Right-Time Experiences: Driving Revenue with Mobile and Big Data

Chapter 4Communications in a Right-Time Experience

We've continually created new and more meaningful ways to communicate over the ages. We've seen the invention of the telephone and the adoption of video chats over smartphones. With so many different ways to communicate, one must wonder, what's different about a right-time experience communication?

Communications in a right-time experience context has two components. The first is to create better, faster, and easier ways to communicate with customers, employees, prospects, and partners. One thing that's different today is our ability to communicate with an individual in many different ways, not only by email, but also by text, video, and social media. These new communications methods are present in and bridge both our personal lives and the business world. According to Microsoft, 72 percent of all companies are deploying at least one social software tool.¹

The second difference is that connected sensors on a wide range of objects can transmit information that was never available or was difficult to gain access to before. This is data from what's frequently called the Internet of Things, and it opens up a world of possibilities for communications.

Communications Move from Generic to Contextual

So many of the communications we have today are generic: They are messages like “Save 20% on this” and “Buy this now.” For example, Bed Bath & Beyond continually sends me the same text messages. It's rarely a message that says a certain ...