Mobile is the Next Frontier in Customer Service

Experience

Mobile is the Next Frontier in Customer Service

By Erik Linask, Group Editorial Director  |  August 31, 2015

When Samsung (News - Alert) first launched its Galaxy S6 line earlier this year, one of its strategic goals was to increase its presence in the enterprise – not necessarily just within the enterprise-owned device market, but very much within BYOD enterprises.

With what are now its four latest enterprise-grade phones: Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, and Note 5, Samsung has delivered a series of devices that will meet the business and personal needs of nearly every user.

Of course, security is a key element. Samsung has responded with KNOX, its proprietary embedded software solution that combines hardware and software-based security elements to ensure maximum protection, including the separation of personal and corporate apps. In fact, many of the features don’t require IT intervention – they are available to individual users through the My KNOX app.

“The new devices are the obvious choice for professionals who want the highest level of protection,” explained Injong Rhee, executive vice president of Samsung Electronics, at a recent launch event. “Out of the box, KNOX takes your security to the next level with defense-grade security built right into the devices.”

The reference is to the collaboration with federal agencies, including the NSA, when developing KNOX. Perhaps more importantly, though, it reinforces Samsung’s belief that mobility is the path to enabling employees to deliver a quality customer experience to their customers. That philosophy has been core to the development of its latest devices, ensuring enterprise users can work how they need and want.

American Airlines travelers, for instance, have likely noticed over the past several years that legacy flight crew technology has been replaced by the Samsung Note to create an enhanced travel experience. Last year, the airline upgraded to the Note 3, on which flight teams run more than a dozen individual apps that allow them to provide superior service, including but not limited to a more efficient beverage and food service process. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is also the device of choice offered to first and business class passengers on many flights, replacing its legacy entertainment platform.

Billy Howes, senior mobility team lead for American Airlines, discussed the migration to the Note at the B2B portion of Samsung Unpacked 2015: “We had to find a device that was neither too big nor too small, and would provide the value back to the airline in terms of experience and performance in the cabin.”

American chose Samsung based on its experience with business mobility and a high level of trust that the two organizations could work effectively together to turn a consumer device into a successful enterprise device.

“Samsung really helped make sure we did that with the Note 1 and, since then, has been with us the whole time,” he added.

Howes and Ikram Farooqui, mobility team manager at American Airlines, agree that the key to successfully implementing a mobility project is flexibility. Not only is the market evolving rapidly, but customer expectations are changing just as quickly, and listening to customer feedback is paramount to success. The last thing a business should do is force feed a product or solution to its customers. Rather, businesses should understand what they want and find a partner that will collaborate with business teams to develop solutions to meet customer requirements.

The bottom line is this: Mobility is not a nice-to-have any longer; it is core to our personal as well as corporate identities. That includes the choice of devices, which is not only about functionality - a combination of hardware, software, and services coming from collaboration with a trusted partner – but also a sense of pride. When users enjoy their devices, they are much more likely to leverage them to maximum capacity, allowing the feature-rich smartphones and tablets, with native and purpose-built applications, to help deliver an experience customers seek. American Airlines understands this, and it has found a partner in Samsung, which shares that belief and has the experience to deliver – to the airline and, by extension, to travelers. Other businesses would do well to seek solutions that will help them service their customers better as well – it will ultimately determine long-term satisfaction and growth.




Edited by Dominick Sorrentino
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