Smartphones make up the majority of internet traffic, and that number is only growing. Whether it’s conducting keyword research from your favorite coffee shop or doing the weekly shop from your bed on Sunday, smartphones are becoming an integral aspect of not just our lives, but how we conduct business. They’re also having a major impact on how businesses market themselves to customers, whether that be by building apps for mobile devices or designing a responsive website for any screen size.
According to Magicdust, 9 in 10 smartphone owners who describe a mobile experience from a brand as helpful would buy from that brand again. That’s because when you’re able to connect with your customers through the medium they prefer, whether it’s messaging or push notifications you’re able to get more of their attention and build stronger relationships with them by providing better service and support.
Customers Want Your Mobile Experience To Be Helpful
The concept of the “mobile experience” is a bit of a misnomer. It’s not really about the user’s experience at all, it’s about your business’ experience with the user.
The truth is, customers want the experience to be helpful and informative. They want to feel like they’re in good hands by choosing your business over a competitor. They want to be able to connect with you easily and get information quickly. They want it to feel like you are there for them and not just for the money. Customers are also looking for apps that are easy to navigate and have intuitive interfaces. They don’t want to wait around while their phones load pages or try to navigate an interface that requires multiple clicks just to place an order or look up product details. If they have trouble finding what they want or navigating through your site, they’ll probably just move on and find another retailer whose site loads quickly and is easy to use on mobile devices.
Customers Want To Be Able To Connect With You Easily
In a world where people are constantly connected through social media, text messaging and emails, we expect businesses to be available 24/7 and respond quickly when we have questions or concerns. That means you need to have customer service channels on hand that allow customers to connect with you easily and immediately — whether that’s email, live chat or even phone calls. This means providing links to social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn so that they can follow you there as well as giving them email addresses so they can reach out if necessary.
Customers want to be able to connect with you easily.
- They may want to do this for a variety of reasons:
- They might need more information about your company, product or service, and they want to be able to easily get in touch with you.
- They might want to give feedback on their experience with your company, product or service, and they want to be able to easily provide this feedback.
- They might want to take advantage of an offer that’s only available through your mobile site or app.
Customers Expect You To Be Aware Of Your Mistakes
A company that acknowledges its errors and corrects them quickly wins customer trust and loyalty. If you’re a business owner, customer service representative or copywriter, you should know about the importance of admitting mistakes and offering a sincere apology.
In fact, an apology can help repair the damage caused by a bad experience and help customers feel better about doing business with you again.
There are several ways to apologize:
- Apologize immediately after making an error
- Acknowledge that there was an issue with the product or service
- Promise to fix the problem as soon as possible
- Offer compensation if necessary
Fast, engaging experiences.
The smartphone is the gateway to the internet. It’s where people spend most of their time and it’s where they expect to find the best experiences. Mobile is not a “channel” , it’s an experience.
That means that every interaction with a customer needs to be fast and engaging. It also means that mobile apps must be fast and responsive which can be challenging for those with large amounts of data to manage.
Here are some tips to help you create fast and engaging experiences on their smartphones:
Optimize your page load time– The average visitor stays on a webpage for only eight seconds before they leave if they don’t find what they’re looking for in that time. That’s why it’s critical to optimize your site speed and make sure that it loads quickly and easily on all devices.
Use responsive design – Responsive web design allows you to create a single website that works across all devices — desktop computers, tablets and smartphones — without having to build separate sites for each device type. The result is faster load times and improved user experience across multiple devices.
Use progressive enhancement – Progressive enhancement is a development technique that ensures websites work even if certain features aren’t supported by the browser or device being used by visitors. For example, when visitors arrive at your website using an older smartphone with limited features, they’ll still be able to access the basic functionality.
Smartphone consumers prize helpful and easy mobile experiences.
It would seem that customers want help, and they’re flocking towards brands that provide it. Smartphone users are in need for instant answers and information on the go, and are increasingly turning to brands that can give them what they want. It’s a trend that should be seized upon by any business trying to reach out to customers. Not only will building a mobile environment give you an edge over your competitors, but studies also show a positive correlation between service quality and customer retention—so it simply makes good business sense too.
If you communicate well with your customers on smartphones, they’ll continue to do business with you. While there are many different kinds of mobile experiences that users have with your company, the likely result overall is increased sales and a very happy customer.
