Interesting. Some points on this timeline were new.
I'm not sure I equate self-service with customer empowerment. Self-service is a pretty transparent strategy to push more of the costs for customer service on to the customer. You replace the 2nd party of 'customer' with the first party term of 'self'. And (Presto!) you push all the costs and responsibilites for that customer's experience off your balance sheet, income statement and onto those of the customer. Now them and their selves are responsible for it, not you.
Neat. Cheap, too. Sometimes better, but always cheaper.
Social Media remains far more important than Mobile Payments for either customer empowerment or customer service. Customers now have a very simple, effective, tool to make their needs heard, globally and collectively, instantly and repeatedly, to brands of any size. That makes them a partner, a co-creator, a very important stakeholder. And you never push the costs of maintaining that account onto their 'self'.
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