Mobile CRM
If you thought that you had Customer Relationship Management covered, you may want to think again. Conventionally defined as the strategy to develop, maintain and optimally use customer (and supplier) relationships, CRM has long been and still is associated with the traditional contact channels. Outbound and inbound contacts take place via print, online media such as web and email, and phone, and intelligence is gathered from the moment of interactions. The mobile however, for the moment just a ripple in the waters of CRM, is set to become a catalyst for changing the way we look at relationship management.
Every advance in communications technology has led to a change in how enterprises manage relationships. Voice response, automatic call distribution and recently Voice over IP enabled customer support and phone sales through large contact centres with hundreds or thousands of agents. Distance being of less importance, many centres are today located in countries like India and make use of highly-educated and well-trained local staff, at a cost level that is far lower than what is possible in Europe or North America. The web has further virtualised the world. Customers interact with their suppliers through websites and email, neither knowing nor caring where and by whom their request is handled, but expecting that it will be done in the most accurate way and respecting their existing relationship with the company.
The mobile phone adds another dimension to all of this. Like the web accessed through a personal computer, the mobile enables continuous interaction and immediate action. But unlike the PC, the mobile allows this any time, at any location, with images, text, speech and sound. Enterprises now face the big challenge of embedding this mobile channel in their outbound and inbound communications, in advertising, marketing, sales and customer support. The mobile is the logical extension of the existing set of channels through which a person can be reached to book an appointment, confirm temporary coverage of car insurance, remind him of a payment date, or inform her of a last minute travel opportunity.
The real innovation wave in CRM and marketing that the mobile will cause is called location. For years, location based services have been called the marketer’s dream. It's not been a success, mainly due to the limitations of ellular technology and failing business models. However, this is about to change, due to near-field communication (NFC, RFID) and narrowcasting technologies. Imagine a bus driving through town, with on board displays showing location-based advertisements as it passes the shopping malls. Direct response ads promote the latest offers. As soon as the viewer sends an SMS to the promotional short code, a discount coupon with a two-dimensional barcode is sent back to the mobile phone. The ads, selected and displayed in real-time, take into account the location of the bus and the age distribution of the passengers on the bus. As each passenger passed the entrance door, the RFID tag in their public transport passes was scanned automatically and - through an online connection to the back office systems of the transport company - profiling information was fed back to the advertising narrowcasting system.