Amazon’s Mayday button could revolutionize banking

by. Jim Marous

It’s time for banks and credit unions to consider the potential of providing mobile banking customers single-click live customer support similar to Amazon’s Mayday button that is embedded on the latest Kindle Fire HDX tablets.

Similar to a virtual version of Apple’s store-based Genius Bar, without needing to wait in line or leave your house, a banking version of Mayday could provide both basic customer support as well as specialized or advisory services that could revolutionize both mobile and online banking.

This concept may seem like a major leap into the future for an industry that has yet to fully embrace 24×7 ‘push to talk’ or text-based customer support for the mobile or online customer or extensive video banking at physical locations, but as technology advances and more customers are relying on mobile, tablet and online banking, there is significant potential. And, with the desire to create powerful emotional connections with customers, live video may replace the telephone for customer support.
The Amazon service is easily accessible with a button on the Kindle HDX device home page. Press the Mayday engagement button and a customer sees a remote Amazon Tech Advisor on their screen within seconds (over the holidays, Amazon beat their goal of 15 second response with a 9 second average wait). While a customer can see the live advisor, the advisor can’t see the customer, just their screen. Once credentials are authorized, Tech Advisors can annotate the screen, change settings, download apps and do anything needed to help a customer step-by-step.

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