What’s next? Interactive multi-tasking!

Creating what’s next. The thought provoking theme for the next big event in the communications’ industry calendar – Mobile World Congress, which is taking place at the end of February. I’m sure many of the exhibitors and delegates attending will have an answer to this question for IT investment in the short-term, but what about the long-term picture?

So as we ponder our own situations of ‘What’s next?’ Let me build a picture of where I think the industry is headed…

As I sit watching a television show, I am also participating on my iPad, giving my verdicts and opinions. On the screen a symbol pops up to alert me to an email, which I quickly respond to on my smartphone. Ten minutes later, I am alerted to an incoming video call, my programme is paused while I take the call, chat to family in another country, before returning to my programme.

Advanced multi-tasking

What’s next? Interactive multi-tasking. So much more than simply calling this - second screen, quad-play services, or connected devices. Consumers want to multi-task, it is in our nature. We lead busy lives and no longer have time to concentrate on one thing, and that’s ok.

Technology has changed to help us do things more efficiently, more personally, and in a more tailored way. But ‘what’s next?’ - combining the individual technologies to give an interactive, personalised multi-tasking service. Intelligent technology that understands and tailors services and is seamlessly interoperable.

Now, wouldn’t that be…helpful.

Achievable?

Possible for some, yes. The investment needs to be in the back-end BSS and CRM services so efficient delivery, data analysis, and connecting of devices can be achieved. Operators need to ensure their customer, order and revenue management functions, as well as real-time fulfilment can cope with the demands of the new technology and growing popularity.

‘Creating what’s next’. Creative offers and exciting new technologies? Investment in BSS enables operators to ‘create what’s next’.

CoralTree Systems is a leading provider of innovative BSS solutions, whose clients include some of the market’s leading communications operators. 

You can find out more at our website www.CoralTreeSystems.com

This blog was written by Natasha Geldard, Marketing Consultant for CoralTree.

Going Social - Customer Experience Management - Part Three

I recently contacted my mobile provider. I had a short question, nothing important, but couldn’t find answer on website. It wasn’t worth calling up about so I sent them a quick tweet instead. I was able to get on with my day and an hour or two later, I received a reply to my question.

Simple, no fuss answer and I genuinely felt better about the service they were providing me. Plus, I didn’t have to listen to that damn automated voice telling me to ‘press 2’. That’s a pretty simple, cheap, way to grow customer loyalty.

Having a dedicated social media team ready to respond to questions via Twitter and Facebook will make a big difference to your customer and non-customer perception.

In my last blog, I addressed customer experience and the call centre; here I want to discuss more proactive ways of addressing customer experience! In particular, we'll be looking at a couple of examples of excellent customer experience using social media channels.

So what does a good Social Media page look like?

Three mobile UK is an example I like to use for good customer experience (note: that I use a different provider). They present a bright, inviting Twitter page and are not afraid to appear a bit more human - a trend that goes down very well on social media sites.

Have a look at this picture;

(click to view a larger image)

You can see who you're talking too because there are pictures of the team, they sign off their messages with their initials and they have information for opening hours and web addresses, etc.

An honest interaction that doesn’t sound contrite or scripted like it does when you phone a call centre the service is personalised and pleasant…

That’s not all a Social Team can do - Disaster Management

Not so long ago, bad service would have been shared with family, friends and perhaps co-workers. But now customers can talk about companies and experiences to hundreds of people they don’t know - right across the country - in a very public way. And we all know bad news is shared more often than good!

Here however, is the bonus - you can intercept this bad news by addressing the customer and giving them a friendly outlet for their grief.. The bad coverage doesn’t have to go unchecked in the kitchen over a cup of tea!

Addressing it enables companies to diffuse it and solve it directly or refer the customer back to the CSR or support team to resolve it, at this point, it may be worth directing them to a more senior team member as we know what the benefits of that can be!

On the flip side, companies can also share good feedback people have voiced with retweets, likes and by favoriting posts - feedback that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Let’s recap…

The benefits of Social Media Experience Management are obvious – managed properly one can regain, otherwise lost, control over the customer conversation, address concerns and complaints that were previously hidden from view, build a fuller picture of your customer, appear, more human and it really doesn’t cost that much either!

What’s not to love about that?

In the next part I'll be looking at Big Data.
You can find part one here
You can find part two here


CoralTree Systems is a leading provider of innovative BSS solutions, whose clients include some of the market’s leading communications operators. 

You can find out more at our website www.CoralTreeSystems.com

This blog post was written by Craig Maxwell-Brown - Business Development for CoralTree Systems Ltd.