By
Mary Cook
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Date Published: August 27, 2012 - Last Updated August 22, 2018
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Comments
Read the second blog in this three-part series.
Mobile services deliver new audiences not found online or in print. That is why applications are so appealing. Most mobile phone users access email, update social networking sites, and read the news on their smartphones, as well as on their PCs and laptops. In fact, a North American Techno graphics® Benchmark Survey found that of 25,616 US adults with cell phones, 23% of respondents use their phones and PCs to access email, instant message friends and family members, and send pictures.
Today’s consumer is on the go more than ever before. There are demands on their time, and few people want to waste precious minutes waiting for a customer service representative to answer their questions. Mobile users want to access the information they need around the clock. They don’t want to have to rearrange their schedules just to reach a live agent. That’s why mobile opportunities are important. They can be multichannel, cross-channel, or mobile-only, with their sophistication growing over the course of this evolution.
Multichannel Opportunities
The provision of a seamless, highly integrated, and interconnected experience among or across three or more channels makes the perfect multichannel strategy. Most mobile content is basically the same as a PC, but viewed on a smaller screen. Therefore smartphones, tablets, eReaders, TVs, and portable media devices should be considered when designing browser-based offerings, because most mobile users own and access more than one type of device.
Cross-Channel Opportunities
Cross-channel uses two channels to deliver a service. It can also drive the use of one channel through another. For example, coupons and daily deal applications can help drive business to websites, as well as to brick and mortar stores. This helps to increase sales, boost profits, and create a favorable impression of the business. Cross-channel services should drive higher engagement, encourage activity in another channel, allow single account access and synchronized content from multiple devices, let customers choose the most convenient channel, cut through clutter where immediacy is valued to drive action, and enhance the level of service by combining two or more channels.
Mobile-Only Opportunities
Some experiences and services, like portable cameras, GPS, accelerometers, and gyroscopes, can only be used on a mobile device. eBusiness professionals use mobile devices to change how customers and employees engage with a business, product or service. Mobile-only services have the potential to improve the accuracy of information and simplify processes using images, simplify the discovery and use of information, make media richer and available in new places, replace physical devices, and leverage device features to create new services.
As you can see, mobile services are revolutionizing the way that businesses interact with customers. Without having sound mobile strategies in place, companies risk losing business because they are ill-equipped to deal with customer complaints in a timely and efficient manner. By making use of cross-channel and multichannel opportunities, they increase customer satisfaction by making the experience easy to use and seamless for all mobile device owners.