feature
Essentially, building the
optimum omnichannel
experience within your
customer service
department has to start by
putting the customer at the
heart of the operation, and
then build the technology
around this. For many years, it
was entirely the opposite
GET READY FOR THE INTERNET
OF THINGS WITH AN
OMNICHANNEL STRATEGY
The Internet of Things (IoT) is still a fledgling concept says Dave Ogden, but it is one that
could make all previous customer service initiatives redundant worldwide
Although some vertical markets, such as utilities, media and
automotive, have had a head start in IoT – that is, the mass of
individual objects or devices connected via the internet – we are
33
just at the beginning of its role in our everyday lives. Analyst
Gartner indicates that the IoT (excluding PCs, tablets and
smartphones) will grow to 26 billion installed units globally by 2020.
Since the overarching premise behind IoT is that everyday objects,
from refrigerators to watches, have network connectivity, enabling
individuals and organisations to send and receive data through a
variety of platforms. This has an impact on many industries, and
none more so than in customer service.
M
To make sure that this doesn’t happen, the question that contact
centres need to ask themselves is, “how do we embrace the
Internet of Things in order to make sure we are providing
customers with a complete and satisfactory customer
experience?”
ISSUE SEVENTEEN • NOVEMBER 2014