5 Ways Businesses Are Using Tech to Improve Customer Experience

Tuesday, 09 October 2018 19:01 News Company Business Connections - Marketing
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Tech has always been a double edged sword, every day it manages to provide convenience while adding complexity to our lives. This is especially true when we consider the area of online commerce. When used with intelligence and forethought, technology has the potential to make your customers’ buying experience faster and more satisfying. Case in point, even small businesses are starting to automate sales and marketing funnels, simply because they speed up the process and make it easier for potential customers. As a result of this automation, businesses are able to offer their customers a better customer experience while improving long-term relationships and potential decreasing overheads.

Whether it involves the creation of an app that enables customers to access real-time information or provide them with an easier way to handle transactions, many businesses are dipping their toe in the tech waters, to see how they can boost customer satisfaction with their own business. Below are five ways businesses are using tech to improve customer experience:

1. Innovative Smartphone Apps

These days, most people would feel naked leaving home with their smartphone. With smartphone ownership rates exceeding 85% in Australia, you would be hard pressed to find a person without a smartphone at any waking moment in their day to day lives. Indeed, the list of tasks consumers are using their smartphones to perform grows with each passing day, which explains why there is a proliferation of mobile apps from various brands trying to connect with their customers outside the usual channels. How these apps are used depends very much on the business using them, whether it be a fast way to order food, real time updates on stock prices or even just the convenience of being able to check the weather instantly, rather than waiting for the weather report on the news.

2. Better Phone Mobility

The percentage of people who feel more comfortable making inquiries or purchases digitally through a smartphone rather than making a call, increases with each passing day. Being digitally ready to take an appointment or purchase order has become the standard rather than a special offering, and businesses who do not take heed of this are already being left behind.

A great example of this is photo processing. The industry as a whole was quite resistant to technological change, so much so that quite famously the company that invented digital camera technology actually ended up being destroyed by it when they did not take advantage of their own head start. Now with the advent of high quality digital cameras, you can take photos anywhere and still have multitude of processing options such as printing them onto canvas or sharing over social media. Technology has not only changed how we take our photos, it has also changed how we interact with them. We’ve come a long way from waiting weeks to get grainy photos developed onto paper.

3. Numerous Payment Options

Today, consumers can take advantage of the almost countless payment options when purchasing items. This is welcome news for the individuals who forget to carry their debit or credit cards, as well as the consumers who prefer to make payment using their mobile phones. With options like Android Pay, Square, and Apple Pay, mobile payment is widely adopted by many brands. Stripe and Paypal in particular have really improved the experience local services customers have, as they no longer have to pay cash for services such as lawn mowing or window cleaning. More often than not, the provider has a mobile swipe card reader, a huge advantage for both the service provider and the customer.

4. Touch-Screen Kiosks


This popular technology has been embraced by the fast-food restaurants for the simple reason that it enables an expedited ordering process with less reliance on human staff. McDonald’s is a good example of an establishment that recently launched the self-serve kiosks in different parts of the country. By using the touch-screen ordering technology, consumers get a good opportunity to customize their orders and make unique combinations. It also helps the restaurants maintain competitive pricing, as each touchscreen ordering booth helps keep staffing costs down. Though the process is still going through iterations of improvement, it is obvious that the future of fast food ordering lies in these touchscreen units.

5. 3-D Body Scanners

A good number of retail manufacturers are finding it necessary to leverage on the incredibly useful 3-D body scanning technology. Instead of depending on the limited sizing systems, the manufacturers are using this ground-breaking technology to ensure customers have the best possible fit. The clothing boutique stores that serve female professionals use body scanners to get precise body measurements, as this enables the creation of custom clothing.

When considering the type of technology your business can incorporate in the daily operations, your customers should be your priority. Whether you are considering the development of a user-friendly mobile app, seamless mobile payment options, touch-screen kiosks or any other modern technological innovation, you should focus on your customers while providing them with the best experience.