Customer Service through apps is like a mobile promise…

Over one year ago, when I realized how blind brands and companies started creating apps for their business, I wrote my 5 strategic reasons why brands need an app. Although this was written with some twinkle of my left eye, I am 100% sure of what I stated in my 5 arguments (and many people shared these thoughts around the world).

Apparently, a study proves more or less what I sent out as an advice to brands those days: Have a valid business reason, and more importantly, have the right back-end support, when you start building an app… especially when using it for customer service reasons.

When your strategic reason of your app is meant to become a “Servicesetter”, a promise from brands to help and be there when people are out in the streets, companies want to make sure that there is sufficient service behind their mobile technology: people, products, processes. A recent study conducted by Constellation Research now finds that most companies have not really established service and support for those modern mobile customer service touchpoints.

Obviously, it has taken many companies years to establish some kind of customer service via digital media which makes customers want to use it, email and online chat amongst others. According to the study, it will be similar with mobile. Companies create mobile apps (and open up social channels on Twitter or Facebook) but are not set to handle the business coming through to them. Although it might be a marketing advantage for them, companies tend to forget the customer, and don’t think about what it means to deliver 24/7 support via social or mobile platforms.

“Customers are taking it to the streets. They’re going to go out and complain about your company on Twitter or Facebook or whatever–and their expectation is that companies will respond.” Elizabeth Herrell, Global Communication Analyst and Strategist, Constellation Research

The report also finds that companies use different teams for mail or phone customer service versus mobile and social. These later teams then have no information on the quality of the customer. The customer then don’t get feedback, stop using the app, writing bad reviews. Thus, nobody is going to use the app in the future. Money is wasted if nobody understands the strategic and tactical importance of an app.

Spot On!
Apps are 6 times more popular than web browsing these days, states a study that Zokem just recently released. And apps create smartphone loyalty, says Gartner. If companies bear in mind that web-centric people are not as loyal to brands as they have been, the importance of having the right strategy for the app and the correct processes in place that deliver the mobile promise becomes apparent. Herrell’s conclusion is that customers need to take customer service via mobile and social more serious, and dedicate teams to it which have the same capabilities as their counterparts on i.e. the phone. The customer service teams will not only have to be able to write a 140 characters tweet but also to understand the urgency of reponse, the importance of the client from a buzz point of view, as well as giving some feedback in “real-time”… and that can be via phone or the mobile app then.

My advice would be: “Think why your brand wants to offer a mobile promise to your customers. Then start building an app…!”

Google Survey: 39% US mobile users take their mobiles to the bathroom

Google published a survey (in partnership with the independant marketing research firm Ipsos OTX) and present insights into how U.S. consumers use their smartphones. A video presents key findings from “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Consumers”.

The research, conducted at the end of 2010 among 5,013 US adult smartphone Internet users, was meant to better understand how smartphones are used in consumers’ daily lives and how smartphones have influenced the ways consumers search, shop and respond to mobile advertising.

Some of the key findings of the study don’t show special new insights. However it illustrates that we are not alone anymore in our bathrooms any longer. We are taking our friends, business partners and our social graphs to the bathroom… by using our smartphones like we used to read our newspapers or magazines in the past. Google states that 39% admit to having used their smarthone while going to the bathroom.

Some more findings…
- 93% use smartphones at home
- 81% browse the Internet
- 77% do search for information
- 72% do parallel use of smartphone and other media (over 30% like watching TV)
- 45% use smartphone to manage their daily lives
- 20% would give up their Cable TV for using their smartphone

Obviously, Google wanted to find out how smartphone users access search via their mobiles. And no suprise there as well. Search is the leading website type accessed (77%). It helps consumers access information like News (57%), Dining (51%), Entertainment (49%) , Shopping (47%), Technology (32%), Travel (31%), Finance (26%) and Automotive (17%).

Spot On!
Interesting from a marketer’s perspective is that the report actually finds that mobile advertising is engaging. The research states that after seeing an ad (on print, online or mobile) 71% of users search on their smartphones. A remarkable 82% of users notice mobile ads, and of those 49% purchase (!), 42% click on it, 35% access the website, 27% contact the business. This shows the new power of mobile marketing for companies and that marketers should have a close look at mobile marketing opportunities in the future.

PS: And if 39% of people use their iPhones in the bathroom, I don’t want to know how many use their iPads to read the latest news or watch a video, and how this increases the average “bathroom staying time”…

Is mobile the future extension of print (and TV)?

I have always quoted that there is a future for print. In trains, in planes and on quiet places where you will always be on your own… However print might need some partner media: mobiles… to becomes 3-D reality in combination with them.

The Commonwealth Bank used a Sydney computer graphics firm called Explore Engage and let them create a 3-D mobile extension. The print ad uses a smartphone’s camera to connect the print creative (launched in Melbourne’s mX commuter daily newspaper last week) with the 3-D reader software in the phone. The smartphone then opens a virtual town on the phone’s screen in which a virtual sales person introduces some of the Commonwealth Bank real estate properties.

The smartphone all of a sudden makes print (ads) attractive again. Augmented reality (AR) extends the opportunities of the static print value into a new engaging mobile world. Just think about the opportunities… Wallpapers could be scanned and then virtual promotions or commercials could appear on mobile screens on-the-go selling new products and services. Previews of movies could be taken from print ads instantly. The future of print seems to be mobile…

PS: Although it might be a bit challenging for some people, TV has also new opportunities to extend their offering. Just watch the latest KIA Optima advertising idea which also used AR technology to get people engaged in advertising…

Mobile marketing facts for today and tomorrow….

It seems that I am having a mobile information week. Mobile is the future in my eyes. And I thought it might be worth having a close eye on mobile business productivity, mobile access points for purchase decisions and now will provide some hard facts with an interesting infographic by Microsoft.

It is interesting to see the tiny differences. Some speak of 5 bio users subsribed, the following infographic illustrates the power of 4 bio. mobile devices in use globally. The question is who are the most active mobile users? You say, it is teenagers? No, it is women between 35-54 years of age. Sorry, but I cannot understand this, knowing the way my wife (and her friends) uses her mobile devices (how often do I have to try to get hold of her…).

The following statistics will open your eyes on the present and future of mobile use and marketing opportunities…

Learn More about Mobile Tagging at Microsoft Tag.

Study: Mobile Commerce is happening – mobile search is the access point…

A recent 2011 Mobile Search Insights study conducted by ROI Research Inc. for marketing firm Performics, shows that 49% of consumers who use the mobile web at least once a week made a purchase on their mobile device in the past six months. Compared with a Compete study from last year this shows the increased use of mobile commerce opportunities.

Although these results sound impressive, we have to bear in mind that the study focussed purely on heavy users of the mobile web. These heavy users are familiar with using sites for private shopping and business productivity.

The key findings of the study among 502 weekly mobile web users also state that 30% of mobile search users are likely to select sponsored search results. 77% of surveyed people used mobile search more than five times in the last month.

“Mobile paid search has surged as a percentage of overall paid search spending for our clients, particularly over the last 15 months. (…) We expect March to be the double-digit tipping point, when mobile paid search will represent at least 10% of paid search impressions for all Performics clients.”

Daina Middleton, CEO, Performics

The habits of people searching mobile is changing the way how they gather information from the web, say 63% of repondents. Mobile search is used more often than search engines on the computers (32%) and is the access connection to online retailers and manufacturers.

- 84% look for local retailer information (phone, address, hours).
- 73% find a specific manufacturer or product web site.
- 68% search for the best price for a product or service.
- 63% search before purchasing offline in a store or from a catalog.

And mobile search is not used from the outside worls… but from home.
- 81% use it in the evening
- 80% at the weekend
- 61% at work and 59% before work

Spot On!
The study illustrates the power of mobile search and the opportunity of mobile ads in search results. Mobile search is accessing our daily lives and we suddenly forget to use the laptop or the desktop, it seems. Marketers will have the opportunity to get involved in the purchase process straight from the beginning of the evaluation of products and should integrate mobile (search) marketing into their mobile strategy.

Some insights in mobile business productivity

This week I came across two studies which illustrate how much mobiles are changing business productivity these days and what the outlook is for business decision makers if they want to stay ahead of times.

Leaders in their field will take a close look at the 2010 year in review for mobile (video), the use of the multiple devices that enable more work mobility, flexible web access to inhouse technology and sales property, as well as the problem of fragmentation as tablets seem to re-define the business use of mobiles.

For (IT) managers the question for the future will be how much tablets can overcome the desktop history and in which technology to invest to increase business productivity.

A recent study by the University of Heilbronn gives insights in the latest market development of device shipment.

If we align this with the “always on” philosophy, then we can imagine that the way we will be working in the future will get away from desktop towards a mobile workplace which could be the hotel lobby, a restaurant or on the couch, working in a relaxed atmosphere at home. The desktop won’t be the place of work. With increased mobile technology opportunities there will only be “working or not working”. The way to this new world will be changed when management enables their employees to have access to information anytime, anywhere. The study states that the “use of mobile technology can increase productivity of business travellers by 30-50%”.

How much smartphone could make a difference in this changing process of the future workplace highlights an infographic by the Sybase blog, part of SAP today, which is documenting compelling proof points of which IT and other executives need to be cognizant.

When I was chating (obviously via mobile) to my business contact Sarah Goodall, business blogger and social media lead EMEA at SAP, she gave me her personal thoughts on the changing mobile market yesterday… and I absolutely agree with her view.

“Smartphones and mobiles will be crucial for business productivity going forward. Mobile devices, similar to social media, are fast becoming part of everyday consumer behavior. It’s only natural that these behaviours will transfer and are adopted in business life. People want access to information real time – they want accuracy, they want it immediately and they want it at time of thought. It’s an instant world now and information needs to be transferable and accessible in real time. This will help professionals make informed decisions in real time. It will give them flexibility and agility to make decisions on the move. All of this will help toward productivity.”

The two studies show that having the right mobile app strategy in place will definitely boost the productivity of businesses. So, business decision makers should better hurry up and make their business “social and mobile ready”.

Flip Phone – Is this the future of smart phones?

Sometimes I am thinking smart phones have more or less come to an end in their potential for innovation. And I always have to admit: No, there is still room for inventions…

Just some week ago, I came across the flashy Motorola Flipout. An Android phone with 7 x 7cm touchscreen display while also offering an intelligent Qwertz typepad. It fits into every trouser pocket.

Yesterday, I found one of these latest smartphone visions. It’s called Flip phone and it looks really cool. The phone has three flexible AMOLED touchscreens and a keyboard on the reverse. The Flip phone is based on a concept concieved during a 6 week long workshop done by Kristian Ulrich Larsen, Ewa Sendecka, Jeppe Vestergård and Victoria Kusk. It was then developed further for a semester by Kristian Ulrich Larsen as part of his MA program at Kolding school of design.

This is how Yankodesign describes the Flip phone: “a smart triangular piece held together with soft steel mesh hinges, hosting a custom flavor of Android. The boundaries of a PC and phone have smudged-up big time and this is a sample of what that future looks like”.

Personally, I like the Flip phone idea. Especially if people can watch different videos on different screens at the same time. And you? What do you think about it? Is this something that catches your attention, a product you would buy in the future?

Why Check-Ins need to improve in the future…

Early adopters show big interest (see study) in location-based platforms like Gowalla, Foursquare or Groupon and obviously Facebook Places. Though only 4% of the US internet users use it, and probably the number is even lower in Europe. Nevertheless, Check-Ins could become the pull mechanism for offers on location-based direct marketing campaign in the future.

However, the check-in technology is still not completely evolved. People can still log-on from places around a building (though often not in the building…) -like we check-in on our airlines for flights today from all over the world- and still earn their “check-in credits”.

Some months ago, I wrote about loyalty cards and how the intelligent use of Social Media at point of sales, i.e. cash points at retailers or in shops, could make our purse loose some “plastic weight”, and make loyalty cards a thing of the past.

Now, combine this thought with the new location-based technology and think where we could be if these platforms could embed loyalty programs in their technology/apps. Automated check-in via apps. No second hand-over from loyalty plastic cards. Quicker engagement and upsale opportunities for companies and brands. Brave new world!?

This presentation by the DASH7 Alliance looks at the state of location-based check-ins in the past, today and the need for a global standard for check-ins (and check-outs) in the future.

Nielsen study: iPad users open for ads

When the the iPad certainly was introduced by Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs it was said to be “a truly magical and revolutionary product.” This week I have bought an iPad myself and have tried to understand what the tablet is capable as a mobile business device. I cannot really say it failed. And a new study by Nielsen asking 5.000 mobile users shows us how the iPad is delivering businesses from the perspective of a new ad platform.

The Nielsen findings from their new “Connected Devices Playbook” suggest that the iPad owners are more open and responsive to advertising than mobile users of other devices – even those of the iPhone. The study shows that iPad users are more likely to buy products after being introduced to ads. And 60% of the respondents of users across the iPad, iPhone and all other connected devices responded they were “OK with advertising if it means I can access content for free.”

The magic formula for making ads for iPad users effective are interactive features: 45% of iPad owners said they were more likely to click on ads that included multimedia than 26% of iPhone subscribers and 27% of other connected device owners. Isn’t this perfect news for the launch of Apple’s iAd platform?

What makes marketers even more happy is that iPad users indicate that they buy a product via their mobile device because of an ad. 24% of iPad users made an in-store purchase compared to 10% of those who use other devices. It seems that the iPad and other mobile devices might offer a helping hand as a revenue driver to all retailers or shop-owners. Nevertheless, we might ask the question whether this is as of the new product and the hype around it, or if this will last in the future. The final question could be how Apple will change their single app sales strategy to make the use of the iPad more cost-friendly for users.

So, who is the typical iPad user? The Nielsen study says they tend to be younger and more male than users of other devices like users of the Acer Aspire One, the Kindle, the iPhone, iPod touch or the Sony PlayStation Portable. 65% of iPad users were male and under the age of 35.

Spot On!
Sometimes it is funny when you read these studies and remember your own shopping experience. Some weeks ago, when the iPad was not even available I remember a 45 year old posh women rushing into the Apple shop. She did not even realize that the sales guy next to me was explaining the benefits of an iPad to me. She just asked when the iPad will be available, got her answer and rushed out with the same urgency she came in. The sales guy was shaking his head that day, saying some of our clients are weird. When you think about how eager she was to buy the product, I can understand that advertising is still effective… not only on an iPad.

Das Ende der mobilen Internet-Flatrate und die endlose Mär vom Durchbruch des mobilen Internets…

Das mobile Internet hat den Durchbruch geschafft… Das sagt der BITKOM und begründt es mit einer repräsentative Forsa-Umfrage. Schließlich nutzen 10 Millionen Menschen in Deutschland regelmäßig Internetdienste via Mobiltelefon, was 17% aller Handybesitzer in Deutschland entspricht. Und 4 Millionen nutzen regelmäßig Apps als Zugang. Die anderen sehen die Massennutzung dagegen noch nicht. Noch Anfang des Jahres sagte Accenture in seiner “Mobile Web Watch” Studie eher einen Durchbruch auf Raten vorher. Als Begründung führt man an…

“Das mobile Internet hat es geschafft, sich im Alltag seiner Nutzer zu etablieren – und steht vor der nächsten großen Herausforderung, nämlich durch attraktive Preisgestaltung und durch interessante Angebote neue Nutzer für den Einstieg in das mobile Internet zu begeistern.” Dr. Nikolaus Mohr, Ann-Kathrin Sauthoff-Bloch, Partner, Communications & High Tech, Accenture

Den richtigen Durchbruch haben auch die UMTS Technologie nicht leisten können. Schließlich steht mit LTE (Long-Term-Evolution) bereits ein neue, leistungsfähigere und schnellere nächste Generation eines mobilen Netzwerks in den Startlöchern. Und auch wenn die Smartphones eine neue Ära in der mobilen Internetnutzung eingeleitet haben, scheint die Zukunft des mobilen Webs nach Meinungen von Fittkau & Maaß erst ganz am Anfang zu stehen.

Auch in dieser Studie wird deutlich, das die fragwürdige Transparenz der Kostenstruktur ein grundsätzlicher Hinderungsgrund für die zukünftige Massennutzung ausmacht. Ob der Mobile World Congress dann in München, Köln oder Barcelona stattfindet, wird das Problem der Preisfrage nicht grundsätzlich beeinflussen.

Am User hängt es also mal wieder. Er soll, aber will nicht. Und nutzt er erstmal das mobile Internet im Ausland, ist gleich alles zu spät. Da wird der Geldbeutel schnell leer. Mit dem Thema Daten-Roaming läßt Marcus Rohwetter von der ZEIT zurecht einen Appell an die “Halsabschneider” ab und kritisiert, daß die Inanspruchnahme des Versprechens der grenzenlosen Mobilität nur unter Inkaufnahme der Privatinsolvenz möglich sei. Das Gefühl habe ich auch, wenn ich im Ausland unterwegs bin und nach ein paar Minuten der Nutzung eine SMS eintrudelt. “Ihr Limit von XXEUR (je nach Anbieter und Tarif unterschiedlich) ist aufgebraucht.” Das Kostenspiel mit wenig Gegenwert nervt. Deshalb wird die Forderung laut: Wir brauchen eine globale Flatrate!

MOMENT…! Die Frage ist, ob es die mobile Internet-Flatrate überhaupt noch zukünftig geben wird… egal ob global oder lokal.

Die mobile Internetnutzung stellt die mobilen Internet-Provider nämlich vor eine Traffic-Problem. Wo früher nur wenige Kunden ein Mobiltelefon hatten, war das Datenvolumen in den Netzen der Mobilfunker überschaubar. Heute ist weltweit bereits jedes fünfte verkaufte Handy ein Smartphone-Typus (Quartal 2 2010 gingen über 60 Millionen neue Smartphones live). Die Datenabnahme wächst und die Provider stellen sich die Frage nach der Wirtschaftlichkeit. Der iPad (oder auch andere Netbooks) wird seinen nicht unerheblichen Beitrag hierzu leisten.

Und deshalb sollen jetzt die mobilen Flatrates wieder abgeschafft werden. Zumindest nach Vorstellung von 391 Managern aus der Mobilfunkbranche, die in einer Umfrage “Mobile Challenges Survey 2010″ der Kanzlei Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (durchgeführt von Economist Intelligence Unit) ihre Meinung kundtun durften. Wenn 55% der Manager die herkömmlichen, volumenabhängigen Preise für eine Antwort halten, muß man sich fragen, wie der Durchbruch geschafft werden soll. Die Transparenz der Festpreisangebote im Mobilfunk werden demnach weltweit an Bedeutung verlieren.

So sehen rund die Hälfte befragten Mobilfunkmanager die Entwicklung neuer Tarifmodelle als eine der wichtigsten Herausforderungen. Dem stimmen wir mal ganz feste zu. Aber nicht, indem man einen Rückschritt macht in die alte Welt der intransparenten Roaming-Abrechnung, sondern hin zu einer Tarifentwicklung, wie sie sich auch im Festnetz-Telefon durchgesetzt hat.

Die mobile Internet-Flatrate abzuschaffen, ist als wolle man den Durchbruch des mobilen Internets nicht wirklich. Und diese Entscheidung würde auch die Popularität der Smartphones und mobilen Internet-Devices schwer mindern.

Oder wie seht Ihr das?

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