Look around you and you’ll notice that it seems like everyone has a smartphone or is thinking about getting one.  I’ve found that I actually spend much less time on the computer now, because the smartphone allows me to do many of the same things and functions nearly seamlessly among my email, Internet, and phone.  Curious about how smartphones integrate with contact centers, I found “Customers, smartphones, contact centers: Are you making the right connections?,” by Brett Schockley on the Avaya blog.

The biggest factor that Shockley highlights for integrating smartphones as part of your contact center plans is to bring mobile interactions into contact centers in “full context”.  This context could include the customer’s navigation of the mobile application or account information as well as a free pass to “cut” in line, based on the time the customer has spent trying to help himself on the phone.  For customers and employees alike, he points out the option to send and receive pictures to facilitate the communication process as well.

What other ways can you assimilate smartphone usage into your contact center?

• Are there applications that your company could develop and market to encourage and improve customer service?  Consider apps that allow a customer to check account status or make inquiries from their phones.
• How can you include images as part of your communication with customers?  If a picture is worth a thousand words, a photo could save time and frustration in the communication process.
• Can you use outgoing contacts (text and emails) to keep customers informed?  Especially for time-sensitive information, being able to contact customers who are on-the-go can be critical.
• Can you integrate other smartphone capabilities as part of your communication process?  Beyond cameras, you could utilize GPS, texting, email, and the Internet to aid communication between the agent and the customer.

Shockely points out that within the next four years, 80% of customers will own smartphones!  Contact center personnel must start planning now so they can seamlessly serve the majority of their customers as the technology continues to evolve.

About Kelly: Kelly has been working as a contract technical writer for Inova Solutions for nearly three years. As a recovering high school English teacher, she enjoys the opportunity to still employ her ‘red ink’ when writing, editing, and formatting documentation. You can contact Kelly at kelly@insideinova.com.