It doesn’t matter what industry you serve, customer satisfaction is always a priority.
Delivering excellent customer service and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction is critical to the survival of every business.
Smart entrepreneurs know that loyal customers give companies a competitive edge on the market. That’s why they’re willing to try every measure out there that helps to build positive customer relations.
Why is customer service so important?
Let’s check a couple of stats.
- According to Kissmetrics, 71% of consumers finished a relationship with a provider because of poor customer service.
- The same study revealed that poor customer service costs companies in the US a smashing $83 billion!
- 91% of unhappy customers will never want to have anything to do with your business again.
- An American customer tells an average of 9 people about good experiences. But when it comes to poor experiences, almost twice as many people will hear about them (16).
- If you make an effort to deal with customer’s complaints, 82 to 95% of them will stay with your business.
These research clearly show the role customer satisfaction plays in the life of every company. No wonder that in today’s rapidly changing economic and technological reality, Customer Relationship Management is more important than ever.
Businesses are doing all they can to develop innovative ways to improve customer service. They experiment with different communication channels to keep in touch with their customer base. And since so many customers access the web from mobile devices, being readily available on smartphones and tablets has become a priority for businesses.
A research study by GlobalWebIndex of 170,000 adult users across 32 countries revealed that 80%of them own a smartphone. No wonder that mobile apps are a critical marketing and consumer engagement tool today.
But is it possible for businesses to use apps for customer service?
Absolutely. Providing clients with innovative communication options positions brands on the leading edge of their industry. But having an app isn’t only about branding. It’s also about delivering an excellent brand experience to customers. Here are 6 ways brands can use apps to boost customer satisfaction.
1. PROVIDE ACCESS TO CRITICAL INFORMATION
If there’s anything that all customers want, it is easy access to information.
Businesses can effectively address this need with dedicated mobile apps which provide solutions to customers and facilitate their experience with the company’s product.
Mobile apps can provide clients with instant access to company information, for example, contact numbers or location.
Marketing-savvy companies realize the impact of contextual marketing and use their apps to help customers find out where is the brand’s nearest store and how they can benefit from special offers and deals (more on that later on).
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Businesses can use mobile apps to provide their customers with how-to articles, step-by-step guides, and insightful product reviews. Companies can also develop apps where customers interact with each other and hold discussions related to the company’s product or service.
Check 5 reasons why you need a mobile app even if you already have a mobile website.
2. GET CUSTOMER FEEDBACK FROM SURVEYS
Customer feedback is key to improving customer satisfaction.
Businesses have been gathering this type of information using conventional media for conducting customer surveys. But now they’ve got a new tool at their disposal: mobile apps.
Since mobile content is convenient and accessible, chances are high the customer will take a couple of minutes to answer your questions.
You can ask customers to rate your product through the app as well. It’s smart to enrich your app user experience with a pop-up form which asks customers for suggestions regarding the product and how it could be improved.
You can add a poll to the mobile environment of your app and ask customers what kind of features they’d like to see in your product or service.
All this feedback will help you improve your product to better match the needs of your customers.
3. REWARD CUSTOMERS TO BOOST YOUR BRAND LOYALTY
Nothing works for customer satisfaction and loyalty like discounts, promotions, and special deals.
If you provide your clients with an app that allows making purchases through it and offers plenty of discounts, you can be sure that they’ll be interested in keeping this app on their devices.
Customers might miss out on sales, so make sure they hear about yours by having your app notify your client base as soon as special promotions are on.
4. IMPROVE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT WITH LIVE CHAT
Mobile apps are great not only for brand exposure but also for customer engagement and communication.
Add a live chat support feature to your app, and you’ll be able to proactively communicate with customers in real time. Live chat is a convenient method for customers to get in touch with you as well.
And you can be sure that they’re not put on hold for getting help – thanks to live chat, customers get instant answers to their questions and solutions to problems they experience.
The availability of a 24/7 chat feature gives an instant boost to customers’ level of engagement.
5. OFFER A NEW WAY TO ENGAGE WITH BRAND CONTENT
Develop a mobile app which takes user experience to the next level by allowing your client base to interact with your content in a different way.
Instead of posting updates on social media where your followers can only like, share, or comment your content, use a mobile app to drive the engagement even further.
Include gamified features, VR, awesome 360 photos or videos, and other interactive elements to help customers interact with your brand content in new ways.
Just have a look at this interesting app from Volvo.
6. BENEFIT FROM PROXIMITY/CONTEXTUAL MARKETING
Needless to say, apps come in handy if you’re planning to take your brand marketing to the next level with contextual or proximity marketing.
What is proximity marketing? Let’s think about what proximity means first. It means nearness – in space or time. In this marketing form, communication with customers is relevant, timely, and personal.
Brands use information about the client’s location to deliver specific and contextual messages which are possible thanks to technologies like beacons.
According to this report, 61% of shoppers like to receive proximity marketing messages on offers in-store, and 42% of shoppers are interested in receiving in-store notifications which keep them informed about the products on sale.
Businesses are already using apps for proximity marketing, and so should you.
A good example is an app developed for stores located on Regent Street in London. Brands like Armani, Longchamp, and Hackett deployed beacons in their stores to push exclusive and personalized marketing messages to customers such as in-store promotions or exclusive offers.
Interested in Contextual Marketing? Find more information on this topic here.
KEY TAKEAWAY
These 6 points make it clear that mobile apps can make a huge difference in customer satisfaction.
By delivering a seamless and enjoyable user experience to your client base, you’re bound to seriously improve customer engagement and with your brand and increase the quality of the interactions between your company and consumers.
Are you curious how to promote your mobile app? Our expert ebook will help you to boost your app downloads! Check it out.
