When it comes to the future of customer interaction, it’s impossible to deny that smartphones have entirely altered branded online engagement.
In fact, 69% smartphone owners use their device to browse shopping sites with 57% going on to purchase. You could say a digital revolution is unfolding.
Our reliance on mobile phones goes far beyond shopping. 58% of us are using our smartphones to check bank balances, and a further 67% to research a product or service. It’s clear that through mobile technology customers are able to access the services they need on the go and at a time and location that suits them.
Real-time customer interactions
Convenience and fast gratification are now the cornerstones of the kind of digital experience smartphones and device-based consumers now demand.
As a result, it is also becoming increasingly clear that price and product are no longer the main triggers in the conversion process. In fact, research by Salesforce recently confirmed that people are looking beyond these factors. 80% of customers stated the experience a company provides is as important as its products.
Whether your business is looking for a purchase, sign-up or booking, the experience customers receive is key to differentiating your brand in an ever-more competitive digital marketplace.
Today’s consumers seek out mobile and digital channels to deliver the level of real-time results and engagement they expect. Mobile moments truly matter when it comes to delivering on customer expectations and encouraging customer loyalty. 9 in 10 smartphone owners that view a mobile experience as helpful or relevant would purchase from that brand again.
Streamlined online customer journeys
Creating a seamless mobile experience requires support for the customer at key moments within their journey. For example, enabling customers to pick up where they left off in an application, purchase, complaint, enquiry or booking with a simple reminder and link.
Multichannel mobile communications are one clear solution to offer tailored engagement through well-timed and triggered automatic messaging. Most importantly, mobile-based messaging connects your business with consumers, using their preferred device and channels they are already open to.
With convenience, accessibility and functionality in mind, mobile is the channel of choice across all industries. In fact, 53% of people are more likely to shop with a business they can message directly. Similarly, by 2023 the number of UK adults using mobile banking services with reach as high as 72%.
The significance of multichannel is only set to grow. 95% of marketers say they know how important using multiple channels is for targeting. The reason for this widely held view is simply the ability of multichannel communications to help businesses remain relevant in an increasingly digitised marketplace.
In evidence of this, customer satisfaction has been recorded as 23 times higher in companies with multichannel strategies. More telling perhaps is the fact that multichannel shoppers spend 3 times more than single-channel shoppers.
Providing a beneficial multichannel experience can undeniably have an impact on more than just engagement. Customer satisfaction levels when executed effectively help to drive higher spend per shopper.
Improving customer service with instant messaging
Using additional mobile messaging channels can also be pivotal outside the marketing department. Customer service teams can deliver support across wider channels. Operations are realising the potential of using messaging-based resolution strategies to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Two-thirds of consumers expect a same-day response to queries about a product or service. Whether customers are asking about additional policies or upgrading their existing package – providing message-based answers in real-time ensures your business is delivering on this need.
Equipping staff with access to social media messaging, a live chat integration, SMS and other key channels provides them with the power to answer customer queries instantly. Unifying teams and strategies, the benefits of mobile-centric multichannel communications are abundant.
Multichannel and the future
The obvious conclusion from this research is that multichannel appeals to the mobile borne demand for immediacy. It’s important to understand the customer journey. The more supported and valued a customer feels across their preferred channels, the more they are likely to purchase or convert. But crucially, remain a loyal customer to your brand. For more information on our multichannel API integrations, contact our sales team.
