Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are two critical components to our increasingly remote business world. Experts estimate that 71% of all mobile communication is supported by Wi-Fi. And that number isn’t expected to go down any time soon. Yet, many organizations fail to realize that both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have a wider range of applications outside of basic internet and smart device connections.
Combined with a proper cloud infrastructure, these technologies can provide critical analytics to help better understand customers, employees, and business operations, allowing any company to maximize its data potential. Location analytics derived from Wi-Fi and BLE compatible devices can provide businesses with the ability to track inventory, monitor customer interactions, and enable proximity marketing in physical retail shops.
The IoT revolution made it possible for almost any device to connect to a network, which can support inventory tracking through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), a less powerful version of Bluetooth with a similar communication range. For instance, geo-fencing allows users to know when digitally tagged inventory has left the virtual boundaries of a specific area, allowing managers to keep specific items from being lost or stolen. This solution has been notably helpful in the healthcare industry, where keeping track of expensive equipment is vital for both patients and employees.
Customer engagement can also be analyzed through Wi-Fi and BLE connections, allowing business leaders to pinpoint where customers spend time through proximity location identifiers. The technology can also enable crowd control, by driving notifications if capacity reaches a specified limit on the network. Wi-Fi and BLE could be particularly useful in the near future as the world begins to transition back to normal life as the pandemic subsides. Observing the network traffic in indoor spaces can ensure contained areas are not too crowded, and live updates can remind users to stay socially distant.
Promotional activities can be initiated easily with Wi-Fi and BLE, which enable connected customers to receive push notifications when entering specific locations within a network. This can also be useful for important security updates, and can help customers stay updated automatically if they’re located within a defined proximity.
Wi-Fi and BLE can be amazing tools to help enhance customer and employee management, but many typical services are expensive, insecure, and utilize massive amounts of data. Extreme Cloud IQ offers a solution to these common issues by offering unlimited data and customer analytics, along with built-in BLE and Wi-Fi protection, all in one complete package.
