Deciding on which smartphone to choose is not always easy. But now a virtual try-before-you-buy tool is helping Vodacom customers in South Africa answer the question while encouraging smartphone adoption.
Partnering with Xerox customer care company WDS, Vodacom has deployed WDS’s newly launched FreeRoam solution. FreeRoam gives customers the ability to explore devices through photo-realistic virtual simulations, delivering an immersive experience that lets them explore every aspect of a device, from the usability of its operating system to the position of the headphone socket.
“The current generation of simulators available on the market are really little more than photo-grabs that offer a very limited overview of a device,” says Håkan Cronqvist, chief knowledge officer at WDS. “Our research shows that the closer you can get to a like-for-like simulation, the greater the chance of converting a smartphone sale and avoiding the possibility that a device is returned or swapped for an alternative.”
Vodacom has partnered with WDS to deploy FreeRoam through its Web site.
“With so many choices on the market, it’s not always possible for customers to ‘test drive’ fully functioning devices, even in a retail store,” said Lana Strydom, EHOD of online self-service at Vodacom. “It’s a perfect way for customers to get a feel for whether the device is right for them and it’s already helping us to improve sales and reduce returns,” Strydom says.
FreeRoam also helps customer care agents troubleshoot and resolve questions more quickly. Vodacom plans to deploy FreeRoam at its contact centres where it can help accelerate an agent’s ability to find information.
“It will enable customer care agents to guide customers through the solution as if they had the same device in their own hand. It is expected that this functionality will reduce hold time and overall call duration, as well as provide customers with a more satisfying support experience,” says Strydom.
“FreeRoam can be deployed easily through a mobile operator’s website or in the customer care environment, where the tool’s speed and reactivity is able to scale to demand seamlessly.”
