It’s a mobile world, and it is becoming more mobile every day. That’s the takeaway from one OpenMarket exec who lays out the four mobile trends brands need to prep for 2016.
“There are over 1.6M apps to choose from today and consumers are getting more and more overwhelmed, as the app market becomes more saturated. And, according to a recent Compuware study, 80-90% of all downloaded apps are used once and then eventually deleted by the users. Additionally, most mobile apps are used for entertainment, not for business purposes. Research from Flurry has shown 80% of mobile apps are used for gaming, messaging, social networking and other entertainment purposes. When you remove these channels, however, mobile web is very competitive to mobile apps. By 2020, we’ll see a decrease in the enterprise investment in mobile apps, as companies diversify their mobile strategy to include mobile web and SMS,” said Steve French, Vice President of Global Product Management & Marketing, OpenMarket.
Mobile Messaging Will Become the “Secret Sauce” For Call Centers
“Mobility’s variety of data types – structured and un-structured – is something all contact and customer service centers need to take into consideration. This data includes basic contact information, transaction information, and deep insights into interaction history across phone, chat, email, social media and SMS,” said French. “In order to get full visibility of the customer, contact centers must identify and aggregate the various data associated with their journeys. For millennials who make up our largest generation, mobile messaging is their channel of choice. In 2016, traditional mobile messaging / SMS will be a huge driver of these insights, as contact centers add more messaging capabilities that deliver fast and efficient customer service and get deeper insights into their consumers’ tendencies and preferences.”
The Emoji Era Begins
“Millennial consumers appreciate the ‘short and sweet’ and the personalized – the main drivers of the emoji. However, it’s not just millennials who love emojis. According to a recent Emoji study, over 60% of 35+ year-olds self-identify as frequent emoji users. In 2016, more customers will be looking to interact with businesses using emojis, and businesses that don’t begin to adopt this practice will lose valuable mindshare with modern-day consumers,” said French.
Consumers Will Drive A Go Mobile or Move On Attitude Towards Customer Service
“Today’s consumers have zero-tolerance for service that isn’t prompt, customized and on their terms. In fact, 86% of consumers will quit doing business with a company because of a bad customer experience, up from 59% four years ago, according to Harris Interactive. Additionally, more millennials are taking over the marketplace, and their preferred communication channel is mobile,” said French. “And, Harris found that 77% of them are likely to have a more positive perception of companies that offer texting as an option for communicating. In 2016, we will see this come to fruition as modern consumers drive a ‘go mobile or move on’ attitude towards customer service, making mobile messaging the ideal communication channel for consumers looking to interact with a business.”
