Business

We’re bringing back What We Follow Friday on the blog. The internet is teeming with new data, interesting stories, breaking news and so much more every single day and it’s easy for the important information to get lost in the noise. That’s why we’re sharing some of our favorites from around the web with you every Friday.

Here’s what we’ve picked this week:

7 Deadly Sins of Financial Management
“Financial management is the beating heart of every single business. Money pumps in, money pumps out, and it’s critical to ensure you’re following the right regimen to maintain the health of the organization.”

What You can Learn From the Bad Boys of Entrepreneurship
“Zac Bissonnette talks about bad people that became successful entrepreneurs, why entrepreneurs can’t take their own advice, and the best pieces of career advice that he learned in the research for his book.”

The Brilliant Business Theory Behind Wu-Tang Clan’s Disruptive Plan
“When you consider the concept of differentiation, you might be tempted to think of it only in terms of end products for consumers: The qualities and traits that distinguish brands of cars, deodorants, and sports drinks from each other. But there’s another way to think about differentiation. It’s to ask yourself: How might my company differentiate itself from its competitors before the product reaches customer hands?”

The Evolution of Recurring Revenue
“Building a recurring revenue stream is a proven way to grow business and disrupt entire markets. Most people associate modern companies like Netflix and Hulu for disrupting their respective industries with a recurring offering but they weren’t the first.”

[Infographic] These are the Weirdest Things Thousands of People Google Every Month
“Google is obviously an amazing informational resource, summoning all the secrets of the universe in less than .2 seconds. It serves as an oracle, unto which we project all our desires, fears, and mild concerns. Although each of us has our own protective battle to fight over anyone in our family groups discovering what’s in these histories, that information is still out there in the world. And as it turns out, some rather weird searches are shockingly common.”

If you come across an article you think we should be reading, tweet it to us, post it to our Facebook page, or leave us a comment at the bottom of the page!

One factor that has certainly driven the growth we have seen in remote work in recent years is the advancement we have witnessed in technology. It is clear that recent technology advancements have made it easier to communicate and manage work without being located at the work location. However, exactly how has technology changed and what are some of the implications for remote work? Looking through the lens of the 4 Cs, we can take a closer look.

Communication

In the early days of remote work, communication was limited to phone and text-based email.  However, more advanced communication technologies, such as cell phones and web cameras, make it easy to send messages, data, and files anywhere and at anytime. These technologies also allow us to move beyond audio and text-based means of communication, so that we can transmit non-verbal cues, images, and videos.

Connectivity

Connectivity is so much easier and faster due to advancements in the areas of broadband, vpn, wireless, wi-fi, and LAN’s. For example, it has been estimated that currently 90% of households with a computer subscribe to broadband services. Broadband penetration has increased rapidly – only five years ago, this figure was at 65%. These connectivity advances increasingly allow us to work from anywhere, and the greater bandwidth supports more data rich forms of communication.

Collaboration

The creation of tools such as wiki’s, social networking sites like LinkedIn, remote desktop access, web-based applications such as GoogleDocs, and workflow systems make it easier for workers to collaborate from more locations. These tools not only allow workers to share information but also to collaborate on a work product simultaneously, in real-time.

Content Management Systems

These systems enable organizations to easily share, access, manage versions, secure and re-use content. Some examples include Document Management Systems, knowledge repositories, Content Management Systems, Digital Asset Management, and cloud computing.

In summary, technology advances have led to richer forms of virtual communication, improved connectivity, easier and more productive collaboration, and better management of content. Together,  these improvements are a big reason why we have seen such rapid growth in employees working outside the confines of the traditional office.

Most of the time my mobile device is physically in my hand or within a quick reach away. When I work out or go running, it is faithfully strapped to my arm. When I drive it is sitting patiently in the center cup holder. I acknowledge that it often sleeps next to me. And I am not alone with my mobile dependency.

It’s no surprise that contact centers want to know how to successfully support interactions from the mobile platform. 63% of recently surveyed contact center leaders say mobile is a competitive differentiator and 72% consider it a necessary service platform. Research also shows that when a mobile user is contacting customer support, they often have higher expectations than if they were coming into queue from chat, email or a landline. In fact, 42% of surveyed leaders claim this is true!

One really important nuance? URGENCY. Think about it. When you need to contact customer support from your mobile, you are probably in the middle of something that requires ASSISTANCE. NOW.

You could be shopping for those almost sold-out concert tickets while standing in line at Starbucks, or attempting to make last-minute anniversary reservations at your wife’s favorite restaurant while sitting in a meeting, or trying to rebook a missed flight while still idling on the tarmac. Perhaps you simply need to access your bank account to see if you really can afford that gorgeous pair of shoes you just found on the Gilt sale that’s ending in 3 minutes.

Regardless, you need to get answers now! Not in 10 minutes, and certainly not in 8 business hours. And you need to be able to access customer service from your device without interrupting the primary activity you are also engaged in. That’s another one of those vital mobile nuances.

Now consider being without all the amazing things your mobile device does for you every day. Imagine waking up one morning and your fancy phone couldn’t map out directions, retrieve email, access Scrabble, or log your pre-marathon training runs. That’s exactly what happened to me when I was in the Philippines for a project. I had prearranged with Verizon to have international data activated, but unfortunately when I arrived, the only thing my iPhone could do was place phone calls and receive text messages.

My epitomical multichannel device had left me momentarily one-dimensional.

Verizon may have a leg up because they are in the mobile space, but they do know mobile customer service. I had received a free welcome text message upon landing in Manila, which is the only reason I was able to quickly reach Roaming Support. I clicked the number and was immediately routed to an amazing agent that was determined to figure out my problem.

We used every troubleshooting mechanism available to us in my limited state, including a video SMS, texted screenshots, and several callbacks from him after changing settings and restarting my phone.

The agent was patient, funny, and competent. He gave me back the mobile device I loved, and in turn I shared some love back.

When I received a text message the next day requesting a CSAT survey response, you can be sure I completed it.

Just this morning I received a proactive automated reminder call from Verizon that a payment was due. I self-service paid directly by pushing a button and immediately received the receipt via SMS. I think it was the ease of the process that completely eradicated the pain of the payment.

Multichannel, mobile support done right.