The most recent data on mobile phone subscribers worldwide is staggering. The estimate, based on 2012 usage figures, is around five billion users. According to the 2012 Mobile Future In Focus report by comScore, more than 42% of United States wireless subscribers, and 44% of European Union subscribers now carry smartphones.
Smartphone Niche Market
There’s a niche market consisting of individuals who own two to three smartphones. Most of these professionals carry their smartphones with them at all times because they’re managing multiple business ventures. You might consider it the ultimate in multitasking.
In 2012, smartphones were the most popular mobile devices due to their sleek design, convenience, speed, and web-enabled capabilities. Sales have left feature phones in the dust. And, for the majority of business professionals, there’s no going back to feature phones.
Business executives are no longer tied to their office land line phones. Mobile phones have helped boost their productivity. And in today’s highly competitive market that’s what it’s all about.
According to multiple reports, more than 700,000 customers abandon their land line phones each month. The phone is no longer a device that’s only used for voice calls. Mobile phones are powerful devices that enable you to access the web, emails, text messages, and social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, among others.
The Proliferation of Mobile Phone Usage and Network Advancements
Consumer expectations have increased dramatically to the point that on-demand performance and information is a critical performance component. The mobile technology advancements coupled with the tremendous surge in network capabilities continues to drive consumer expectations for increased speed, convenience, and on-demand performance.
As these needs continue to skyrocket at warp speed, they also drive global business demands. While speech and touch-tone driven self-service phone portals are now quite commonplace, very few companies have embraced the technology’s advantages. Few firms have adapted their communication and support strategies to take advantage of the widespread adoption of additional interaction channels such as SMS, IM, video, the mobile web, along with social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, and Twitter, and others.
Customer Centric Service
Customer service has always been of critical importance to business. In today’s business environment that is a blend of traditional and digital, many companies have neglected customer service. There’s a steep price to be paid for this mistake. With the advances in mobile technology, using mobile as a Customer Service Strategy opens up a wide array of advantages, especially for people on the go.
Many Fortune 500, SMBs and consultants are using virtual agents and personal assistants who seamlessly handle an array of contact center transactions from phones, email, chat, e-commerce requests, and research projects to social media services…both inbound and outbound throughout multiple business industries.
Delivering the Value of Multi-Channel Customer Interactions
The rising popularity of mobile text channels is largely fueled by the younger generations. According to a 2011 Nielsen survey, the average American teenager is sending more than 3,417 text messages per month. Texting is second nature to this generation. Per the US Census Bureau, over 50% of the world’s population is under the age of 30, and mobile and digital fluency is critical for reaching these consumers. It’s the future.
The question then becomes…have you maximized your competitive advantage in this dynamic environment? Have you covered all of the areas? That’s a question that only you can answer.
