Unified Communications, often called UC, has been around for decades and synonymous with Moore’s law that loosely states the growth of technology doubles every year while the cost remains constant, VoIP and UC are both keeping pace with this important revelation.
QUALITY AND QUANTITY
While the quality and availability of VoIP continues to grow and improve, the cost for this service also continues to improve over traditional methods of telephony services. But what about the growth of social media, texting, emailing and other important components of UC? Are they outweighing the need for actual human interaction when it comes to effective and successful customer service?
TELEPHONE TRUMPS TWITTER
According to recent statistics from Social Times, telephone usage is still the preferred method for 88% of consumers who are seeking assistance with their customer service issues and concerns. Despite the overwhelming growth and popularity of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and smartphone apps, when it comes to their ability to resolve problems, humans are still finding a 69% resolution rate when dealing directly with live telephone representatives.
While most people use six or seven different types of customer service channels, especially the rising millennial group, they have the least amount of interest in using these online venues to resolve problems. Once they have hung up the phone, the most-used customer service channels are through websites, interactive voice response – IVR, email, visits to a physical location, live chat, smartphone apps, text messages, social media and online forums – most addressed through the use of UC.
Choosing and implementing an affordable and effective UC system doesn’t mean the death of human interaction through VoIP, but rather the rebirth of improved customer service. While today’s technologies through communications are more they mere spoken words, it doesn’t mean that we have to completely dismiss the practice of speaking with our valuable customers one-on-one.
