Data can help companies take risks with customer service

In an increasingly competitive business world, many firms are choosing to take more risks with their customer service in an effort to impress consumers and earn their devotion for the long haul. Customer loyalty is a forgotten value - people are fickle with their retail merchants, banks and other services, and companies must be willing to gamble if they want to bowl people over and prove their mettle.

1to1 Media recommends that in order to evolve for the better, companies should be willing to invent on their customers' behalf. Venturing into new business innovations can be risky, but it can be even worse if firms let their technology and their customer service avenues become stale.

Jeff Bezos, chairman and chief executive officer of Amazon.com, told 1to1 that companies can't get stuck with the status quo in customer service.

"What's dangerous is not to evolve," Bezos told the news source. "You have to have a willingness to fail. It's not enough to just listen to customers - you have to invent on their behalf."

How big data can help
There are many, many ways that companies can introduce new technologies to improve their customer service initiatives. It can be difficult to sift through all the possibilities and determine which strategy is best. Luckily, big data can help in this regard.

If companies are able to tap into survey information on which features of their customer service departments consumers appreciate most, they can make more informed decisions. First, they need to collect information on their customers and their background information. Where do they come from? How do they spend their money? How do they contact their favorite brands - on the phone, online or via mobile apps? Once companies have gathered this information, they can use address management software and other similar solutions to ensure data quality. Past this stage, they can begin to make better decisions based on quality business intelligence.

According to IDC survey data cited in another 1to1 Media report, more than 1.2 zettabytes - that's 1.2 trillion gigabytes - of digital data was generated globally in 2010. That figure is expected to reach nearly 8 zettabytes by 2015. There's a wealth of information out there waiting to be tapped, and the firms that make the best use of it will gain a competitive edge on their rivals. If companies want to upgrade their customer service initiatives, there is plenty of information out there to help.