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Real-time, it’s something we’ve grown accustomed to in the way we manage information and we want the responses that come from companies we do business with delivered in the same way. We don’t want to wait for a response and we don’t want to wait in a queue. In today’s instant gratification way of doing business, your customer service software better support real-time or you’ll be helping your competitor gain more market share.

A recent Forbes piece by H.O. Maycotte stresses the importance of real-time and how a failure to collect data and respond in real-time is what sets the successful brands apart from those that barely survive. And he has a point – are you willing to wait on the brand that takes 24 hours to answer your request or would you rather spend your money with the brand that not only answered your request immediately, but also gave you a customized response?

This is one of the benefits of collecting information in real-time: companies have the benefit of responding with a personalized approach to ensure you have the satisfying experience you desire. At the same time, it’s a great way to glean information from you that can help improve a product or service solution. Customers who are providing feedback are actually providing quality insight with considerable value.

At the same time, the information captured could have opportunity for value beyond the customer at hand. For instance, the customer may be giving you feedback not about your product or even your brand, but your processes. They may also be communicating about the quality of the experience due to something beyond your control. This scenario can be both good and bad. For instance, a local boil order could render your restaurant down for the night, while an overabundance of produce due to an ordering error could produce a fantastic sale.

If you’re not leveraging your customer service software solution to communicate these things in real-time, you’re missing out on an opportunity to improve the customer’s perception of your brand. Any time you have the opportunity to go above and beyond customer expectations, you can quickly turn customers into happy advocates. They’re excited about the effort you take to deliver quality care and they’re anxious to share it with others.

Don’t forget that you also need to include the mobile experience, but don’t do mobile only. The key is to understand the wants and needs of your customer base and respond accordingly. When you’re collecting information in real-time and using it as it comes in, you’re much more in tune with what your customer needs, how they want to receive it from you and how timely you need to be in your response. If your customer service software isn’t doing that for you, time to look elsewhere for your solution.