-based cancellation process. Despite initial anxiety from senior management, the change did not lead to an increase in customer churn. Instead, the company realised significant savings in its call-center, freeing up staff to focus on improving the experience for active customers.

Creating consumer off-boarding experiences (endings)

By embracing endings, the telecoms industry can transform a negative, wasteful process into a strategic opportunity.

1.  Reduce Costs and Increase Efficiency: By moving away from outdated, 19th-century retention tactics and digitising the off-boarding process, companies can make a significant reduction in call-center costs.

2.  Enhance Long-Term Brand Loyalty: A positive ending leaves a lasting impression that can increase brand preference and advocacy. As the saying goes, people like to see an off-ramp before they use the on-ramp, and by providing a clear and respectful exit, you ensure customers remember you for the right reasons.

3.  Address E-Waste and Sustainability: By designing for the end-of-life experience, companies can take an active role in increasing device collection and reducing their contribution to the global e-waste problem.

4.  Build Trust and Transparency from Day One: Talking openly about the cancellation process from the beginning builds trust with customers, who are already thinking about this. A proper goodbye reinforces a brand's integrity, proving that its values extend to every part of the customer journey, from the first hello to the final goodbye.

The choice is clear: continue with a blind, costly, and unsustainable model, or embrace endings as a powerful lever for business success. In your next product development meeting, ask a simple question: "How does it end?"

This question is the starting point for a strategic shift that can transform your business, enhance brand loyalty, and reduce costs. By designing for the end, you're not just closing a chapter; you're opening a new one grounded in trust, transparency, and a long-term vision that benefits both your company and your customers.