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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Is the age of virtual customer service near?


This week’s Springwise.com newsletter offers an interesting business function to consider:  Customer service or sales assistance, via streaming video.  Click here to read the story.

Implications:   Some people prefer to walk into a bricks and mortar store to speak with a salesperson.  Some people prefer to shop online because it is often cost- and time-efficient.

Must the two be mutually exclusive?  Absolutely not.

Recently, I was shopping for an item online, and my session was interrupted by a phone call.  Noting the delay, the intuitive website I was using popped-open with a chat-box, offering me real time assistance if I was having problems with the site.

Later today, I’ll be holding a brainstorming session with a client via Skype.

Is there any reason your product or service could not be explained/demonstrated in video calls with customers?  If there are reasons, watch them melt away as this technology is more widely adopted at the consumer level... and as the price of fuel makes stopping (or stopping back) at a store less cost-efficient.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

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