Don't sleep on mobile customer engagement: improve and leverage it

Introduction

Smartphones have transformed how we shop, make appointments, and plan our social lives, becoming cemented in our daily lives. This shift towards mobile-first interactions means all kinds of businesses are adapting how they deliver customer care. And this has presented a great opportunity for you to rethink and improve your customer engagement strategies. 

This blog explores effective strategies for improving mobile customer engagement and how the right technology can facilitate a seamless and rewarding experience for both you and your customers. 

So let's look at exactly how you can do that. 

The importance of mobile customer engagement

As of 2021, it is estimated that approximately 7.1 billion people worldwide have access to a mobile phone, or about 94% of the world's population. The surge in mobile device usage points to a major shift in consumer behaviour. 

Currently, the majority of customers prefer mobile platforms for various types of interactions with brands – including customer service. Reflecting this shift, 57% of consumers are willing to spend more on a brand that offers personalised experiences, highlighting the financial benefits of mobile engagement for businesses.

Moreover, an impressive 86% of consumers say that personalised experiences notably enhance their loyalty to certain brands, underscoring the vital role of mobile engagement in fostering brand loyalty. 

When it comes to social media engagement and engaging on messaging platforms, the motivations for following brands are clear: 

• 68% of customers do so to stay informed about new products or services
• 46% for access to exclusive deals or promotions
• 45% to engage with the community or other customers

These motivations underscore the diverse benefits of mobile engagement that extend beyond transactions to include community building and entertainment.

With the majority of consumers (76%) now expecting brands to prioritise customer support and respond promptly to enquiries, the bar is set high. Merely resolving issues swiftly is no longer adequate; businesses are expected to offer the personalised service that consumers anticipate across all channels, many of which are accessible by mobile.

Mobile first engagement

This growing expectation for immediate, personalised interaction on mobile platforms is reshaping the way you need to approach mobile customer engagement. As mobile devices become increasingly integral to consumers' daily lives, channels become mobile channels first and foremost, and the opportunity for you to improve customer satisfaction and retention through mobile engagement has never been greater. 

Understand your audience and their mobile behaviour 

When it comes to mobile customer engagement strategy, understanding your audience's behaviours and preferences is not just beneficial — it's imperative. This goes beyond simply collecting customer data. You need to build, and continuously optimise your strategy to create personalised conversation between your brand and each individual customer. 

If you're not sure where to start with this, here are some questions about mobile customer engagement you can ask yourself:

• Who are my customers? Identify your audience by their demographics, interests, and lifestyles and devices. This lays the groundwork for a tailored engagement strategy.
• What's data should I look into? The purpose behind analytics shapes your strategic direction, making your engagement efforts more coherent and goal-oriented. You don't want to just collect data for the sake of it, think about why you need each specific piece of data and how it can influence your strategy. For example, understanding the peak times your app is used could guide you to schedule push notifications or special promotions, ensuring they hit the mark with precision, rather than getting lost in a sea of notifications.
• What do my customers want? By understanding your customers' desires through their interactions and preferences, you can refine your offerings to resonate more deeply. For example, if your data reveals there is a high engagement rate with video content within your app, it suggests that your customers are willing to engage there. You can then respond by enhancing and expanding your fun videos plus for example your self service content, via mobile devices, channels and more.
• Shall I ask for feedback? The answer is always yes. We want to identify the right channels — be it app store feedback, in-app behaviour, or social media comments —and enrich our understanding of customers. For instance, if you want to find ways to improve your app, you can monitor the review sections in app stores. Here you will be able to gather unfiltered feedback on user experiences, pain points, and desired features. This direct line to your customer's thoughts and needs offers invaluable guidance on how to improve or where to place the right information.
• When is the right time? Timing your interactions and data collection right can enhance the relevance and impact of the insights you gather. For instance, sending a satisfaction survey the day after a guest has checked out from your hotel makes sure that you get guests to reflect on their stay while the experience is still vivid in their minds. Moreover, offering a discount code for their next stay as part of the survey could not only increase the response rate but also encourage repeat business, directly impacting customer loyalty and engagement.

Where do I begin?

‍Strategising the methods and tools for data extraction gives you a clearer picture of your audience's journey and experiences. For example,  Trengo's multichannel inbox lets your business consolidate interactions from emails, social media, chat services, and more into one unified dashboard. This centralisation not only simplifies the data collection process but also ensures a holistic view of customer interactions.

Get in touch here

Focus on mobile customer engagement and elevate customer support

In today’s world, ensuring your customers can easily reach you is important. For example, in mobile customer engagement, Live Chats stands out as an indispensable tool, preferred by 75% of customers over traditional communication such as phone calls. 

Live Chats are a favourite customer channel

This preference highlights the shift in preference towards more immediate and conversational interactions with businesses. Integrating Live Chat into your mobile customer service strategy will help to elevate the entire customer experience and help you better engage customers on mobile. By being readily available to address queries, provide information, or resolve issues in real-time, you're not just offering a service, but you're enhancing customer satisfaction and strengthening customer relationships.

Leveraging platforms like Trengo and its Website Chat tool, can streamline this process. It's designed to proactively attract visitors from the moment they land on your website, offering immediate support or generating leads right from the get-go.

Harness mobile customer feedback

Feedback is more than just a tool; it's the foundation of a meaningful dialogue between your brand and your customers. With feedback you can begin to understand and value every customer’s voice and let those insights guide your brand's evolution. 

The key lies not only in soliciting feedback but also in the timing and manner of your queries. Each request for feedback should be seen as an opportunity to initiate a thoughtful conversation, contributing to a cycle of continuous improvement in your product or service and building a foundation of trust and loyalty.So consider the unique dynamics of mobile interactions.

Use a tool with features designed to gather and analyse feedback across multiple channels, one that empowers your business to actively listen to its customers, respond to their needs, and adapt your offerings in a way that resonates with your audience. By proactively engaging with and responding to customer feedback, you will start to build a more loyal customer base, turning casual customers into devoted brand advocates.

Strategies for enhancing mobile customer engagement

Optimising mobile customer engagement requires a multifaceted strategy, incorporating both functional and innovative tactics that meet the modern customers needs.

The basics

• Omnichannel mobile engagement: a seamless experience across all mobile platforms and channels is essential. Ensuring that customers can interact with your brand consistently, whether through social media, mobile apps, or websites, enhances the overall user experience and satisfaction.
• Mobile-friendly content: emphasise the importance of responsive design and easily digestible content. Mobile users demand quick, accessible information that fits their on-the-go lifestyle.

Intermediate

• Mobile customer support: implement tools like chat, callbacks, and support tickets directly on mobile platforms. This accessibility allows customers to receive help whenever and wherever, improving satisfaction and engagement.

Advanced 

• Personalisation: despite 41% of brands believing they excel in personalisation, only 14% of consumers agree. Tailoring interactions based on customer data can bridge this perception gap, offering a more relevant and engaging experience.
• Push notifications & SMS: these should be used judiciously to keep customers informed without being intrusive. Best practices include personalised messages, timely delivery, and clear, concise content that adds value.

For your team

• Engagement through mobile apps: having a dedicated mobile app can enhance all customer engagement, but of course mobile customer engagement straight away. Apps provide a direct line to your customer, offering a platform for personalised interactions and instant access to services and support.
• Loyalty programs: mobile-exclusive offers can drive repeat business. An effective mobile loyalty program is more than just transactions; it’s about creating a continuous engagement loop.

The Starbucks example

Starbucks is an example of great mobile customer engagement with its Starbucks Rewards program. Using a multi-channel communication strategy, including a dedicated app and various digital platforms, Starbucks keeps customers engaged and informed. 

Members earn 'Stars' for purchases made via the registered Starbucks Card or mobile app, with incentives to preload funds for additional rewards. 

This clear, consistent communication across platforms ensures that customers are always aware of how to earn rewards and why staying engaged with the brand is beneficial. The program’s structure not only enhances customer loyalty but also promotes frequent interaction, driving both sales and customer satisfaction and now contributes to nearly 60% of the brand's total revenue.

Leverage technology for mobile engagement

To thrive in the digital age, you have to embrace technology that supports sophisticated, multichannel mobile engagement. Trengo offers a simple solution, streamlining customer engagement across various platforms and enhancing communication efficiency.

1. Multichannel engagement with Trengo

Trengo excels in providing a unified platform that simplifies the management of customer interactions across multiple messaging channels such as WhatsApp, email, and direct messaging on websites. This integration ensures that you can maintain seamless omnichannel journeys for your prospects and existing customers, crucial for providing consistent and efficient service.

2. AI and automation for personalising interactions

The role of AI and automation in mobile customer engagement platforms is growing. Trengo uses these technologies to create detailed customer profiles and automate workflows, significantly speeding up response times and personalising customer interactions. 

This capability allows for immediate recognition of customer needs and preferences. You can then create tailored responses and interactions that resonate on a personal level.

3. Mobile CRM (Customer Relationship Management) integration

Integrating with CRM platforms like Shopify, Trengo helps you to maintain a comprehensive view of your customer journey. This integration enables you to track interactions and transactions seamlessly, ensuring that all customer information is accessible in one place, which is vital for providing a cohesive and personalised mobile customer experience.

How EVVO's nailed mobile customer engagement

EVVO's experience with Trengo illustrates the profound impact of leveraging the right engagement tools. Faced with the challenge of managing 50 to 60 daily customer queries across various departments, EVVO implemented Trengo to consolidate and streamline these interactions. 

By using Trengo’s automated workflows and customer profiling, EVVO was able to:

• Respond effectively: automated workflows ensure that messages are promptly directed to the appropriate department, cutting down response times by 50%.
• Increase efficiency: the use of automated templates via messaging platforms, like using WhatsApp templates provides direct and instant responses to customers, saving significant time and effort.
• Boost revenue: with improved efficiency and customer satisfaction, EVVO saw a revenue increase of 5 to 7%.

These results highlight the efficacy of Trengo as a multichannel and mobile customer engagement solutions. By adopting such platforms, you can not only optimise your operational efficiency but also enhance every customer interaction no matter the channel, leading to increased satisfaction and sales.

Kick off your mobile customer engagement strategy today

Embracing a mobile-first strategy is crucial for optimising customer engagement and aiming to capture more revenue. By integrating Trengo, you can ensure seamless, personalised interactions across all mobile devices and platforms, enhancing both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. 

Get in touch today to elevate your mobile customer engagement with Trengo and witness a transformative impact on your business outcomes.