In a post in September, I discussed the impact that customer use of smartphones can have on your call center, but also worth considering is the effect of your own use of a smartphone.  The day-to-day business of a contact center manager often takes him away from the desks, or even away from the office building or out of town.  Having portable and remote access via a smartphone can be critical in identifying and then efficiently handling any issues at the call center.  Before you panic about the 24/7 access that come with having a smartphone, consider the possible benefits:

• Performance review – If you are anywhere except at your desk, you can still keep tabs on your contact center’s full performance metrics.  Inova’s Performance Tracker call center dashboards are 100% compatible with smartphones, allowing you to identify potential problems and to react appropriately when necessary.

• Instant access – With a smartphone in your pocket, you can have a handheld resource of everything you need.  If you’re on the floor and need to reference a calendar, document, email, or online resource, you can access that information immediately to resolve problems or answer questions.

• Messaging – If you find yourself trying to manage an issue while off-site or involved in a situation where you can’t make phone calls, smartphones support a wide variety of instant-messaging applications that allow you to seamlessly interact with coworkers or employees to find resolutions.

• Remote connectivity – Several applications are available for smartphones that allow you to remotely access your desktop computer.  Even if you don’t feel comfortable storing sensitive information on your phone, you can securely connect to remote workstations.

A smartphone has all the functionality of a tablet or notebook computer with the added bonus of portability.  You can do almost everything you could do with bulkier hardware, but on a device that fits in your pocket!

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.