Please Hang Up So I Can Serve You! Serving the Smartphone-Distracted Customer
March 28, 2012When you think about mobile devices and their impact on the in-person customer experience, have you considered that nearly 2 billion people will have Smartphones by 2017? If not, you should!
You should also consider how your employees serve these distracted customers.
- Do your new accounts personnel approach waiting customers, only to find them with their heads down, texting away?
- Do your servers wait for diners to look up from their cell phones?
- Do your retail associates stand awkwardly while a distracted cell phone talker holds up the line?
From restaurants to banks to retail stores and beyond, busy associates encounter the same challenge – customers who multi -task with cell phone conversations, texting or using an Ipad. In response to this growing phenomenon, we wanted to take a closer look at the ways that distracted customers impact customer experience in these industries.
Mobile-crazed Diners
Rather than embracing mobile trends, some restaurants simply ask customers not to use their cell phones inside their locations. For example,
Restaurant Sales Rebounding Slower than Retail and Automotive Sales did in 2010
February 2, 2011Nation's Restaurant News reports that casual restaurants grew sales at 1% in 2010, and projected growth annually for 2011 is not projected to be much higher. Some customers that previously dined out frequently now scale back restaurant visits or limit them to special occasions.