Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/765783
Consumer Electronics Daily News 5 5 Saturday, January 7, 2017 costs, in most cases the well goes dry. Why isn't customer service meeting the expectations of the consumer? Maybe the department is outsourced overseas, causing training challenges or a feeling of disconnect. Maybe customer service phone numbers are difficult to locate and IVRs are used to keep people from reach- ing a human. Maybe representative train- ing time has been cut. Whatever the cuts are, one group of customers is not as happy and loyal as it could be – boomers and sen- iors – and that group controls 52 percent of U.S. consumer package goods spending. It may be hard for Millennials to understand this problem. Millennials grew up with companies like Google and Uber that don't have humans providing customer service because Millennials don't need the same help getting up and running with services or learning about new features as older adults do. Older consumers often need help getting famil- iar with new technology and need sup- port and encouragement to continue use. There aren't many companies out there trying to wow customers with serv- ice. Therefore, the door is open to use customer service as a competitive differ- entiator. Customer service is more than just a cost. Part of the problem is viewing customer service only as a cost, rather than an opportunity to gain the trust and loyalty of customers. For companies serving the GreatCall (Cont'd. from p. 1) older adult or senior market, customer service is a key driver of lifetime value. It extends beyond improving customer sat- isfaction to simply building loyalty. By establishing strong, trusted customer relationships, companies earn the right to sell new products and services to existing customers, increasing the revenue per customer. As companies develop a larger port- folio of products and solutions that need to be sold and serviced, the competency of the customer service team must also increase. Experts must be trained and able to make a complex array of solutions feel simple to the customer. A team that can evaluate customer needs and make sensi- ble product recommendations that add value to customers' lives is necessary, as is a team that truly believes in the company mission and knows they are the company as far as customers are concerned. This type of team should be seen as an invest- ment in customer care and wellbeing, rather than as an unnecessary expense. Welcome customer service back home. Whether the customer service depart- ment is across an ocean or in a separate part of the office, consider what could happen by bringing them back into the company. Not just insourcing, but truly integrating the team into company cul- ture. You may be surprised at the value that could be unleashed. For more information, go to www.great call.com or stop by booth #43418. address these issues, and my subsequent challenges with existing electric battery technology led to the creation of the Immotor Super Battery. CEDN: What would you say makes your company unique? DH: Immotor GO is redefining the future of personal transportation with a transformative electric personal vehicle featuring an ultra-portable design and first-of-its-kind power source – the Immotor Super Battery, a safe and eco- friendly power solution that makes it possible for you to GO without limita- tions. CEDN: What was the most significant event or series of events affecting your company over the past year? DH: The most significant event has just been getting the company off the ground and developing our first products, the Immotor GO and the Super Battery. We are very fortunate to have some fantastic partners in GGV Capital and YunQi Partners who have believed in our com- pany mission from the start and are sup- porting our growth. CEDN: Tell us how the Immotor GO will stand out in the marketplace. DH: The Immotor GO is already a com- plete re-invention of what used to be con- sidered a child's toy, and we expect it to make a big impact. We will continue to push the envelope on the personal mobility front, but also expect to introduce products like e-strollers and electric wheelchairs, all powered by the Immotor Super Battery. CEDN: Why are your products or servic- Immotor (Cont'd. from p. 1) es the best value for your customers? DH: Traffic congestion and densification of urban environments are on the rise, making the need for innovative personal transportation more pressing than ever. The Immotor GO also offers a much more affordable option for young adults not interested in purchasing a car and all the costs associated with ownership and use – parking, insurance, registration, fuel, etc. The GO is designed to be a transportation companion that never has to leave your side. The GO proposes a very clear value – it is a luxury personal transportation device for the price of a smartphone. In terms of the Super Battery, our solution offers tremendous potential value for many industries. Time to mar- ket will be dramatically reduced when using the standardized and programma- ble high power Immotor Super Battery. Battery development time now can be reduced from nine to 12 months down to two weeks. Costs of developing a power source are virtually eliminated. Safety concerns and risks are mitigated as we pre-test and pre-certify every single Super Battery with months of testing. CEDN: How do your products or servic- es enhance your customers' ability to compete in the marketplace? DH: The Immotor Super Battery enables chief executive officers, entrepreneurs, designers and product developers to ful- fill their innovative dreams and achieve maximum potential by removing many of the hurdles, costs and risks associated with battery development, as well as sav- ing time, resources and money. For more information, go to www .immotor.com or stop by booth #CP27. Our kit plugs directly into the breaker panel to give homeowners circuit-level insights into energy usage and production throughout your entire home. With CURB, you can see how specific appli- ances and rooms are drawing energy, and if you have solar panels, you'll get insight into your energy earn and spend. CEDN: What problem are you trying to solve? EN: CURB is focused on fundamentally changing the way we all use energy, and it all starts with awareness. You don't have to be an early adopter to find the value in CURB. The way we're billed for energy is like getting a grocery bill a month later that only shows the total. In contrast, CURB shows homeowners exactly how much all their appliances cost in real time. Getting clear data on what every room and major appliance in your home is costing you is a critical step to saving energy in a way that benefits your wallet and the environment. CEDN: Why is CURB an innovative problem solver in the smart home mar- ket? EN: There seems to be no shortage of smart home products today. However, most of these are centered around con- trolling devices. What the market is missing is the big picture: understanding CURB (Cont'd. from p. 1) what is going on in the home. Controlling devices remotely and autonomously may be fun, but these products don't provide any actionable, long-term value or help people make decisions. That's the missing piece of the puzzle that CURB is creating. CURB is like the Fitbit or HealthKit of the home's central nervous system. By measuring and providing data on all activity flowing into and through the home's breaker panel, CURB is the only smart home product that can help you make better decisions on how you spend energy in your home. CEDN: What are you showing at CES? EN: CURB is hosting a live demo in the Smart Energy Marketplace pavilion (CP- 21) in the Central Plaza. We'll be installing our hardware and software on the live microgrid that powers the entire Smart Energy Marketplace section. We are also installing a CURB system on the NXP Smarter World Tour bus, which is a rolling smart home. Attendees get to see in real-time the amount of energy being consumed by appliances in the space dur- ing the show, and learn how having this level of insight will influence energy- saving behavior. For more information, visit CURB at booth #SE-5 inside CP-21 (the Smart Energy Marketplace section), call 844.629.2872, email info@energycurb.com or go to www.energycurb.com. VULOG ANNOUNCES EXPANSION INTO THE UNITED STATES Vulog, the world leader for the new gen- eration of car sharing technology, announced its expansion into the United States, as it continues to build on its suc- cesses in Europe and Canada. Free-floating car sharing has emerged as a major trend in Europe, pop- ular with modern urbanites who appreci- ate the convenience of one-way travel. Its flexibility fits people's everyday needs, and as such, Vulog's technology has played a key part in major new mobility operations across the globe, facilitating more than 10 million trips in 2016. "Consumers are increasingly demanding new mobility services in their city to go from A to B with simple, effi- cient and affordable solutions," said Gregory Ducongé, Chief Executive Officer of Vulog. "We expect behaviors and expectations to continue evolving; this is still the beginning of the urban mobility revolution and Vulog is very well positioned for this tremendous opportunity." Fueled by a $9.44 million invest- ment in 2015, Vulog is primed for con- tinued international growth. The compa- ny has more than doubled its YoY rev- enues in 2016, and is constantly adding to its world-class team, most recently appointing Alex Thibault as Vice President of Business Development in North America. Vulog is showcasing new innova- tions for the free-floating, connected car. With thousands of cars plugged into its technology and millions of trips in the books, Vulog is significantly out- pacing its peers. In 2017, the group plans to expand its partnerships with various operators in the United States and globally. About Vulog Vulog is the world leader in the new gen- eration of car-sharing technology. Vulog offers end-to-end solutions enabling mobility operators to launch large-scale car-sharing services. The solutions pro- vide robust in-car technology, complying with automotive standards, a fleet man- agement back office and white-labeled mobile pps offering a seamless and intu- itive user experience. For more information, visit www.vulog.com.