Is a Mobile-First Mindset the future of Customer Support?

Is a Mobile-First Mindset the future of Customer Support?

We have all seen headlines that read “Phone support is dead?” or “Customer Service Phone Call vs. Email: What is preferred?”. Is phone really dead as a support channel?

There are many ways/channels that you can use to communicate with your customers & support them. Some channels include a person at the other end, but some other channels don’t need a person to assist you – such as chatbots & other self-serve tools. Also, with the everybody being on-the-go nowadays, is a mobile-first mindset the new focus? There are many, many options, so we’re trying to shed some light on how you can decide among alternatives.

Decline of Phone

“The phone is rapidly fading as a preferred method of communication. The younger the age of your customers, the more likely they prefer text, email, chat, or an online portal to communicate and self-serve”
– Tom Nusspickel, COO at American First Finance

One of the reasons why phone as a channel of support is fading is the wait time. 75% if customers believe it takes too long to reach a live agent. If you provide live support, it’s critical that the customer will be able to talk to a real person within 5 minutes (or less). In this day & age, having long wait times is simply not acceptable.

Customer Experience Over Channel

54% of customers have higher expectations for customer service today compared to one year ago. This percentage jumps to 66% for customers aged 18 to 34!

There are so many different stats out there that stress the importance of customer experience and, depending on the industry, market size, and channels, vary quite a bit.

But we can all agree on one thing – customer service can make or break a business. As a collective, companies are transitioning to be entirely customer-centric to survive.

Mobile-First Support

It’s time to think about mobile-first support. Mobile is not really about the phone, but mostly about being accessible via your customer’s mobile device. If they contact you from their mobile phone, they shouldn’t have to use any other device, such as a laptop, to send you any additional information that’s needed.

In other words, this means the idea of OMNI-channel from a customer’s perspective doesn’t switch between phone, mobile, & a computer.

The new generation of consumers are more comfortable with using their mobile devices & use chats, emails, and texts for everything they do.

Finally….

Despite not using the phone as heavily, having the option/accessibility to reach out to speak to a real person within mobile is important. Just make sure your business number is easily found, and that your wait times aren’t too long.

Phone may be in a decline, but it is certainly not dead. Make sure your company has that option and who knows, maybe THAT will be something that sets you apart in coming years. We’ll have to wait and see.

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