These days, businesses are bombarded with new technologies for their marketing and customer experience toolkits. As exciting as these opportunities can be, it’s easy to get fixated on the latest “shiny thing”—and just as easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices and possibilities.
Cart, meet horse. Please straighten things out. In fact, how about we start with who’s driving in the first place?
That’s right. We need to start with the customer.
Learn more in this eBook: Mobile First: Harnessing the App Lifecycle for Transformative Business Success.
To Create a Mobile Solution, Start with the Problem
Having a mobile presence is not about having a mobile-optimized brochure. It’s about using capabilities unique to mobile to solve problems and create experiences for your users. Brands should always start by answering the question “What customer problem(s) are we trying to solve? What kind of experience do we want to create?” Forrester Research echoes this sentiment in its report, Make Smart Wireless Location Technology Decisions. In fact, the report’s #1 recommendation is “Digital business professionals should first determine what service they want to offer to customers.”
Here are some of the most common customer problems we see at Phunware:
- “Trying to find my way to my surgical appointment is overwhelming and scary.”
- “I just want to know whether all the gym equipment is taken before I head down there.”
- “I’m running late for my flight and starving. Is there a healthy option in this terminal I can grab before boarding?”
These are the common business problems driving businesses to investigate their technology options:
- Driving foot traffic and sales
- Streamlining operations
- Increasing revenue from tenant shops and food outlets
- Reducing workload for customer-facing staff (such as information desk, concierge services, etc.)
- Tracking movable assets
- Acquiring and engaging users
- Understanding consumer context and behavior to guide marketing decisions
Learn more in this eBook: Mobile First: Harnessing the App Lifecycle for Transformative Business Success.
As you’re answering these questions, make sure you’ve got all the stakeholders on board. While different departments and groups might have wish-list items or secondary goals, keep the overall team focused on your goals.
Ultimately, we recommend narrowing things down to one or two primary problems you want to solve, with 5 or so secondary issues to address. Then, and only then, start looking at various technology solutions to see how they might apply.
Curious about how location technologies fit into your overall strategies? If you’d like to brainstorm with a mobile solutions expert, give us a shout.
