The number of mobile devices has officially overtaken the number of people in the world, notes Cisco. Our population has reached approximately 7 billion, while there are an estimated 7.3 billion mobile devices registered around the world. Businesses are finding it necessary to keep their employees engaged and connected to each other 24/7. As technology and mobile computing increases, so does the expectation to be immediately and constantly connected to customers.
Mobile-Friendly Sites
Smartphone sales skyrocketed up to 225 million in 2013, notes Information Week. A recent Gartner study shows that 80 percent of potential customers will quickly abandon a mobile site when they have an issue with it. There is no need to have every single ounce of information found on the regular website on a mobile site. People are viewing it on a tiny device and probably on-the-go. Keep it simple, useful, to-the-point and easy to read and navigate.
Figure out what you expect people to get from your mobile site, and focus on one key factor. Do you want customers to go to your store? If so, make your mobile site work with Google and Yahoo maps, so your potential customer can show up at your door. Are you selling online products? Focus on the shopping cart and check-out aspect of your mobile site. Always make sure your mobile site works, because, as stated, people will leave your site and go to another one if they can’t readily find what they’re looking for.
Mobile Applications
The next step up from a mobile website is a mobile application specifically for your business. The Apple Store has more than 1.25 million apps, while Google Play is catching up with around 800,000 apps, notes Limelight. Like your mobile site, focus on a customer need when designing a mobile app, and make your customers love your business for helping them to achieve something quickly with the tap of a finger. EBay has a mobile application where you can buy anything easily from your phone, securely store credit card information, and track shipments.
GoDaddy has a mobile application that allows you to check your email, update domains, add calendar appointments, shop for new products, contact them, look at their blogs, find a job – and much more. The app is easy to use and navigate, and you have the option to stay logged in.
Another example of a business that gives their mobile audience exact what they want is home media provider DirecTV (available at getdirecttv.org), which offers packages that give users the option to watch favorite shows anywhere. The company has a mobile site and mobile app that stream shows, and users can watch programs on any TV at home, or on a smartphone, tablet or PC. You can even record shows and access your home account from work.
Mobile Check-ins
People are talking about your business — do you know what they’re saying? Apps like Yelp and Foursquare allow people to “check in” and instantly review your business. There are ways to integrate these tools into your business. For example, Betty’s Pie Shop can offer a free slice of pie for every five times a person checks in to the business on Foursquare. This is free marketing for your business.
B2B App Creation
Technology in business also needs to change, especially for business-to-business enterprises. Two people with iPhones can FaceTime each other, simply by clicking a button on their phone. Susie in Chicago can Skype Gina in Rome for free, simply by sitting in front of a computer. Tools such as these are essential when business must be conducted any time, anywhere.
Businesses can use these solutions on a larger scale. LifeSize offers video conferencing solutions with large display screens that can call a phone or another video conferencing unit anywhere in the world. GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar and WebEx all offer online conferencing tools for business — all you need is a webcam and a phone or microphone. B2B companies may take a cue from these tools and develop their own communication app for business.
Build Your App
More than 80 percent of businesses plan to develop their own mobile apps in the next year, with 41 percent of the group planning to do so in-house, notes Forbes. Mobile apps can be time-consuming to build, and can get expensive to develop. There are also sites you can register for and use the basic technology they have to build your own applications. For example, MyAppBuilder is $29 per month. All you need to provide is content such as videos, blurbs, logos, etc.
Mobile Internet use surpassed that of desktop use in May of last year, notes KPCB. To be relevant today, you need to be able to connect with your customers in an instant. Being mobile gains more customers, increases customer satisfaction, and increases employee retention.