In a world where many firms offer similar or substitute products, outstanding customer service could be the competitive differentiator that sets your business apart. And one compelling practice in effective customer service is to know your customers name. It has been said that “Nothing is sweeter than the sound of a person’s own name.”
So what if you are a business owner that has difficulty remembering people’s names?
One solution is to learn some memorization techniques or follow some name recognition techniques. But that is so Customer Service 1.0.
Another solution is to faithfully use a CRM (customer relationship management) database to keep track of your customer’s names, purchase history, and other relevant data. To be sure, this is a good idea and should be a tool in every social entrepreneur’s toolbox. But let’s face it, CRM databases can be difficult to maintain and they don’t travel well. In short, using a CRM database to help with remembering your customer’s name is so Customer Service 2.0.
Get ready for the arrival of Customer Service 3.0 technologies. Imagine being able to look up your customer’s name, their social networking information regardless of where you are. This is one of the many promises of mobile facial recognition software. Using this technology one could simply use their mobile phone’s camera to immediately pull-up the relevant client data. Firms such as Viewdle already have products on the market and Apple recently purchased the facial recognition software company Polar Rose, a facial recognition software company. It won’t be long before additional software applications arrive on the market that are specifically designed with a small business marketers in mind. These applications will usher in the Customer Service 3.0 era.
Despite the many positive uses of facial recognition software, we at Social Entrepreneur’s Toolbox also recognize the potential negative uses of such applications. Consumer privacy needs to be addressed by both industry and civil society and best practices need to be developed. Fortunately, organizations such as Tagmenot are surfacing in the marketplace to help address such concern.
So readers, what do you think are some of the positive ways facial recognition technology can be responsibly used in your businesses? And equally important, what steps would you take to make sure you protected the privacy of your customers?
I believe the only way of protecting consumers’ privacy online is through private database. By now, we are already familiar with the possibilities and threats of the Internet. However most users don't realize how broad and elusive Internet is. Search engines can only reach a percentage of the information "stored" in the World Wide Web, the rest is called the Deep Web. Our personal data, interests and now even our physical description could be lost in there. By creating reliable database the company can ensure customers privacy.
ReplyDelete(More information on the Deep Web:
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/InvisibleWeb.html)
Interesting post, Chris. At this point, I would say that the integration of the current and upcoming technologies will be able to cover all the requirements of the business. In this case, if one would find a way to integrate CS 2.0 (CRM) with CS 3.0 (name and facial recognition), then not only will utilize the given technologies, but also safeguard customers' privacy. CRM has been known to simplify and automate all data that it accepts and complimenting it with the mobility of CS 3.0 will notch Customer Service a level higher.
ReplyDeleteCarlene Schnitzer
Heya¡my very first comment on your site. ,I have been reading your blog for a while and thought I would completely pop in and drop a friendly note.
ReplyDelete. It is great stuff indeed. I also wanted to ask..is there a way to subscribe to your site via email?
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