How many of you actually know someone who doesn’t have a mobile phone?  I know one person, and he is back in Canada and he ‘refuses to join society in this over exaggerate wave of convenience’ (his words).  He is so off the grid.  While I truly admire his passion for keeping it ‘old school’, I really can’t imagine a day without one of my mobile phones?  It is 2011, and I use my mobile phone as a mini computer more than a phone. Occasionally I may actually ‘call’ someone with it; but the majority of its’ usage is for checking my mails, checking my bank balance, and checking out what is going on in the world via various news and/or social media sites.

Apparently it is not just me.  Results from a 2010 study of the US marketplace showed that usage of mobile smart phones was increasing at a rate of 85% per year and that the shrinkage in mobile phone usage for just placing calls was reducing by 11% each year.  This data supports a key trend identified, and often spoken about, in the Netherlands marketplace but one in which we see little moment in the way of market leaders. There are definitely a handful of organizations here in the Netherlands that have brought out a mobile app; but one has to wonder if they are ‘reacting’ to the trend, or if the activities are a calculated step in their long-term mobile strategy?

There is often a unplanned cost associated with reacting to a trend with a short-term solution. Take for example the wave of webcare teams in the market.  More often than not comprised of a few high-performing call center agents thrown in to a room and given a twitter account and some basic reporting/tooling.  The trick is not providing a quick band-aid solution to ensure you feel as an organization at par with the new customer demands; the trick is to plan out a long term strategy and devise in advance how you are going to leverage the new technology to not only please your customer but to ensure your customer becomes more loyal and a ‘promoter’ of your organization.

Accenture has identified five ways in which organizations can leverage the mobile channel to exceed their customers’ expectations and ultimately reap the benefits of increased customer loyalty and advocacy.

1. Seamless transition across the channels
2. Provide an experience that is tailored to specific customers or customer segments
3. Provide the ability for consumers to control how and when they access customer service
4. Provide an instant response
5. Provide the functionality consumers expect

A key to building and integrating a mobile channel into an organizations operation is to ensure it is not viewed as just another low cost channel.  The business objective for the mobile channel should not be that of a channel to offset higher cost inbound calls to.  To truly prepare for the future and to act with adaptability towards your customers changing needs and behaviors; organizations need to understand that the mobile channel is the future! There is a sub-set of organizations current customer base that would prefer to interact only via a mobile interface and there is a whole generation right behind them that expects it!  How is your organization preparing for this?

Source: Mobility_in_Service_PoV (Accenture 2010)