Ensuring your customers can seamlessly interact with your brand over mobile was already critical. According to Marketingland, mobile now accounts for nearly 70% of digital media time. Yet, in these unprecedented times, offering effective, accessible ways for your customers to connect with your brand on their go-to device is even more important.
Mobile demand is surging
A fundamental shift is happening alongside the pandemic. While this is predicted to be the biggest impact to our economy since World War II, it will also permanently change how you engage with your customers.
Companies that are shifting to digital now are jumping straight to mobile, because that’s where their customers increasingly are. Despite being home with other devices like computers, consumers continue to grow their mobile use. Telecom companies like AT&T are reporting high phone and data usage compared to previous months.
Essential businesses like grocery stores and healthcare providers are going mobile out of necessity. They have to connect with their customers right now to provide them with critical services; and customers demand to connect to these services through mobile. But even if your business isn’t in one of those categories, you still need to be offering a mobile experience for your customers to position yourself for success once the pandemic is over.
Just like the drastic shift to work from home, the changes implemented to support remote work and employee preferences to do so won’t simply go back to what they were before. After shelter-in-place orders have been lifted and the dangers of venturing out have passed, customers who have gotten used to ordering groceries with an app and posing questions to their doctor over text will expect those experiences from all of businesses.
How one financial leader is tackling this challenge
Though ahead of the pandemic, one investment services company saw the huge gap in their digital experience. Traditionally focused on brick-and-mortar financial advising, the firm’s customer demographics were changing. As younger generations became customers, they demanded more ways to digitally engage with their advisors, particularly over mobile.
The financial services giant conducted extensive research to understand what these customer demographics needed in a digital experience, really looking at user challenges to build an app they would adopt and love. Now, they have a best-in-class app that gives their customers extensive self-service capabilities to connect with advisors, monitor accounts, and tools like goal setting and what-if scenarios. They are currently rolling out the app and its critical capabilities to over five million users during a time when all of their customers urgently need financial advice and support. Read more about this customer story.
Steps to get started
While these are uncertain times, the need for exceptional mobile experiences will only grow, during and after the pandemic. Here are some steps you can use to get started now in order to best engage your customers.
Get to know your customers
What are their current needs and behaviors? What are their anticipated future needs? What’s your customers’ communication style? These questions inform how you can create a mobile experience to meet your customers where they are.
Define your goals
What role does mobile play for your customers? How does it supplement and extend existing experiences?
Look at competitors
How are competitors leveraging mobile? How are they meeting customer needs where you’re not? Or how are they doing it better?
Determine the right path to development
Look at the options. Which approach is right for you? Do you need a mobile web, hybrid, or native app to fit your mobile needs? Do you have the capabilities in house to develop the experience you need to deliver?
Build an adoption strategy
Adoption isn’t a given. How will you get your customers to use your app? How will you incorporate feedback from early adopters?
Whether you already have a mobile experience that can be improved or are looking to implement one, now is the time to invest in mobile. As customers are physically separated from brands, those that provide exceptional mobile experiences will emerge as the market leaders.
Read our second post in this series that expands on the steps you can take to build a successful mobile customer experience.
