Is The Internet-of-Things Affecting Your Customer Service?

The Internet of Things continues to change the American landscape, from connected refrigerators that know when your milk expires to sensors that tell factory machines when a production line starts to get out of what. Connected devices also stand to revolutionize customer service in ways that were not possible just five years. Discover how IoT is changing the way you deal with customers in 2017.

Real-Time Results

Devices with the Internet of Things let you see what's happening in a customer's product, because that item's wireless capability connects to your company's app. The piece of hardware within the product collects data and transmits it a cloud-based system that maintains the data. Meanwhile, computer software analyzes the data the item collects. This analysis gives you insights into how to best serve your customers, knowing what to expect from the information and helping you to relate to what customers experience with your product. You improve customer service because your module lets you see what's going on with the product immediately.

The more data your system collects, the better it gets at predicting when things may happen in the future. That's because analytics programs rely on accumulated information to understand how certain scenarios work. When sensors in a coffeemaker know that a brewer shuts off when the coffee reaches a precise liquid level and temperature 99.99 percent of the time, it allows the company to adjust the products in the future, if needed. This information also gives your customer service team tools to help them solve problems when rare breakdowns occur.

Problem Tracking

IoT devices help you determine if you can fix something or not. You can track the problem to a software difficulty or a hardware defect that occurred during manufacturing. You can also determine if the problem may occur with similar products. This lets your system figure out if other customers may have the same problem in the future. Knowing if there's a wide-ranging problem makes your company better prepared to handle customer service calls. Your company can also decide to issue a recall or press release explaining that your organization understands the problem and the company is working on a solution.

Pre-Emptive Fixes

Knowing you have a problem in advance helps you to solve it without the customer even knowing it. An IoT device transmits data to your app, but it also lets you send information to the device. If you can fix something with a software update, that's a much cheaper option than having someone return the product to the store or taking it to get repaired. In these types of cases, IoT devices make your customer service easier and helps prevent a large public outcry that could damage your company's reputation.

The end result of IoT is that your company saves money. IoT makes your products more efficient, but it also develops stronger relationships with your customers because they expect your connected devices to make their lives easier. As your IoT items get smarter, your customer service gets better. When you improve your customer relations, you create a culture of excellence that keeps your all-important loyal customer base happy.

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