Create an Addictive Mobile Application

Baker points out that friction often arises as the result of cumbersome interactions. For instance, in the service sector, such an interaction could be something as seemingly simple as renewing a car registration, “because people hate going to the DMV,” Baker says.

Even if interactions aren’t necessarily irksome, customers could be looking for time savers. The make-up retailer Sephora, for instance, offers an app that enables users to try on a lipstick virtually, as it simulates the experience and helps customers determine what shade best suits them—and allows them to skip spending too much time at the retail location.

Sephora’s is a prime example of an app that makes interactions valuable and fast. Unfortunately, though, not all mobile apps offer these attributes. Hammond describes how one transit company’s app falls short because it neglects to address the customer’s context. He recalls a time when he had taken the wrong train and tried finding a connection to get to the airport and avoid missing his flight. However, the app would not allow him to refresh a page; it forced him to re-enter each detail as he was searching for new trains.

DESIGN MOBILE APPS FOR LOYAL CUSTOMERS

Statistically speaking, it’s unlikely that every customer is going to appreciate and continually use your app. To that end, companies need to think realistically about who the app is serving.

Baker suggests that those who wish to develop a mobile app shouldn’t be asking whether to focus on a mobile site or a mobile application—they should do both. A mobile-responsive website is taken for granted now, as has been proven by adjustments Google has made to its search ranking system; sites that have been proven to meet mobile standards are boosted higher.

According to Baker, customers who download a mobile app are raising their hands and telling a company that they are ready to engage with the company at a deeper level. Therefore, it’s smarter to home in on the customers who are most likely to keep using an app and work on retaining them, Cipolla says, than it is to recruit as many new users as possible—many of whom are likely to churn.

The paragon in this sphere is Starbucks, a company that crafted its customer journey map around loyalty. The major pain point for loyal customers of the chain was in the order-and-payment process. In this regard, valued customers have become a victim of the company’s success, forced to wait in long lines to pay for their morning coffee. As a response to this major inconvenience, Starbucks designed its Rewards app, which allows customers to preorder a drink, pay from their phone, and pick it up without standing in line or even speaking to a barista. In the first quarter of 2016, 20 percent of U.S. transactions were made using the app, according to Kevin Johnson, Starbucks’ chief of operations.

MOBILE APP VENDORS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS

When selecting vendors and technologies for developing mobile applications, Hammond suggests getting front-end and back-end applications that integrate with each other and work independently as well. “You don’t want a choice on the front end to lock you into a certain technology on the back end or vice-versa.”

Many large companies tend to have multiple applications, some of which they develop natively, some of which are for the mobile web, and some of which are hybrid solutions. “If you have some that are hybrid, some that are native, you still want a technology to handle notifications; you still want a single technology to handle analytics; you still want a single technology that links any kind of security information that you have on the back end with the front-end applications.”

Fortunately, there are many technology platform providers that support mobile apps and accommodate both hybrid and native configurations, including larger vendors, such as Microsoft and Salesforce, and low-code platforms, such as Kony or Appcelerator. “There are lots of choices in the market, and a wide range of costs depending on what you are trying to do,” Hammond says. “I would say that you could pretty much find the mobile technology solution to meet your budget regardless of how big or small it is.”

Zang, a subsidiary of Avaya, provides businesses with the building blocks to incorporate communication functions into their apps. According to Mohammad Nezarrati, the company’s general manager, “Zang provides developers with web-based APIs to send calls, receive calls, send texts, receive texts, and do group collaborations within the apps themselves.”

Using Avaya’s tools, Mutare’s Vital Link enables patients to book appointments through an app and communicate directly with their doctors regarding their recovery process. This provides an alternative to calling and waiting on hold when the office is experiencing heavy call volumes.

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