Top 10 Service Trends of the Future

Call center service provider Fonolo recently reported on “Top 10 Customer Service Trends for 2012.”

Customer service industry predictions stem from not only technological innovations, but also key managerial tactics such as insourcing and consideration of knowledge management principles.

Savvy managers of frontline service providers will incorporate these trends in their strategies for member interactions:

1. Mobile phones are increasingly prevalent, with more than 5.9 billion subscribers. Convenience and availability, along with capabilities to link with Twitter and Facebook, have put mobile use in big demand.

Mobile users will account for 50% of inbound business calls by 2016. Further, 36% of such calls will originate from smartphones.

2. Social media is another game-changing feature, as consumers can easily complain about their interactions with companies.

Notably, companies responded to customer complaints only 29% of the time, although 83% of those filing complaints appreciate a response.

This indicates businesses are slower than consumers to adopt new technologies. Businesses need to move platforms such as Twitter from one-way communication channels to opportunities for problem resolution.