By Mark Clark
In today’s mobile world, consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices to do almost everything. They use phones to make purchases, bank, read their news, to work while on the go, and even while watching TV. Despite the convenience of mobile technology, many brands are missing the mark when it comes to mobile customer care.
Think about it. You know it is imperative for your business to strengthen the digital connection to your customer, making it both personal and pervasive. Sure, you’re building a mobile website and an app, and you might think you’re doing everything you can to try to bridge the digital divide, but you’re probably ignoring one key factor: customer service.
As a consumer yourself, imagine you’re in your favorite app, but need help. How do you get it? You almost always have to leave the app to either call or email a customer service agent, and suddenly that great retail mobile experience has become fractured. Businesses strive to offer richer and more personal customer care, but most simply add a link to a toll-free call into the contact center. By trying to fit mobile into the current customer care model instead of adapting to evolving mobile customer behaviors, these efforts negatively impact the overall mobile customer experience.
Mass adoption of mobile has drastically changed consumer behavior and expectations when it comes to customer service interactions.
Mass adoption of mobile has drastically changed consumer behavior and expectations when it comes to customer service interactions. Yet for most businesses venturing into mobile, the question of incorporating customer service is being ignored. Shopping and communication channels have changed with apps and mobile adoption, but customer care isn’t keeping up. Retailers especially are missing a huge opportunity to provide consumers with a more efficient experience to solve their problems.
So how can retailers provide better customer service to help keep customers happier, more satisfied, and purchasing more? Consider integrating customer care into your mobile application. This way, your customers can engage with a customer service agent at their leisure; stopping and starting the conversation at will, and resolving issues without having to move to another channel.
Retailers would be wise to embrace the mobile mind shift and engage consumers where they are, and how they want to be engaged. Today, and increasingly so, consumers expect engagement on their mobile devices, whether they are shopping or seeking customer service. Businesses need to be present in those moments when consumers reach for their phones.
The benefits for providing mobile customer care are many fold. Not only can retailers better meet consumer demands, but they can drive down expensive customer care costs. Eventually, as mobile phone use continues to increase, your customers will expect care within the mobile application. Larger retailers like Amazon and businesses like The Boston Globe have already taken advantage of mobile customer service offerings. As other retailers embrace the mobile mind shift, the message is clear: embrace mobile customer care, or risk getting left behind.
Mark Clark is the Director of Solutions Marketing at Contact Solutions, and has an extensive background in B2B tech marketing and product management for enterprise software firms. Contact Solutions invents real customer service. Their voice and mobility customer self-service solutions reduce enterprise costs while increasing customer engagement by enhancing their experience. Innovative Business Intelligence solutions provide enterprises access to real-time business intelligence and data analytics are delivered to provide insight and superior value.