Ways to Make Customer Service More Mobile
How long will this take? Will my problem get fixed? And does this company really know me? These concerns are top of mind for consumers when they receive customer service. Being able to respond to these needs are musts for any company. Now, however, a revolution in mobile services is raising the stakes for these customer service goals.
Smartphones, apps and high-speed mobile networks are changing the rules of the game for customer service. Direct service that used to only be available in-person or over the phone is now accessible anytime, anywhere via mobile devices. Mobile technology has empowered consumers to connect with their favorite companies 24/7 through devices that serve as veritable customer service supercenters.
As a result, consumers have accelerated by light years the way they integrate mobile with customer service needs. They expect personalized service to address their needs, and they expect it immediately. When they forget an account password, for example, they expect to have a new one sent immediately.
With the range of mobile communication channels available, the capability to strategically send messages — especially urgent ones — and reach customers through their preferred channels has not only become critical, but expected. This need hits particularly close to home for marketers because these engagements can directly impact a company's most valuable asset: its brand.
In particular, two elements unique to mobile have begun to reshape the customer experience: payment validation and real-time engagement. These capabilities are setting new standards for customer service that will increasingly influence how people leverage the mobile channel.
Engaging customers through multiple channels
New mobile channels available through apps and social media have combined with traditional channels (e.g., email) to present a range of options for consumers to choose their communication preferences. As a result, companies needing to reach customers with important messages through one channel can face a complex challenge in today's fragmented mobile landscape. Fortunately, new technologies enable a sequence of mobile channels to be automatically activated to deliver important messages in a strategically escalated format, and also offer consumers the power to select and personalize the way that they want to be communicated with.
