Plum Voice IVR systems rely heavily on telephonic communication to operate properly and successfully.  A trend that has become increasingly pronounced in recent years is mobile phone usage, often times in place of landline communications.  The increasing number of mobile phones on the market means that a larger number of individuals will be accessing Plum IVR applications via their cellular network and from their mobile device.

Plum’s development engineers develop communications technology that is compatible with mobile devices regardless of operating system, brand, or carrier. But from the perspective of the end user, mobile phone selection is an issue of particular significance.

There is a wide variety of options available that make the choice potentially complex.  Customers must decide whether they want a smart or feature phone, what operating system they find most accessible and user friendly, what type of security protocols they would like their phone to have, and what type of hardware and software they would like included on their device.  Since consumers typically have to wait for an upgrade quite a long time, when the opportunity arises everyone wants to make the wisest, most informed decision possible.

So how do consumers make this choice?  According to an article published by ReadWriteWeb, customers are increasingly discovering information about potential future devices online.  Consumers are conducting research sessions online in an attempt to gather information on possible devices.

Television ads still prompt the most recall from consumers when compared with online and mobile advertisements, but they are still largely disregarded by customers. Despite all of the statistics that point to online-influenced decision making, most shoppers continue to make their phone buying decision in person, within the store.  Forty-five percent of cell phone purchase decisions last year were made exclusively in person, within the store setting.  Another 24% of purchases were made in the store, with the added influence of online research.  Only 25% of purchases were made exclusively online.

In terms of buying decisions, the Internet has become a contributing factor in shaping customer perceptions in recent years, but in-store decisions still dominate customers’ decision-making process.