Technology has been a driving force in the industry, where new processes and machines are used to create more products faster and at a cheaper cost. At the same time, technology is being increasingly used in logistics and retail to enhance customer experience.
Technology is being used in the service industry to bring about a revolutionized customer experience. Newer technologies are being combined with traditional services to outperform competitors, gain more market share and increase profit margin.
Consumers are benefiting from a novel buying experience that makes purchasing much easier and fun. Since the pandemic, stores and service outlets have made efforts to introduce new processes designed to bring the products to the customers or bring back the customers. If you have a store or a service, the following are some of the new processes and technology worth looking at.
Livestreaming sales through social media.
Sales are not only about getting the customers to come into your store. It’s also about increasing awareness of your brand. The best way to get this done is through social media. One way of doing this is by live-streaming the sales process before or after a sale on Facebook or Instagram pages. It allows prospects and existing consumers to interact with you. Additionally, small stores can have live streaming sales rallies or pitches where buyers can order online and in real-time.
Chatbots.
Most new sales apps and online shops have chatbots that help the customer navigate through the site. This way, a new user does not have to sit on the site and look for what they want. The chatbot knows precisely what that person wants based on their search history-meaning more purchases from that customer within that store.
Upselling is a standard procedure in stores and with store clerks or counter personnel. Chatbots can offer more upselling opportunities because of their access to information about the person or user.
Using Self-Service Apps in Shops.
These apps make it easier for people to buy products without having the shop clerks do all the work. For companies that rely on self-service, this means more sales and less cost on labor.
Customers can use these apps even when connected to a competitor’s network. It is because the app has been loaded with barcodes for each product. If a customer cannot find what they want on the app, customer support is always available to purchase for them. Even some stores allow you to go in, pick your items, and leave, with your purchases automatically covered by your credit or debit card.
Some services shops use these apps not just to login customers on entry but also when requesting services. Services that can make use of these apps include bowling alleys, sports shops, and salons. For example, a shooting range live fire targeting system can come in handy in setting up targets in shooting ranges.
More Automation from Order, Payment, and Delivery
Logistics has seen tremendous changes due to automation and new processes. Dropshipping from third-party vendors in shopping sites has benefited a lot from the advances in logistics.
Gone are the days when shoppers would go to a store and wait for half an hour before being served. In stores that rely on automated processes, the customer’s order is taken as soon as they enter the store and processed through a queue for payment. For shops with no cashiers or do not require human checkout processing, the products are drop-shipped to customers after their payments.
The same technology is being adopted by online stores, where orders placed through apps are processed immediately, and the order is sent out the same day/night, with no human interaction required. This level of automation helps keep overhead low for businesses that rely on these systems.
Geolocation Services
In addition to cashless payment systems, geolocation services are gaining traction in the service industry. Shoppers could be walking around a mall when they get stuck on what to buy. In this case, what they do is pull out their phones, load the store’s app and make their purchase from there. The items are then delivered directly to their home.
Geolocation services are available on smartphone applications and through dedicated web apps. Users can go to any store they want or service they need and search for the most convenient location based on their current coordinates. Alternatively, maps and navigation systems, as well as courier services, can easily see the site of businesses, stores, and services on their smartphones and computers. It allows companies to make use of push advertising to attract customers.
Customer service is vital for any business to succeed. It doesn’t matter what industry that business is in. Good customer experience helps keep customers loyal and keep businesses afloat. Stores and businesses use each of the technologies above separately or together to deliver more convenience for businesses and their clients.
