By mid-2014 more people will access the web through mobile devices than PCs. This is understandable as mobile phones are now the one device we always have with us. From acting as an alarm clock in the morning, providing work internet and email access, to letting us post on Facebook and consume media in the evenings, phones are central to our lifestyles.
This shift is radically changing how we all research and interact with brands. Consumers are demanding the ability to communicate, find information and make purchases wherever they are, and are less willing to wait, whichever channel they choose. And of course marketers can now reach them at any place and any time supported by a potentially huge pool of rich customer profile data, covering everything from demographics and usage to social and location information.
Analyst, Forrester reveals that six out of ten decision makers planned to increase their companies’ mobile marketing budgets in 2013 . If their target customers are active on Twitter or Facebook, marketers need to ensure their companies maintain a presence on these sites and monitor conversations about their brand. If they get it wrong or fail to deliver a superior mobile experience, consumers will head elsewhere – but not before complaining on social media via the same mobile device. Get it right and excellent marketing and service will translate into loyal customers and increased revenues.
Remember that mobile devices are much more personal than a desktop or laptop computer. They are always on and always with us, which means that consumers are much less forgiving of a poor experience – they won’t move to their PC to complete a transaction that fails on their smartphone or tablet, for example.
How do marketers react to this change in consumer behaviour and deliver the right experience, right now? Here’s our top six recommendations to providing an agile mobile customer experience whether consumers contact you through the web, email, chat, social media or phone channels.
1 The Power of Apps
Improve your customer experience by including web self-service and web chat within mobile apps, making it simple for customers to get the information they need, when they need it. This can only increase sales by removing roadblocks from the customer journey. Gartner believe that mobile customer service apps will increase by 600% by 2014 as companies extend their customer service to multiple devices. Ensure you have a well thought out strategy that matches mobile apps to customer needs.
2 Responsive Design
Customers want a consistent experience that matches the device they are using at the time. Use responsive design to ensure your website recognises whether customers are on PC, tablet or phone and delivers optimised content to best meet their needs and the device they are using. Ensure escalation points (such as to chat, text and email) match their needs, making it easy for them to seamlessly move to other channels.
3 Knowledge everywhere
Don’t develop mobile customer service in a silo. Make sure it is consistent by sharing the same knowledgebase between mobile apps and your other channels. This enhances and protects your brand by ensuring the right information is available, regardless of channel. It puts customers in control of their experience, giving them access to the right answers, wherever they are.
4 Make your website mobile friendly
Ensure your site is mobile optimised so that it is fast and seamless to load, whatever device people are using. Understand the different dynamics of customers on tablets and mobile phones. They each want an experience that matches the abilities of their devices, rather than simply moving the PC interface to a smaller screen. For example, mobile devices rely on touchscreen entry, so don’t put in long and complex forms. Use location-based information that tablets and smartphones provide to deliver focused information to customers.
Make it easy for customers to find answers through small screen devices by prominently displaying the information that they are most likely to need on the move, such as store and opening details. Offer them the ability to find information themselves through web self-service or quickly chat to an agent through your mobile site.
5 Gather insight
Mobile provides an unrivalled opportunity to learn more about your customers by analysing their interactions. What are they asking for? When are they contacting you? Mine your customer experience insight to understand mobile customer behaviour – how does it vary from the traditional web? Does it change between devices such as tablets and smartphones? Which operating system do your customers prefer? Use the knowledge you discover to hone your strategy.
6 Omnichannel approach
Customers want to use their channel of choice, across multiple devices. They may start an interaction on your app, escalate via email, call to confirm details, complete the transaction via the web and then discuss the experience on Facebook or Twitter – all from the same mobile device. Make sure you provide a satisfying and seamless customer experience across all these channels, as this leads to greater loyalty and increased revenues.
