Customer service? There’s an app for that

Image via CrunchBase

Last week Apple announced record quarterly results, with revenues of nearly $30 billion. The figures include sales of 9.2 million iPads, triple the number sold a year ago. Apple also revealed that 47% of Global Fortune 500 companies were testing the tablet ahead of potential adoption.

Clearly, the iPad in particular and tablet computers in general are here to stay. So what does this mean for customer service? Just like the growth of smartphones it creates a new channel for customers to interact with organisations. However due to the larger screens and better usability of tablets, consumers are likely to want to use them for more complicated and in-depth activities than smaller smartphones.

So organisations need to make sure that their customer service strategy can cope – while websites don’t need to be optimised for tablets it makes sense to evaluate whether you need to develop a distinct iPad (or Android) app to deliver value to customers. A number of UK banks, including Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest have already launched iPad apps as part of their customer service push, allowing users to check balances, move money and top up mobile phones.

If you do build an iPad app there are two key things to bear in mind. Firstly, you are essentially creating a new customer service channel. Ensure that it is integrated with your overall customer service infrastructure, sharing a single knowledgebase with existing channels such as web, phone and email. Make customer query information accessible by agents across all channels to prevent expensive and frustrating silo working springing up.

Secondly, use the power of the iPad. Given the size of the high resolution screen and built in connectivity, apps need to be graphical and use technology such as video to inform and engage customers.

With tablets expected to continue to take market share from traditional PCs now is the time to investigate adding applications to your customer service strategy.

 

 

Coping with snail mail

In the move to a digital world it is easy to overlook that a huge percentage of customer communication is still through traditional mail and fax – so called white mail. This is particularly true in industries such as banking and insurance where legal requirements mean documents need to be signed and returned. And in many cases customers feel more secure having signed and posted a document rather than sending an email.

This means that once these documents reach the contact centre they have to be automatically scanned, stored and made available to agents answering phone and email queries.  This integration can be a major headache for organisations, who need to put in place an overall strategy that incorporates these channels into customer service, ensuring it doesn’t become an expensive, standalone silo for information.

What is needed is a multi-channel strategy that has advanced workflow at its core. This means that whatever channel the customer uses to communicate with you the query is automatically added to the system, forwarded to the right agent or department and answered using the best channel for that enquiry.

A great example of where this works well is Eptica client Ageas Insurance Solutions, who currently insure more than 1 million UK customers. AIS’s award-winning eStream project has transformed customer service for the company, reducing calls by 23 per cent and achieving Return on Investment (ROI) within 6 months.

A key part of eStream focuses on white mail. Letters and faxes are now digitally integrated with all web-based enquiries and managed through Eptica’s multichannel workflow with automatic distribution of correspondence and tasks to the appropriate administration area.

As Ray Westwick, Head of Call Centre, Ageas Insurance Solutions UK points out, “By digitally managing correspondence we’ve been able to minimise processing time and costs, and ensured that every communication is automatically recorded and tracked. Eptica’s technology has helped us to improve efficiency, enhance the experience for our customers and differentiate on price and service in today’s hyper competitive climate.”

Digitising white mail is just a part of what Ageas has achieved with eStream – you can download the full Ageas case study here to read the full story.