Transforming Customer Engagement with Mobile

Transcription

1 Transforming Engagement with Mobile Part : Getting Started with Mobile Engagement Introduction In part one of our Mobile Engagement Guide, Introducing a Model for Mobile Marketing Success, we introduced you to Syniverse s Mobile Engagement Maturity Model, which has been designed to help organizations understand where their mobile marketing and customer engagement efforts currently fit in relation to a long-term strategic vision for optimizing customer engagement. In this second part of our guide, we put the model in context and provide three examples of how companies at different stages of mobile engagement maturity can use the model to support their mobile marketing goals. The guide concludes with a rundown of best practices that any company can apply in its business to help ensure its success on the journey to optimized mobile engagement.

2 Complexity and Value Unobtrusive and Fast to Market Transactional and Highly Integrated Value-Added Content Apps Social Media Beacons Geofencing Handset GPS Push Offers Push Notifications Passbook for Applications Marketing Automation for Applications Multiple s and Channels for Applications Device Text to Video Text to Download Text to Web Two-Way SMS Chat Voice Scratch to Win MMS Marketing Automation Multiple s and Channels SMS/Messaging Easy File Input Marketing Automation Information Batch CRM/API Integration Transaction Offers Integrations, Sources and Business Opportunities Figure : Mobile Engagement Maturity Model Getting Started with Mobile Engagement Understanding the different mobile engagement channels and how they work (see the appendix, A Guide to How Mobile Channels Work ), along with an assessment of a company s positioning within the mobile maturity model, enables companies to make strategic decisions as to where they should invest in mobile. This is critical to realizing both an immediate improvement in customer engagement and loyalty as well as achieving long-term mobile success. Some companies will find themselves right at the beginning of their mobile engagement journey, while others may feel they are fully mobile-optimized, although reliant solely on a mobile app. Wherever a company is, the journey to seamless customer engagement across multiple mobile channels is complex. Below are three examples of companies at different stages of mobile engagement maturity, along with a summary of steps needed to enable them to quickly ramp up to achieve more effective mobile return on investment. Example : New to Mobile X is new to mobile. The brand has been using to send promotional messages as well as a newsletter. The promotions have been successful, but it is unclear if it has changed customer behavior or simply provided a discount to already loyal customers. Quite simply, X is eager to embrace mobile but doesn t know where to begin. The current state of X is indicated on Figure by the red circle. Given that this brand is new to mobile, it is reasonable to begin with a simple database building of opted-in mobile phone numbers. (Note: To send an SMS message in most countries, a customer must opt in to a marketing program. If a company is new to mobile, it should seek assistance from a proven mobile solutions partner with experience in this area.)

3 Currently, X has a customer database, but the data available is for home and work phone numbers, not necessarily for mobile phone numbers. Initial mobile efforts should therefore be focused on mobile-originated interactions. Mobile-originated interactions provide an opportunity for the brand to learn about mobile and build a database of opted-in customers at the same time. In addition, the brand should cleanse its database to determine if numbers are mobile and valid. Next, X could move to API integration and begin adding mobile channels to its communication plan. Depending on the availability of IT resources, it may make sense to pursue both in parallel, recognizing that the API integration will take time and can be done while other channels are added to a batch-file-based program. This is shown in Figure as Steps and a. Next, X could explore collaborating with third parties to expand the relevance of its offers, as shown in Step 3. Complexity and Value Unobtrusive and Fast to Market Transac onal and Highly Integrated Value-Added Content Apps Device Social Media Beacons Geofencing Handset GPS Push Offers Push No fica ons Passbook Text to Video Text to Download Text to Web Two-Way SMS Chat Voice Scratch to Win MMS SMS/Messaging for for Mul ple s and Mul ple Channels for a 3 Easy File Input Mul ple s and Mul ple Channels Informa on Batch CRM/API Integra on Transac on Offers Integra ons, Sources and Business Opportuni es Figure : New-to-Mobile Model Example Example : SMS and In this scenario, Y is actively sending messages and has a sophisticated process in place to do so. Additionally, Y has been running some SMS campaigns, but the and SMS campaign programs are not connected. In assessing the current state in this example, the is in the second column and SMS is in the first since the two programs are running as separate initiatives. Recognizing the need for seamless communications across channels, Y desires to bring the two programs together as its first step. This is shown as milestone in Figure 3 and focuses on transactional content. Milestone adds promotional content to the interactions by delivering common content to the two channels and adds context information to the interaction. In milestone 3, Y adds a native mobile app, adding a new level of richness to its mobile service and enabling a third channel for notifications. 3

4 Complexity and Value Unobtrusive and Fast to Market Transac onal and Highly Integrated Value-Added Content Apps Social Media Beacons Geofencing Handset GPS Push Offers Push No fica ons Passbook for for 3 Mul ple s and Mul ple Channels for Device Text to Video Text to Download Text to Web Two-Way SMS Chat Voice Scratch to Win MMS Mul ple s and Mul ple Channels SMS/Messaging Easy File Input Informa on Batch CRM/API Integra on Transac on Offers Integra ons, Sources and Business Opportuni es Figure 3: SMS and Model Example Example 3: and Native Apps Like many companies, Z jumped into mobile and built a native app for Apple s ios for its loyalty marketing team. The application was initially downloaded by 0 percent of customers, but usage has been hovering around 4 to 6 percent. It is becoming increasingly difficult to manage the demands of IT to refresh the application, and Z is struggling to justify the continued expense in light of the limited application usage. Z has a sophisticated marketing automation program and sends personalized promotional and transactional messages to its customers daily, which include third-party offers. For Z, there are two current-state positions, one for and one for the native application. In light of the adoption challenges on the application, Z decides to focus on expanding reach. To do this, Z adds devicebased channels to its robust program. This is shown as milestone in Figure 4. The second step is to expand device usage. Z leverages the device-based channels to drive users to the application downloads. In step 3, Z uses location-based offers and push notifications to provide deep links into the mobile application to aid awareness and immersive application engagement. 4

5 Complexity and Value Unobtrusive and Fast to Market Transac onal and Highly Integrated Value-Added Content Apps Social Media Beacons Geofencing Handset GPS Push Offers Push No fica ons Passbook for for 3 Mul ple s and Mul ple Channels for 4 Device Text to Video Text to Download Text to Web Two-Way SMS Chat Voice Scratch to Win MMS Mul ple s and Mul ple Channels SMS/Messaging Easy File Input Informa on Batch CRM/API Integra on Transac on Offers Integra ons, Sources and Business Opportuni es Figure 4: and Native App Model Example Four Mobile Engagement Best Practices There are several best practices to consider on the journey to optimized mobile engagement. First, it is critical to consider the scope of authority when evaluating projects. If the scope of impact is limited to a business unit or function, then accept this limit and execute the plan within the scope of impact. Second, be realistic about what can be done in a particular time frame. These mobile projects are targeted at customers. For this reason, any project undertaken will impact virtually every function in the company. Selecting a proven mobile solutions partner and writing code are likely the easiest parts of these projects. Third, time the project carefully. It is critical to show progress and ensure that the various parts of the organization can work independently to leverage the new capabilities being implemented. To generate excitement, focus on and attach funding for projects like key marketing or customer service events that will deliver a rapid return on investment. Consider launching the new functionality as part of a marketing campaign period, like during the holidays or back-to-school time. Communicate often and use examples. Mobile means different things to different people. To aid understanding and ensure alignment, use examples, mock-ups and story boards when explaining what capabilities will be delivered. Finally, consider a proven cloud mobile solutions partner. Mobile is challenging. A proven cloud mobile solutions partner will reduce risk from the technology and business complexity by building on a commercial system and providing guidance on previously successful programs. 5

6 Enabling the Personalized Mobile Experience New technologies, lifestyle changes and mobile-user expectations have precipitated a new mobile era of enterprise and consumer engagement, positioning the user at the center of the mobile world. As a result, today s mobile consumer has gained and has come to expect to interact with her or his favorite brands in faster and richer ways. 05 will be the year that loyalty, marketing and service organizations take a significant step toward delivering on these expectations and more fully embracing mobile. Companies must transform themselves to capture the value of the increasing mobile interactions and shed the blinders of organizational reporting and agency relationships to reach consumers. The Mobile Engagement Maturity Model offers a critical foundation to inform this transformation. Using the model, a company can take six steps for getting started on the journey to mobile engagement:. Understand where its organization currently sits in the Mobile Engagement Maturity Model and which channels it needs to invest in to optimize engagement with its customers.. Create multiple models based on its level of control. 3. Be realistic about what can be accomplished in a given planning period and time the efforts carefully to ensure new assets are delivered on schedule, as planned. 4. Consider its key marketing windows, such as holidays and key shopping periods like back-to-school times, and ensure the new assets are available with sufficient time to demonstrate competence. 5. Communicate to the broader organization with examples of the engagements that are available at each milestone. 6. Consider leveraging a proven cloud mobile solutions partner to accelerate efforts and reduce delivery risk. About Syniverse Syniverse enables enterprises and social networks to reach nearly every customer, anywhere, anytime, on more than 6 billion connected devices worldwide. Our innovative, cloud-based solutions help companies optimize mobile engagement and improve business processes through the delivery of timely, relevant information that personalizes the mobile user experience, increases customer loyalty and promotes brand loyalty. For more than 5 years, Syniverse has been simplifying complexity to deliver the promise of mobility. Syniverse makes mobile work for eight of the top banks in the U.S., the top five credit card issuers in the U.S., and some of the world s largest retailers, airlines, and hotels. To find out more about the Mobile Engagement Maturity Model or to set up a session with a Syniverse mobile expert to assess your current state, go to mobilebrands.syniverse.com, and click on the Contact Us link at the top of the home page to initiate a meeting. For more information on Syniverse, go to mobilebrands.syniverse.com, follow Mobile4s on Twitter or visit our Syniverse Enterprise and Intelligence Solutions page on LinkedIn. 6

7 Appendix: A Guide to How Mobile Channels Work There are many mobile channels that companies can use to connect with their customers. Each channel offers its distinct advantages and drawbacks, and together the channels offer combinations of sophisticated strategies that can be implemented to achieve marketing and business goals. The channels can be broadly categorized into device-based channels, which leverage the device and its native capabilities, and application-based channels, which require a downloaded application or server application. Here are definitions for each channel. Device-Based Channels Device-based channels use the native capabilities of a device to present content. In the purest form, there is an application, but in device-based channels, the application function is native to the device. As a result, device-based channel communications are much simpler to implement and require significantly less work on the part of the marketing or service organization. In addition, users are already familiar with the functionality and user interface, providing quicker adoption. While not exclusively a mobile capability, remains a critical component of mobile engagement. Thanks to mobile applications, is a straightforward and broadly applicable solution for engaging customers. SMS/Messaging: Short Message Service, also known as SMS or mobile messaging, has become one of the world s most popular and practical forms of communication. In a fragmented mobile world of multiple devices, operating systems and service providers, SMS is available on all mobile devices and remains the one constant that offers a singular channel through which all mobile users can communicate with each other. MMS: Multimedia Messaging Service, also known as MMS, has been available for many years as a technology. The key differentiating factor with MMS is that the media is delivered directly to the device. A mobile user is presented with an image or play icon in the message. In this way, MMS delivers a user experience that requires one less click over an SMS message with a link to a Web page. The challenge with MMS is that not all devices or carriers support MMS with the same standards in file size and media encoding. Scratch to Win: Scratch to win is part of a broader category of solutions that involve sending an SMS message with a link (usually a shortened URL) to a mobile device with instructions to click the link. The link takes the user to a responsive Web page where the user rubs off items, completes a puzzle, pops a balloon or participates in some other gaming experience. Voice Communication: Like , voice communication is not an exclusively mobile channel but is nonetheless an effective approach for interacting with users. Voice communication should be evaluated for critical, time-sensitive interactions and is best used as a form of messaging escalation when earlier attempts have been unsuccessful in achieving the desired outcome. Two-Way SMS Chat: Two-way SMS chat is much like instant messaging. SMS is used on the device, and the other end of the conversation is managed at a computer terminal by an agent. Text to Web: Similar to scratch to win, a brand will send an SMS message with a link (usually a shortened URL) to a mobile device with instructions to click the link. The link takes the user to a Web page where the mobile user can interact with the brand via mobile data service over a browser. 7

8 Text to Video: Similar to scratch to win and text to Web, with text to video, a brand will send an SMS message with a link (usually a shortened URL) to a mobile device with instructions to click the link. The link takes the user to a Web page where the mobile user can interact with the brand s video via mobile data service over a browser. Application-Based Channels The second category of mobile channels is application-based channels. These are more complex than the device-based channels, yet they provide richer and potentially greater levels of customer engagement. Passbook: Passbook and, more generically, the mobile wallet, is a light app and the transitional channel between the device- and application-based channels. Passbook heavily relies on the capabilities in the operating system but has application-like capabilities. Passbook and other light apps represent a unique opportunity to interact with mobile users in an app-like manner (offline or location-based) without the substantial overhead of maintaining a native application. Push Notifications: Push notifications are notifications or messages that are delivered over the data channel to the device. The operating system manages the notification but requires some type of application on the device to allow the notification. Push Offers: Push offers are promotions that are pushed to the user through some form of a native application. Handset GPS: Location is a critical element in establishing mobile context for customer engagement. When a mobile user has downloaded an app, the application may have access to the location data available on the device. This location data is typically more available and less expensive than obtaining location from an overlay network. Geofencing: Geofencing is the process of establishing a logical area that modifies or informs an application when a user crosses in to or out of a determined geographical area. Geofences are used in conjunction with notifications and offers to create compelling mobile engagement based on the context information pertaining to where a customer is presently located. Beacons: Beacons or, more generically, Bluetooth low-energy transmitters, are signaling devices that can either send out unique or group codes to identify a location reference. This is similar to handset GPS that can be used to trigger location offerings or inform applications of a user s location. Social Media: Social media is included as an application-based channel because it requires some form of an application. It is possible that a user will access the social application through a browser, but there is a significant application component to the interaction. The social channel category is evolving. Some networks are closed to external messaging (e.g., WhatsApp), while others limit the number of messages (e.g., Twitter or WeChat), and still others are experimenting with different business models. Given the increasing amount of customer attention these networks generate, social media is an important channel to be evaluated in any mobile engagement strategy. 05 Syniverse Technologies, LLC. All rights reserved under U.S. and international copyright laws. Rev