Customers want to get connected. Redialing, searching, waiting and winding up in the wrong place all increase your chances of missing a sale. Connecting mobile phone callers with the right location can be an even greater challenge.
Mobile Location Routing fills a critical gap and ensures that callers always get connected. And it doesn't require a mobile app.
Georouting -- or sending incoming customer calls directly to the right store or business location rather than through a call center -- has greatly improved the customer experience for many organizations.
But it has been difficult to accurately locate and route mobile phone callers, due to the lack of a national directory, number portability, and the fact that mobile means the caller can be almost anywhere.
Mobile location routing fixes this problem. It allows all cell phone callers to be routed to the nearest store or business location based upon their actual current location, regardless of the sophistication level of their mobile devices.
How Does It Work?
When customers initiate calls to your branded toll free number from any mobile phone, they will be provided with a method for opting-in to have their location identified. This can be as simple as an automatic prompt, such as “Press 1 or stay on the line to be directed to the nearest store based upon your current location.”
If the service area will be somewhere other than the caller’s location, additional options can be provided to allow a caller to enter a zip code or other information.
Triangulation with two or more towers creates an intersecting area where cell tower transmission areas overlap.
Once the caller gives permission, triangulation off the cell phone towers in real time determines his or her location in order to make a call-routing decision. Using the caller’s location, the call is then automatically connected to the most appropriate store location based upon whatever parameters you have defined.
This real-time call-routing decision can factor in the caller’s location along with the time of day or the day of the week, availability of your staff, past call history, and dozens of other data-driven criteria. More advanced options can include drive time or proximity to service providers who are also mobile rather than brick-and-mortar based.
How will it help you?
These days, brands likely have a variety of customers who like to interact via a variety of mediums, from landlines and feature phones to smartphones with apps, websites, and even social media. The name of the game is to make your brand as easily accessible as possible.
Mobile location routing can help. Even if you have a mobile application that allows users to locate your nearest store, you can’t guarantee that users will have enabled their mobile phones’ GPS or that your app will be used on a regular basis.
Plus, you may have a number of callers trying to reach your company by calling on a feature phone that doesn’t handle mobile apps. So you really can't rely on a mobile app alone.
Mobile location routing is an excellent “gap-filler,” so to speak, ensuring that customers trying to reach your brand can be directed to the most appropriate location seamlessly. This delivers a consistent customer experience for all callers, regardless of their device.