Context Aware Computing - The Next Level Of Business

There has been a lot of buzz recently, focusing on the subject of context-aware computing. Constituent self-service and relationship marketing both fall under the umbrella of context aware computing.

Context-aware computing relates to the concept of organizations leveraging information about the end users, to improve the quality of interactions (Clark, et al, 2009).

Context aware systems are concerned with the acquisition of data/context (e.g. using intuitive questions) the understanding of context (e.g. matching relevant information), and the application of information. This information may be obtained through intuitive, interactive software or innovative user interfaces.

As Context-aware computing stands at an intersection of technology and information trends, leading analysts, Gartner, believe that context-aware computing is going to have a transformative effect on business (Clark et al, 2009).

With markets becoming increasingly competitive, it is imperative that companies understand the strategies and tactics required to engage customers at every level. Customer relationships are integral to organizational success and this stems considerably from the customer experience.

Social Media
The rise of new social media technology makes customer relationships more important than in the past. These platforms enable dissatisfied customers the potential to reach countless numbers of people; spreading the news of poor experiences to an ever-growing number of consumers (Maoz, 2009). The repercussions of “brand bashing” can be immense; organizations need to place considerable focus on customer experience management to ensure they maintain brand equity.

Customer Experience Management
The practice of customer experience management is defined by Gartner as: "Designing and reacting to customer interactions to meet or exceed customer expectations, and to increase customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy as a way to improve long-term profitability” (Maoz, 2009).

The advantages of customer experience management are plentiful; by capturing valuable data on customers, organizations are able to tailor services and ensure positive experiences, while safeguarding reputation and increasing customer satisfaction.

The Value Of Information
Information is one the most valuable asset many organizations have; if information is successfully leveraged to enhance the experience of the customer – the organization benefits greatly. It is the tiny details that turn customers away from a company; therefore, protecting the integrity of the brand and the reputation of the business depends on the ability to gather and correctly leverage this information (Maoz, 2009).

A focus on understanding the customer intent in seeking a product or service, and matching that with the business's needs, will help streamline business processes and drive profit (Maoz, 2009).

As highlighted by (Gartner, 2009), context-aware computing can help organizations to improve business processes, reduce enterprise costs, attract and retain new customers, improve workforce effectiveness, create new products and services, expand into new markets and geographies, and expand current customer relationships.

Public-Sector And Not-For-Profit
Additionally, public-sector and nonprofit organizations will benefit greatly from the ability to provide personalized services to their constituents (Clark & Lapkin, 2009); these industries often rely on goodwill and the public to support and facilitate day to day business activities.

Get ahead of the competition
Context-aware technology is a major trend that will continue to gain momentum throughout the next five years (Maoz, 2009). The result will be a vastly improved customer experience, which leads to lower customer dissatisfaction, increased customer loyalty to the brand, (including a increased likelihood that the customer will actively promote the brand to others), and lower service costs for each customer (Maoz, 2009).

In the commercial sphere, context-aware computing has the potential to facilitate the vastly improved targeting of goods and services; this ultimately results in an increase in top-line growth (Clark & Lapkin, 2009). By improving and enhancing customer intimacy and providing services exactly when customers need them, organizations are also nurturing customer loyalty – one of the most valuable, intangible acquisitions in existence.

Intelledox - Context Aware Technology
Intelledox falls into the category of context aware technology. The system bolts onto existing EDRMS to enhance their performance and ensure they are performing at optimal levels.

The Intelledox system features a public facing web form that enables the fast, accurate and simple capture of valuable data for use and re-use. Via an organization's website, dynamic questions are presented to the user. Through these questions, users are prompted by the system, to provide necessary information to create a document.

Intelledox pre-populates the public facing form with existing data along with corporate data, legal disclosure content and dynamic business rules – making filling in forms easy for customers and the management of regular forms less hassle. Intelledox saves time and money on postage, re-keying information and eliminates the risk of human error.

With Intelledox case management assistance, customers feel like people, not numbers; even with a very large customer base. As the system easily integrates with ChangePoint, workflow information, documents and forms are drawn and correspondence is saved automatically into TRIM. The system enables faster customer response times, as employees are made available to cater to customers inquiries.

Marketing and correspondence is highly personalized with Intelledox. Targeted and personalized messages can be generated and sent to your customers in their preferred format (electronically or printed). This also eliminates irrelevant messages and annoying junk mail being sent to your customers.