Our life is becoming more and more reliant on all sorts of devices. Gartner predicts that, by 2020, an estimated 5 billion users will be connected to 5 devices each. If this significant figure holds true, the way we connect and communicate will have to shift across all industries to meet our ever-evolving mobile environment. Consumers will expect brands and enterprises to maintain both optimal mobile performance and a high standard of consumer experience. And naturally, huge amounts of network capacity and coverage will need to be provided through more flexible broadband technologies as rich content continues to explode across mobile devices.
This brings forth a great opportunity for enterprises who clearly must have a solid mobile strategy to expand their digital communication and services, particularly with the rise of native applications. Take a look at your own smartphone—how many apps are featured on your home screen? The space that apps occupy on any given user’s home screen is prime real estate.
Enterprises can and should be purposeful about their mobile strategy. By adding more integrated and interactive experiences, for example, businesses can grow their followers, communities and engagement. Here are the top five key strategies that brands should consider when protecting and expanding their mobile audience.
- Consider expanding mobile web browsing with a native application
Although developing a mobile-friendly website is likely perceived as the first step of a mobile strategy, it’s critical to recognize that mobile web browsing can be inefficient. There are too many limitations with mobile websites, like a user’s session disappearing when the browser is closed or unresponsive webpages that don’t allow the user to fully view the site and in general the impossibility to make a service contextually relevant. The investment, then, for native applications is well-worth it, providing users with better, more sophisticated and targeted experiences–while still enabling them to move from window to window and engage with the brand in real-time if required.
- Understand where your users are on the app… just don’t ignore it
If a user has already downloaded your app, they must already realize that the application brings added value over a mobile website. Use key details about a given customer’s interaction with the app to bring the highest level of value and relevance. Is the customer on the move? Are they looking at their bank statement? Are they working on airplane mode? Adapt and provide interactivity on an application based on this information and analysis to adapt, tailor and meet your customer needs wherever and whatever context they are in. But as deep as you can push the experience, never forget to let your users control their privacy.
- Connect your customers across all devices
Customers expect connectivity, and in today’s mobile environment, access to content should encapsulate all kinds of devices – laptop, mobile phones, tablets, wearables, home electronic devices, automotive devices and even environment platforms, to name a few. The Internet of Things and Machine-to-Machine communication is presenting new business opportunities across industries – new places to advertise and engage – and digital technology such as WebRTC provide better global, unified, real-time communication to support engagement, access and connectivity trends.
- Move quickly. And in real-time
Let’s face it. Consumers expect everything to be instantaneous. In a world where WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and iMessage are so prevalent, we expect to quickly talk to someone or message them and get a response almost immediately in return. Customer service standards have changed, and mobile applications must respond accordingly. Whether in banking, healthcare, insurance or shopping, services must adapt and provide the same type of advanced, real-time interactivity through their mobile application with different communication options – chat, voice video and more.
- Prioritize the human connection
Brands mustn’t forget the importance of the full, personal, one-on-one experience. Banks, retail stores should deploy smarter communications for more personalized client interactions through technology advancements like WebRTC. User context is at the core of such offerings. When a customer clicks the app to communicate, they will be routed to the most appropriate and specialized agent, who will have the right information already at hand to deal with the enquiry. By getting access to contextual information, translates into a faster call resolution and personalized service for the user – without having to visit a physical branch or store.
With new advancements in communication technology comes new revenue streams, more customer satisfaction and loyalty. Developments and innovations in mobile tech continue to accelerate with “smart” automation across devices and objects. What are some strategies you’ve employed to successfully grow your mobile community?
Xura, Inc. is a Massachusetts-based technology company headquartered that offers a portfolio of digital services that enable global communications across a variety of mobile devices and platforms.
Filed Under: Apps
