We’ve often heard the term “Internet of Things,” and immediately most of us think of devices possessing the ability to connect to the Internet and deliver services in one way or the other. Most IoT devices do just that, allowing people to track items, connect with other people, navigate, get a better sense of their well being and so on, but what if there was a way to turn IoT into the ‘Internet of Everything’, paving the way for the enterprise to better cater to its customers?

Doc Searls of the Harvard Business Review may have finally hit on a way of doing so. The researcher believes there’s a way the IoE can be leveraged to benefit more people – and it can be done so by leveraging something as simple as QR codes.

In an article Searls wrote in June, he discussed how QR codes can be used to provide a more cost-effective and proactive customer service.  He talked about how services like SquareTag not only allow people to connect anything to the Internet, but also gives these ‘things’ a way to disseminate information or deliver better customer services via the cloud.  For example, Brands could put QR codes directly onto their products so that when a consumer scans them, they can deliver real-time information to the brand and at the same time give consumers information about the product that’s already been stored in the cloud.

The anatomy of a QR code

QR codes are essentially machine readable two-dimensional barcodes that gives people information about products. Unlike regular barcodes however, the advancement of technology means that QR codes can deliver a whole lot more besides a price tag and sell-by date.  Scanning a QR code with a smartphone can directly open up a website where more information about the product or the company that makes it can be found, and it can also be laced with apps that are useful for people, with links to websites, or even help people track their lost items.

For brands, they can program QR codes to let them know when an item is scanned, something that would tell them if there’s an increase or decrease of consumer interest in their offerings.  Alternatively, QR codes can be used as a direct connection to companies. For example, scanning would allow consumers to send feedback or get in touch with customer service representative immediately, instead of calling a 1-800 number for complaints.  This way, companies can easily address concerns, while consumers will be satisfied that the brand can get back to them so quickly.

We’ve seen examples of this already. Google uses QR codes in its set-top boxes that are used by Kansas City residents who’ve signed up for Google Fiber.  When the QR code is scanned, it delivers setup instructions whilst alerting Google that the account is ready to be activated.

Searls has QR codes placed on his camera and smartphone that perform numerous different things, because he’s programmed them to do whatever he wants.  If the items are lost, he can program the QR codes to say something like “This is the property of Doc Searls.  If found please contact xxxxxxx.”  The QR code on his camera also serves as a way for him to show people the photos he’s taken with it.  When scanned with a smartphone, you’ll be directed to a website where all of his photos are hosted.

Though using QR codes seem to be placing consumers in a position where they will be doing more instead of less, Searls says otherwise. On the contrary, in a recent interview with Ashley Verrill, who reviews customer and contact management technology for Software Advice, he insists that it works both ways, helping both consumers and brands:

“The important thing about this is that there are opportunities for heuristic, for learning in both directions.  Now that we have more intelligence in the devices that we buy that we can put in there, or that companies can put in there in the first place, we have a conduit that goes both ways between the company and the customer.”

“So the experience the customer has with the product is much better known to the company. The Big Data that they get is not the marketing Big Data that we’re talking about today which is we get through surveillance and through inferred activities.  This is a big myth right now that the company’s marketing can know you better than you know yourself and will give you better advertising.  It’s all about the sell thing rather than the service.”

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Searls explains that by knowing how consumers are actually using products and casting off data about how they’re being used, companies will have more data to work with and consequently, be better able to improve their products to make them more usable over time.