Why it’s time to design a better mobile customer experience

Photo credit: Gratisography.

Imagine, for a moment, a cricket fan who has only ever watched the Indian Premier League (IPL) and T20 format of this great game. Fireworks, dancers, neon colors, shimmering bails flying in the air. The IPL is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular sporting events in the world today. The best in the world facing one another. The IPL is designed for action, excitement, and to keep us on the edge of our seats for every minute. It’s what keeps us wanting more – six, six, four, out, out, four.

Or, as in this case, six, six, six, six, six, six.

Now, imagine that same cricket fan who has only ever watched IPL, now watching a test series for the first time. It’s a stark contrast, isn’t it? Everyone is wearing white, stopping for tea. It’s slow, sedate and strategic – block, block, block, single, block, single. The format of our favorite sport has changed, just as the world of technology has changed how we operate today.

And adapting to expectations accompanying that change is crucial for both in order to maintain (if not expand) the intended audience.

Technology and convenience

At one point, we were satisfied to spend the time and effort to find and then catch a ride on a rickshaw – often even being turned away by the rickshaw wala! Nowadays, we are able to more easily find a ride using Ola cabs straight from our smartphone. Flipkart allows us to try on new clothes, ordered from our smartphone – right to our front door. Whatsapp allows us to chat and call our friends living in different countries.

These are simple examples that explain how smartphone technology has not only changed our lives but has also changed our expectations.

As a society, we have become less patient and expect instant action, right at our fingertips.

Marketers must be mobile-focused

It has been predicted that 70 percent of the world’s population will have access to smartphones by 2020. In 2017, we are expecting twice as much traffic on mobile as opposed to desktop – and people are making decisions in completely different ways using mobile. In order to be effective, marketers have to focus on mobile. Today, being mobile-centric means being customer centric.

Paying attention to mobile touchpoints

Users will navigate through a myriad of touchpoints on a mobile device. Touchpoints include searching a new subject, adding a product to a cart, watching a video, or checking the cricket score. For the marketer, it is important that the user has a wonderful experience for each touchpoint within a particular app. If the users’ expectations are not met, they may abandon a purchase or even delete an app.

Smartphone technology has not only changed our lives; it has also changed our expectations.

In-app customer support for mobile marketing

Customer experience is one of the most important elements marketers need to focus on today.

According to a recent study by Adobe, 83 percent of marketers believe that customer experience is central to their role. And consumers are 86 percent more likely to spend more money for a good customer experience.