Omni-Channel Customer Engagement Article

The earliest awareness of the Internet of Things (IoT) or the networking of billions of machines, cameras, sensors and devices across the globe in order to share data, came with the promise of networked home appliances. After we were done asking, “Why would my refrigerator need a browser?” we thought a little harder about it. What about a mechanically self-aware appliance that can call for maintenance, or an automobile that can communicate telemetry to our favorite mechanic? How about the ability to look at your home’s security camera footage live on your cell phone? Perhaps traffic cameras that can predict delays based on traffic volume and send motorists messages to take alternate routes?

From there, the Internet of Things, which has at its core machine-to-machine (M2M) networking, began to seem like a pretty good idea. Billions of devices are networked today, and more are soon to follow. In the business enterprise, we naturally start wondering about how the IoT can help us support customers. According to Suzie Blaszkiewicz blogging for The Next Web, M2M technologies can make a huge difference in the benefits of customer relationship management, or CRM.

“Traditional CRMs rely on a give and take relationship between customers and their service reps,” she wrote. “If a customer needs something, they pick up the phone, send an email, or start a live chat. If a business wants something from a customer, they do the same. A good CRM will record all of these interactions and give reminders about how and when a business should contact a customer next. With IoT connected devices, some of these touch points become redundant.”

When you contact a manufacturer about a problem, that manufacturer already knows how often you use your appliance or vehicle, whether your dishwasher has been cleaned lately or the refrigerator’s filters have been changed, if your car has thrown up any engine warnings and how often your furnace ran during the winter. In many cases, contact with a rep becomes unnecessary, since the manufacturer can reach out to customers before customers even know there’s a problem. This kind of proactive customer support is what helps build customer loyalty and raises opportunities for cross-selling and upselling (putting a customer on a regular delivery schedule for refrigerator water filters, for example).

While the appliances and vehicles with sensors are still in their nascent phase, most customers already have the tools they’ll need to interact with their machinery: their smart phones. Many businesses already have multichannel customer support solutions in place to handle this new smart media channel.

“Cloud solutions are the first step, which already offer inherently network-connected services,” wrote Blaszkiewicz. “From there, mobile apps are a must. Some IoT devices already rely on mobile apps to function, like the Lockitron lock that unlocks your door with a mobile app, and people will reflexively look to their smartphones to help solve any problems they might have with an IoT connected device.”

For companies looking to add another dimension to their customer support and customer relationship; the IoT will be a perfect opportunity to marry big data, CRM, networking, marketing and customer support quality.