The key objective of technological advancement is to minimize human effort as much as possible. Isn’t that why we have machines in our home? The refrigerator stores our food and keeps it fresh. The TV entertains us. The washing machine helps keep our clothes clean.
Now, all these machines are fairly inanimate. Apart from their intended functions, they rarely do much else. But, what if they could communicate with each other and also, with us? Does that sound like science fiction? Well, it isn’t anymore.
Our world is becoming smarter by the day and the IoT (Internet of Things) is proof of that. As technology progresses, we will soon find ourselves in a world where the appliances in our homes will send and receive data. Your refrigerator will alert you of performance issues or likely malfunctions even before anything happens. If that isn’t enough, it’ll even tell you what food items you’ve run out of. In fact, it can even place an online order and have those items delivered.
As you can see, the implications of IoT are many. One area that’s going to experience a revolution of sorts is customer service.
Smarter service
One of the bigger changes that IoT will bring to the table is that it will make customer service smarter. Data is what businesses need to understand and serve their customers better. Now, with sensor-based smart appliances, collecting that data won’t be too much of a challenge.
With this data, businesses will be able to reach out to customers and engage with them on a more intimate level. They will be able to determine the exact needs of a customer and how they make use of the respective product/service. This can help businesses develop customer retention strategies that boost customer loyalty.
If that isn’t enough, usage data can be used to recognize exact pain points and improve the respective product or service.
Personalized experiences
IoT will also allow businesses to provide improved experiences to customers. As we stated earlier, appliances at home will go beyond their standard functions to serve as household assistants. In other words, businesses will be able to offer more than just a product – they’ll be able to provide an entire experience.
Real-time service
With data being transmitted instantaneously, businesses will be able to provide real-time service to customers. For instance, devices in the IoT era are likely to come with displays and voice-assistants. Customers will be able to engage via these tools to demand immediate services and assistance.
Businesses will have the data and the necessary tools to respond to these demands right away.
