We live in an era of fast-paced digital transformation in which modern-day consumers expect to find information when they want it, solutions when they need them and access to find both on their own. Self-service, social media, live chat, video conferencing, and unified communications and collaboration have been fostered because of developments in the domain of Real-Time Communications.
This blog will talk about the role of real-time communications in customer communication management (CCM) and how it offers a seamless customer experience. But first let’s have a deep dive into the concept of real-time communication.
Real time communication is defined as a means of sharing information and interacting with people through network connections just as if they were face-to-face. Digging into the technical aspects a little deeper, it’s any live (Real Time) telecommunications that doesn’t include transmission delays – it’s generally a peer-to-peer connection with minimal latency, and data from a real time communications application is delivered in a connected path between the source and destination.
What is Real-Time Communication?
As explained above, real-time communication is defined as any online communication that occurs in real-time. The data/ information is sent directly and instantly from the sender to the receiver and is not stored En-route to the destination.
You can consider the telephone to be a classic example of real-time communication.
This contrasts with time-shifting communication, where we send data and generally wait a period for it to be received, also another period before we receive a reply. Snail mail and e-mail are perfect examples of this type of communication.
Both the parties can respond to each other with the help of two methods. One type is half-duplex in which users can only send or receive at any time, but not both. The other is full duplex, which allows simultaneous sending and receiving.
Applications of Real-Time Communication
Real-Time Communications applications and solutions can be utilized in almost every industry: Financial Services, Contact Centers, Legal Firms, Healthcare, Education, and Retail can all leverage and improve processes with real-time communications applications.
However, one of the major domains where real-time communication is thriving is customer communication management. CCM Technology is all about leveraging the capability of real time communication and making the experience more dynamic and interactive for customers.
Let’s look at some of the major keywords related to real-time communications.
WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication)
One big keyword that you might have come across related to real-time communications is Web-based Real-Time Communications. It is an HTML5 technology that uses peer-to-peer connections to allow plugin-free communication over a browser. As the WebRTC technology is undergoing standardization many browsers are integrating it within their ecosystem.
Mobility
The other keyword that is fueling the growth of real time communications is mobility. Nowadays, customers have access to the same information, features, and functionality on their mobile devices as on their desktop computers. Being able to execute tasks and communicate from anywhere at any time has been a major driver in the growth of real time communications.
Before jumping on to the main topic of the blog, let’s look at some of the challenges related to real-time communication.
The Struggle is Real!
Many organizations struggle with a deficiency of real-time communication and control during the moments that matter most to their customers: when they are anxiously waiting for a product or service transaction. Moreover, having a clear picture of their preferred communication channel is also a point of concern for many companies.
Organizations also struggle with real-time content creation, real-time delivery, real-time insights, real-time reports, real-time process capabilities, and real-time management of customer-facing communications. All this results in a dent in the seamless customer experience
This struggle can be attributed to limited communication choices, reactive communication, overly broad delivery or service windows, and a lack of relevant data for decision making. All these factors can hit your company where it hurts the most.
How does real-time communication help businesses?
Real-Time Communication can help employees communicate with the team and organization without any hassle, no matter where they are. This boosts the productivity of the department and, ultimately, the whole organization.
RTC helps save a lot of time. We all know that a major chunk of time gets wasted trying to communicate with colleagues, clients, stakeholders, coordinate meetings, schedule events, etc. Real-time communication helps solve those issues, as it fosters coordination and communication in real-time.
It helps many businesses with customer service departments to handle customer queries and troubleshooting. This has created various jobs in customer care and customer service. It has also resulted in increased productivity for the business, as having a 24×7 customer service desk enhances customer satisfaction. This, in turn, boosts the chances of retaining customers and creating a pool of loyal customers.
Role of Real-Time Communication in Customer Communication Management
As mentioned above Customer Communication Management Platforms leverage the power of RTC to foster dynamic, interactive, and seamless customer experiences. A basic CCM framework always has an RTC module neatly integrated into it.
Moreover, with the help of a CCM technology any organization can set-up real-time content creation, real-time delivery, real-time insights, real-time communications, real-time reports, real-time process capabilities, and real-time management of customer facing communications. Also, a robust Customer Communication Management Solution offers automated messaging, omni-channel solution, cross-channel solution, and fosters seamless customer experience.
Here are some areas where CCM technology can be beneficial for your organization:
Inter-Team Communication
Bridge the gap between your marketing, sales, and other support teams, and provide them with the flexibility to collaborate in real-time and communicate deliverables across departments. Customer Communication Management Platform completely optimizes internal communications within any organization. With access to a common customer database and customer communication management tool, every team member can synergize and work together to deliver a consistent and seamless customer experience before, during, and after a sale.
Drive teams towards business objective
Every customer-facing team is required to complete daily tasks while also discovering new opportunities. A omnichannel customer engagement platform can offer milestone tracking, task lists, shared calendars, forums, and reporting that can help your teams stay organized and on track with their objectives – at every stage of the customer life cycle.
Collaborate Better
It is evident that your sales, marketing, and support teams are cross-functional, collaborating with each other to achieve a common goal. From idea generation to campaign execution, Customer Communication Managemet Software helps your teams to discuss ideas, share status updates, and communicate deliverables for quicker decision-making and enhanced transparency.
Always stay in the loop
Stay on top of projects and developments you care most about. Get instant notifications for upcoming meetings, tasks or support tickets assigned to you, customer record updates, and more. Receive immediate feedback from other team members using real-time communication capability.
Real-time conversations across multiple teams
The expansion of your teams is directly proportional to your business growth. You could end up wasting a lot of time finding the right information you want. CCM technology can help in unifying team communication in one place. With the help of a robust Customer Communication Management Platform you can connect with anyone in your organization in real time, share files and make calls, right from your desk.
Conclusion
Customer communication is the most vital process of any organization. Optimizing how you communicate with your customers should be on top of your business goals. Integration of a CCM solution into your tech arsenal can make the job easier. This Cloud-based SAAS Technology can lead to an interactive and seamless customer experience, which leads to a boost in share of wallet.