Going Mobile: Why Customers Want Wireless Communication

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What does it mean to provide service to mobile customers? Is it about having an app that your customers can use to submit questions or learn more about your products? Does it mean being accessible via SMS?

In an era when mobile communications are a defining feature, many businesses are reassessing their customer service practices to better meet customer needs, but confusion is rife. Cutting the cord on your customer service practices to go mobile is a revolutionary and sometimes intimidating process.

Though different companies may draw different conclusions about what their mobile service solutions should look like, they should all address three key customer needs. By designing your mobile service strategy around these core aspects of customer experience, you guarantee an outcome that will satisfy your client base.

Considering the Cloud

Our preconceptions about mobile customer service tend to be device-focused; we think about how we communicate with our customers using phones, tablets, or other IoT devices, as well as how we execute sales online and through mobile channels. One factor in the wireless revolution that’s often overlooked, however, is the cloud. We know the cloud has a lot to offer us in terms of internal management, but it’s also a powerful CRM tool.

One reason the cloud benefits your customers is that such communication systems keep company representatives on hand for solving problems, no matter where they are. Is one of your product specialists out of town at a conference or business trip? With cloud-based communications, customers can reach key representatives anywhere, as Second City discovered when they upgraded their communications system.

Similarly, cloud-based service technology gives employees the ability to work from home, without compromising service. Representatives will still have access to all necessary records and the system eliminates a lot of frustration and delays.

The Personal Touch

A big part of what has historically set customer service apart from other aspects of business, and that now separates high end brands from their lower quality counterparts, is personal interaction. Go into a boutique, and a helpful staff member will hurry over to talk to you about products and make suggestions, but how do you replicate this kind of attention through a mobile device?

Nordstrom, for one, has figured out how to deliver high-value service through their mobile app, using customer profile data to make insightful buying recommendations like customers would receive in stores. At a time when online shopping is outpacing in-store purchasing, customers will increasingly expect this type of service.

Focusing on Flexibility

Ultimately, at the core of mobile customer service is an emphasis on flexibility. Companies need to create sites that are intuitive, that adapt to the device customers are using to access them, and offer alternative modes of service, so that every customer feels comfortable.

Some older customers, for example, dislike the shift to digital service and still want to be able to call a customer service line and get a real person on the phone, while some customers prefer to text businesses when they need assistance. Offering customers a means of communication that they’re comfortable with is the basis of good service.

No matter what your business does, customer service should form the center – without good service, it doesn’t matter what your products do. Sustaining that core, then, means adapting to our wireless world. How can you set your business free while providing everything customers need?

When you answer this question effectively, you’ll have developed a thoroughly modern, wireless customer service strategy.

Larry Alton
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Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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