Lessons from Mobile Matters: Keep Your Customers at the Center of Everything You Do

Michelle Lawrence Picture

by Michelle Lawrence | Last Updated: Jun 24, 2020

How did you first get started with mobile? Maybe it was an internship at a tech company? Or maybe you sat 14 rows behind Steve Jobs when he first released the iPhone? Well, this is exactly what happened to Taylor Webster, who was previously the UX and Design Manager at Lowe’s. Let’s recap some important reminders he shared on his episode of Mobile Matters. You Have to Start at the Customer We’ve heard this a million times, “put the customer first”, but even the best marketers can forget this. Sometimes marketers get so enamored over a new mobile marketing campaign and forget to stop about what the customer wants. Try to incorporate monthly check-ins with customers. Figure out where their pain points are and what they’d like to see evolve with your product or service. Taylor recommends talking with other parts of your organization to collect as much information as possible on your customers. On the other hand, don’t have a knee jerk reaction when you hear feedback. Carefully analyze the data you have to make an educated decision about an iteration to your product or service. Make small changes at first to see how customers react. We’re Talking On The Phone Again That’s right, we are kicking it old school by using our voice again...well maybe not exactly how we used to back when we were still renting movies from Blockbuster. Taylor even predicts at some point screens may disappear altogether. When’s the last time you thought about how to integrate voice in your mobile experience? Here are some points in the customer journey where it makes sense to develop a voice strategy: But don’t waste your time and energy creating a voice strategy if you don’t see voice easing the customer experience. The secret is to always focus on your customers’ needs. Website vs. Native Mobile App The question as old as time (or 2007 when the iPhone first came out): what goes on my native mobile app versus my mobile-responsive website?  The short: it depends. What are your customers visiting your site for? Are they trying to find products, like they are in Lowe’s case? Focus on your core functionality and put that in both places. Taylor had some great advice about testing out features on their Android native mobile app before developing on iOS to see how customers might adopt the technology. Speaking of mobile apps and websites, let’s talk about design. Consumers need to be able to find things fast...and you’ve got about 0.05 seconds before users make a judgment about your website. So even though there are things you need to keep on both your native mobile app and your website, keep your mobile design simple. 29 percent of people will abandon a site or app if they can’t find what they’re looking for. Don’t Forget What Industry You’re In Comparison is the thief of joy. Don’t compare what other companies are doing to yours - even if they’re in your industry. Yes, you should take a pulse check on competitors every once in a while, but before you start implementing new technology think about YOUR customers first. How many of you played Pokémon GO a few years ago? By March of 2019, the app had been downloaded one billion times. But just because everyone was using this augmented reality (AR) experience doesn’t mean consumers wanted to use it in other use cases. If you’re trying to sell furniture (like Ikea), then I think it makes sense to incorporate this technology. But if customers aren’t willing to use it in the industry you’re in, it might make the customer experience more complicated. Looking for more ways to keep customers at the center of everything you’re doing? Here’s a guide to wow your customers from the beginning.

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