This article originally appeared in the December 2018 edition of Mobility magazine.
With Recent Innovations Come New Responsibilities
As every industry struggles to keep up with rapidly evolving technological advancements, they’re also struggling with a barrage of data security concerns that come with them. The world of mobility is no exception. On one hand, recent innovations are making program management easier for mobility managers, providing relocating employees with quicker answers via automated solutions, and putting mountains of real-time data into the hands of relocation management companies and clients alike. On the other hand, the stakeholders involved with these processes find themselves wondering just how we make sure all of that data stays protected.
Big Data and Relocation Technology
Technology is evolving at an exponential rate, providing us with capabilities and insights we had never imagined in the past. For example, companies are now able to send targeted emails to prequalified customers in specific areas; segment their customer populations, making them easier to understand; and easily assess big data at a moment’s notice. This is all thanks to the technology we can put into place to collect that data. When data is collected and stored properly, technology enables relocation management companies and their clients to retrieve key information in real time, and then to analyze data in sets—often called big data—to make better business decisions based on the patterns and associations it reveals.
Specific to mobility, we’re seeing RMCs invest in three primary areas of technology in an effort to improve efficiency, productivity, and awareness.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Because of the global nature of RMCs, virtual assistants and chatbots are becoming a growing area of interest. They provide the ability to automate processes, saving a tremendous amount of time and resources; they provide website visitors with immediate answers in any global time zone; they allow the host company to gather information about the visit; and they can spot trends in inquiries and responses, providing RMCs with valuable information on what visitors are looking for or need. While they’re not replacements for customer service representatives or a human touch, they can be a helpful enhancement and a guaranteed immediate contact during a visitor’s initial website visit, even after hours, when a live employee isn’t available. Best of all, AI isn’t static; it learns and adapts as data is processed over time.