In case you’ve been living on an island in Tahiti, with no communication to the outside world, you may not know how important mobile apps have become. In that case, let’s recap. Mobile apps are software applications designed to run on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. They dominate the time spent on mobile devices by 74% compared to mobile time spent on the web. Additionally, 75% of US adults will use a smartphone in 2017, while Millennials become more willing to make purchases within apps, (nearly 50% of them are making five or more in-app purchases annually). Today, most consumers are multi-channel users, meaning they channel hop from desktop, mobile, and phone, throughout a transaction; this makes mobile support increasingly important.
A mobile application is essential for a multitude of reasons, namely to support customer service and enhance the experience. Importantly, mobile apps can put out fires that could otherwise cost you big time. Here are 4 ways your mobile app helps to prevent customer service disasters:
The customer experience has transformed significantly over the last century. From 1900 until the 1960s we saw the age of manufacturing, where mass distribution of products eventually ushered in the age of distribution to serve a global economy of buyers. By the 1990s, computer and internet communications graced us with the age of information, where those holding the keys to unlock valuable consumer data rule supreme. Today, we’ve entered a brand new era of customer service: The age of the customer, which calls for technology and industry leaders to catch up to increasing customer demands. Innovations like virtual assistants, chatbots, drones, and self-service portals are beginning to play a huge role in meeting customer expectations. But before we can consider these tools successful, we must acknowledge that there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Each year companies lose an estimated ![[Video] 3 Takeaways from Our Google Hangout: Call Center Trends](https://fonolo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Video-3-Takeaways-from-Our-Google-Hangou.jpg "[Video] 3 Takeaways from Our Google Hangout: Call Center Trends")
Last week, Fonolo hosted yet another insightful Google Hangout, discussing the top 3 call center trends for 2016. This was our first ever hangout with just the Fonolo team. This fabulous panel shared their comments on where the contact center industry is heading this year. To save you some time, we’ve extracted video snippets showcasing highlights from the discussion.![[Slideshare] Predicting the Future of the Contact Center](https://fonolo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Slideshare-Predicting-the-Future-of-the-Contact-Center.png)
There are over 2 billion smartphones in use right now. And in developed countries, penetration is approaching 100%. Mobile phones have changed consumer behaviour more than any technology in recent memory, perhaps since the invention of the car.
It’s clear that it’s a multi-channel world for contact centers with 
