Mobile phones are re-mapping the customer relationship

Richard McCrossan divulges the emerging channels to keep an eye on in 2014.

The smartphone

Mobile phones are fundamentally re-mapping the relationship between the consumer and the company. The mobile has already played a huge part in customer service during 2013, but today’s mobile apps tend to only offer a one-way transactional function.

With mobile use still on the rise, companies will have to integrate mobile apps into their overall customer experience, providing a seamless transition between self-service applications and live assistance to deliver the best possible customer experience.

As a result, mobile apps will serve as an increasingly important customer service touch point in 2014.

Web chat

Web chat will form a huge part of any digital customer service strategy in 2014.

We’ve seen web chat develop in very experimental stages in the contact centre, yet it is fast becoming the channel of choice for many customers, particularly the younger generation.

Web chat sits comfortably alongside social media, as it allows organisations to draw customers into a more private dialogue, where they can discuss personal details and specific issues in a one-to-one channel.

However, in order to make web chat work in 2014, access to full customer interaction history will be key.

WebRTC

In 2014, customer service will undergo a new wave of innovation with an increase in use of WebRTC.

WebRTC identifies that a customer may be struggling in a web self-service channel and proactively offers assistance via a human interaction. This allows the customer to have a convenient, visual experience on their desktop or mobile device with a smooth transition to a live voice conversation with an agent.

In 2014 we will see that WebRTC will significantly lower customer effort and provide a better customer experience by offering proactive, intelligent service with the interaction context carrying through the entire customer journey.

Skype

Skype is another touch point that is going to open up an exciting range of possibilities for contact centres and customer experience strategies.

Skype even enables the customer to see the agent. At the click of a button, the customer can contact an agent, start a video conversation and have their issue resolved. No need to exit what they are doing, call the contact centre and spend time explaining the problem.

And it’s easy – this technology can be transferred from an X-Box console to a TV or even a mobile device so that the customer can receive on-the-go support.

With thanks to Richard McCrossan, Strategic Business Director at Genesys