Customers have spoken: more and more prefer to use digital-first or digital-only self-service channels.
- In a 2023 โState of Digital Customer Experienceโ study, a large share of U.S. consumers aged 18-75 prefer digital channels to contact companies. Among them, 34 percent say their expectations have increased, year-over-year.ย
- Another recent report found 69 percent of customers prefer self-service portals for support rather than speaking to a representative.ย
- Also, 75 percent of consumers expect consistent interactions across multiple channels.ย
Leading brands have taken notice and made apps not just a channel, but THE channel of customer relationship building and business.
What Leading Brands Show Us with Their Apps
Retailers and food & beverage brands are already modelling what a great app-driven experience looks like. Starbucks is a prime example of a retail-first company that leverages app-first for better service.
Starbucks customers leverage the app for ordering, payments, loyalty and personalized offers. Its mobile app ties directly into its rewards program, where more than half its sales pass through the loyalty program, which is deeply integrated with the app. In fact, Starbucks customers who visit a store weekly use the app 71 percent of Starbucks app users visit weekly. And app users are much more likely to become habitual, repeat customers.
Similarly, Nikeโs app has made the brand loyalty and relationship app-driven and enhanced. With data, Nike has been able to provide customization of product offering and fitness fitness program, as well as a connected in-store experience tied to the app.
These brands do more than use apps as โnice extra channels.โ Apps are the engine of engagement, loyalty and seamless service. Operators should take cues from what works for these brands:
- Personalization at scale: predictive, relevant offers in real time.
- Real-time engagement: proactively reaching customers when need arises.
- Speed: intuitive journeys that take minutes, not tens of minutes.
- Seamless journey end-to-end: connecting app with web, store, live agent as needed.
The Opportunity for Mobile Operators
Mobile operators have long stood for legacy investments like network connectivity and billing. But the customer mobile device experience โ how it performs and how service for the device is delivered โ will become a big competitive differentiator. This is especially the case with other players (OEMs and retailers) now looking to own the customerโs device experience and 20 percent of customers having a device issue annually.
The app is where this service and experience unfolds, with 60 percent of customers preferring app-only or app-initiated service. In practice, this means is moving device-related journeys (like troubleshooting, trade-ins, upsell) to being almost entirely app-driven and collect diagnostic data from devices so the app can detect issues and trigger journeys (e.g. โyour battery is degrading, would you like an upgrade?โ).
MCE is Your Partner for Customer Mobile Device Experience
To win in todayโs market, mobile operators must treat their customer app as a core service hub โ not just an accessory to phone or retail channels. MCE Systems can help you elevate your app so itโs on par with live agent and retail touchpoints: integrating diagnostics, connecting channels, and delivering the seamless, personalized experiences modern customers expect. Letโs build that future together.
