December 13, 2018
Say what you will about the Internet of Things, the technology is here, it’s relevant and it’s capable of improving customer experiences. Instead of turning a blind eye to what these machines are capable of, I recommend taking a look at how they can support your business and help you deliver personalized experiences to your customers.
Giving Machines a Voice
Earlier this year, Mitel put out an article titled, “Four Ways Giving Machines a Voice Boosts Customer Experience.” It’s a great explanation of how today’s technology enables machines and devices to connect a whole lot of dots on their own.
The idea of giving machines a voice isn’t meant in the traditional, human sense. Instead, it’s referring to having a machine connected to the Internet, capable of collecting or sensing analytics, analyzing data, drawing conclusions and alerting the proper channels as needed, at regular intervals or a combination of both.
Internet of Things Examples
Essentially, what happens is there is a device with some type of sensor. This sensor collects pre-programmed analytics, sends those analytics to a database and uses AI (artificial intelligence) and robots to sift through all the collected data to identify useable information.
Now, if what I’ve said so far doesn’t make too much sense, don’t worry. Here are a few real-world IOT applications to help illustrate my point.
1. Light bulbs
The traditional way of managing lightbulb replacement is to wait for a lightbulb to stop working and then replace it. This is an example of reactive problem-solving. With IoT technology, light bulbs can notify you when they’re reaching the end of their lifecycle, allowing you the opportunity to replace them before they burn out.
2. Hose Fittings
A sensor placed at the end of a hose fitting enables that fitting to measure the gallons per minute (GPM) of flow through the hose. The sensor continuously gathers the GPM reading and sends the data to an AI robot who analyzes it. If the GPM falls outside the normal rate, the AI will alert you with something like: “you need to check fitting #7289 on machine #32. Its GPM rate is low.”
3. Automotive Technology
Today’s new vehicles come with more data and analytics than drivers would know what to do with. Thankfully, that’s where AI comes in. All month long, sensors collect usage data: miles driven, tire pressure, Wi-Fi use, etc. The information is then analyzed by AI, which generates a monthly report with any and all relevant data.
IoT Devices are Here to Stay
I hope some of these Internet of Things examples have you thinking about opportunities your company might have to provide a better customer experience. IoT applications enable us to collect massive amounts of data and analyze it in ways that help us proactively resolve common issues, become aware of potential failures before they happen and help customers be more knowledgeable about the solution you’re delivering.
