Contact Center Solutions Featured Article

Last week I was listening to my local station on the way into work, and it occurred to me that my favorite DJ no longer bothers to mention if a song is a cross-over from the R&B or country music charts. Taylor Swift and BlackEyedPeas rejoice! That night, I walked down my main street and ventured into our local shopping mall, passing by undifferentiated storefronts… Baby Gap, Borders, Apple, Hot Topic... Even RIM can’t seem to keep its mojo, where recent reviews of the new Bold 9700 correctly conclude that many smartphones are beginning to look the same.

 

So what does this have to do with customer service, or is it just the latest incarnation of Henry Ford’s fanatical views on customer choice?

 

You want to be treated as an individual, not one of the crowd. There is a reason that the Apple Store with its Genius Bar is one of the most profitable in terms of sales per square foot, a reason that almost every bookshop now serves lattes to hold on to you for just a few more minutes, and a reason that Disney is re-imaging its own stores (with Apple’s help) so you don’t feel violated by Woody every time you walk in. In the same way, the average smartphone user is not only looking for a differentiated experience on the handset, but also when calling for support.

 

How about an IVR that responds by name, asking if your latest phone or data plan is meeting expectations and then suggesting any enhancements?

 

The technology exists, and has been deployed by the airlines for years. (Don’t get me started in what the experience would be like if they invested in their fleets the way they do in their IVRs.)

 

In the background, the IVR could check your phone for vitals as well, then explaining if something with your battery or memory has gone awry, or if you need a software update. No waiting for a CSR versed on your phone model or OS. We’re close on this one with the over-the-air management link but now need to hook it into the operator’s back-end knowledgebase. In the interim, we’ll let the CSR do the explaining. At least they’ll now know if your email or browser is mis-configured, and will immediately be able to assist. What results is a much more pleasurable experience for both parties than having to follow a rather inefficient script by rote… read this… push that…. mumble mumble… hoping that the problem resolves itself.

 

Turning the argument on its head, there is one place where you don’t want a differentiated experience. Unlike North America, where prepaid seems to carry a stigma, in Western Europe and elsewhere, prepaid is an accepted and growing segment most operator business plans. Coupled with zero-sum subscriber growth, operators have realize that the days of relegating these prepaid subscribers to the care bit bucket are over if they are to manage churn and grow their ARPU. Operators with large prepaid populations are building out their retail channels, branding their own devices, and offering frontline care for free or, in the case of Orange UK, a per-minute fee. With operator branding, the chance that these prepaid subscribers have OTA-capable phones is increased, for the first time enjoying the same level of care as their postpaid brethren.

 

Now, if only I could have that Droid in some color other than black….