Companies are always looking to improve customer success levels.
In pursuit of accomplishing that aforementioned goal, many businesses have expanded their customer service departments and simplified their product offerings. You can also see many business websites today that make use of guided tours or chat support to help the customers get to where they need to go faster.
It’s a good thing that businesses are prioritizing the success of their customers, but many are still overlooking something that can be very helpful in that regard. To be more specific, more than a few companies are not doing enough with the Internet of Things.
The Internet of Things still possesses a ton of untapped potential and it can be a huge help to companies looking to set their customers up for more success moving forward.
What Is the Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things – often abbreviated as IoT – is a system that features an array of items that possess the ability to transfer data across a network. The items in question must also be able to transfer the data even without users directly commanding them to do so.
Another crucial thing to know about the IoT is that only items “that wouldn’t usually be generally expected to have an internet connection” are parts of it, according to ZDNet.
That basically rules out computers, smartphones, and a few other gadgets from being considered as parts of the IoT. Examples of items in the IoT include thermostats, kitchen appliances, and driverless vehicles just to name a few.
So, why does the IoT matter if you are a business owner interested in helping your customers out further? Some of the top reasons are included below.
The Internet of Things Can Help You Identify Potential Problem Areas
Not all customers will be vocal about their complaints. Many will assume that it’s better to have those aforementioned customers compared to those who are more than willing to stay on the line for 30 minutes to make sure their complaints are heard.
The problem though is that customers who keep their complaints to themselves may just drop your product without you ever finding out the reason why and that can be frustrating. You can at least do something when a customer is complaining.
Thanks to the IoT, you will be able to spot if there are trouble spots plaguing a specific customer. Information provided by the products may indicate if there are features a customer is struggling with and you can address that before it becomes the reason they drop your product for something offered by a competitor.
The Internet of Things Can Be Used to Deliver New Offerings
Via Amazon, Under Armour has utilized the IoT to give its customers access to some of their latest product and service offerings. This is huge for businesses because they now have the option of updating their products and services without requiring their customers to do much of anything.
Businesses can impact how successful their customers are by simply providing new features via updates sent directly to products that were already purchased. Even if a customer does not have a great experience with your product right away, that can change after you send out an update to the connected item.
The Internet of Things Makes It Possible to Maintain an Established Level of Customer Success
Updates are useful not just for the purposes of adding new features your customers already have. They can also help with product maintenance.
If your customers love your products as they are, make use of IoT to scale up your support and ensure that more people will be able to enjoy those items in question. That way, you can ensure that the experience your new customers have will be similar to what your older clients have enjoyed.
Should minors arise, you can also use the IoT to deliver hotfixes that address them immediately. Your customers will not have to deal with nagging issues that can adversely impact their experiences.
Customer success is an important factor that can affect not just customer retention, but the growth of your business as well. Businesses must do everything they can to put their customers in the best position to succeed. In many cases, that will include leaning on the Internet of Things.