Why Social Media in Your Contact Centre should Now be “The” Priority

I declare a new telecommunications channel is born today. I am calling it Social Media Voice (or SMVoice for short). Mark my words people! Because in the next 12 to 18 months every Telecoms provider on the globe will be pushing SMVoice as a new communications channel for your contact centre, right up there with email, SMS, web chat and traditional voice).

Some time ago I posted this blog talking about the purchase of Skype from Microsoft. I talked about how I thought it showed Microsoft’s true colours and where it was setting its sights in the future. I talked about how some new an innovative moves are afoot and how the industry in general needs to be acutely aware of what to do next in this market.

What happened next took me a little by surprise. It was a move that was triggered by a move by Google which also might have taken Mark Zuckerberg a bit by surprise too. With Google announcing their own social network service (Google+) which combined the bet bits of Facebook with the ability to do live voice chat as well (a pretty standard feature for anyone who uses Google Mail these days), chances are Mark and his gang were probably well down the path of discussing deal with Skype. Microsoft saw the truth of it and, like a teenage daughter’s father on her first date, made sure they were in on the party in some way.

But I am not too bothered about the decision itself. It only was a matter of time. Facebook, with its pokes and apps and viral messages etc… is already looking a bit long in the tooth. They needed something to shake things up a bit. Well they weren’t the first. But as history always shows, its not always the first innovator that reaps the rewards.

The alliance between Facebook and Skype will open up a whole new market for people who have never used skype before. Alot of grannies, mothers, et al who use Facebook as a medium to keep in touch with their friends and loved ones will soon discover that they can actually speak to them in real time, for free. I see the potential for facebook phones in every lounge in the western world. with little flashes of people that are on Facebook… just press a button and start talking!

I am also very excited about the contact centre industry. Alot of companies I know have dabbled in social media, putting a like page on facebook, and tweeting their latest products and services. In general these have been run mainly from the marketing departments with the contact centre as the sideshow… marketing sees an email or a tweet and immediately forwards it onto the contact centre for a formalised response… this will turn things on its head, making the contact centre the main focal point for all customer interaction through social media. Imagine a button on a company’s facebook page. Click on it and get connected to the contact centre instantly and for no costs! preliminary call direction can also take place as well as customer ID &V (as they have already logged onto facebook, they have already certified themself).

And if you think its a great cost and effort to bring Skype services into your business, then think again. it costs about $7 a month per Skype line (which provides you with a virtual SIP line), and then ensuring your PBX can support sip trunks… and that’s about it. then, when Facebook is ready, you simply link your Skype numbers to your Facebook page and suddenly you have the ability to allow your customers to contact you by voice through your social media connections….SMVoice!

Customers who are not on Facebook will not necessarily notice anything. And, depending on your customer demographic, you may not require any of what we’re talking about. However, if you see your business as progressive, have a younger and more dynamic demographic (or endeavour to reach it), then introducing this feature will drive customers to you. The Generation Y and such will be deep into social media, and will prefer these methods of interactions, they will also realised the need to talk to people when required, especially on convoluted and complex matters, like home purchases or insurance claims, etc. using SMVoice (oohhh, I like the sound of that). Most people will have their Facebook page open most of the time. Imagine simply being able to key in something like ABC insurance claims into the search, going to their page and then clicking the button. Your company can immediately ID the customer, get their policy ID, etc… simples!

This could be the paradigm change that will usher in a serious move into IP voice for B2C markets, which never really took hold. For those savvy companies who enter into SMVoice will enjoy a more streamlined call flow from their customers, faster ID&V which will reduce overall talk times and reduce costs, entry into a larger audience and a USP that can be used through all forms of media… get it bedded down into your business now. don’t wait for the other guy… it as not as complicated as one might think. Dudes like me can show you how. I believe that this will be the next big communications channel and will be an essential element to simply be in the game in the not too distant future.

And a final thought on this subject…

Back in the late 90′s, after a great big Goliath called Microsoft got a proverbial bloody nose from a small upstart company called Netscape when trying to sell their internet browsers software, Bill Gates got up on stage at their annual conference and told the audience that he had made a mistake of judgement when assessing the potential of the Internet and Microsoft’s business. He told the audience, “The Internet is no longer a priority. It is now THE priority”.

My advice? Don’t be a Microsoft in the 90′s!