Our smartphones have us hooked. On the bus, in bars, in bed … We watch entire concerts through our camera apps, walk into lamp posts while playing Candy Crush and marvel at the wonders of the world with the backs of our heads as we pose for duckface selfies. The smartphone is now more than a tool. It’s a third hand, an extension of our bodies. Today we are digital.
Businesswise this opens many doors, but digital adoption however remains a challenge. You can spend big budgets on an app or website to improve the customer journey and generate revenue, if customers are unable to discover and use their full potential, your return on investment will come up short. To enforce digital adoption you have to combine digital with print communications. Use paper communications as a stepping stone for customers towards a satisfactory digital customer experience. And then keep them there.
Action without friction
On paper this may seem difficult as print communications don’t appear to be very actionable, but including something as simple as a QR code is enough. It allows you to take the customer on a digital customer journey, where the possibilities aren’t limited to the permanent contents of a printed document. In fact that’s what they want.
Not long ago I received the following bankmail after making an appointment. It told me that I could find all details of my appointment attached. So I had to download and open a PDF on a mobile device to find out what I needed to know. Now what if it looked like this?
A digital customer experience that includes the date and time in a calendar format, the picture of the person with whom I have an appointment and the option to reschedule the appointment and add it to my calendar. Customers look for actionable content and it’s up to you to make sure it remains frictionless.
From start to finish
Once your customers arrive on your app or website, everything must be provided here for them to complete their customer journey. Some time ago a payment service provider sent me a letter concerning fraudulent transactions on my credit card. I got a telephone number and a short code to quickly reach the right department. I dialed the number, entered the short code and after 20 minutes of waiting by the phone, a help desk employee politely yet rushingly sorted things out for me.
Imagine I could just link my email address, mobile number, twitter handle or even my Facebook account to my credit card. This would allow the payment service provider to contact me via the channel of my choice. In turn I could securely sign in and immediately confirm whether the marked transactions are mine or not. No letters, phone calls, short codes or stressed-out help desk employees needed. Just one channel to complete the process from start to finish.
Dropout rates
Here is another example. Let’s say you own a bank and a customer has shown interest in mortgage loans. You could reach out with a promotional communication and integrate a mortgage loan simulator. All activity in the simulator is tracked so you can gather information about the customer. He would not be able to resist playing with the simulator as he doesn’t have to leave the communication to do so. It’s all there.
That’s the kind of digital adoption you should strive for. If your customers are forced to continue their customer journey elsewhere, because they have to visit another website, call a number or download, print, fill out, scan and email a pdf, your dropout rates will rise quickly. As long as customers are made to stay in the same environment, they will be open for a lot of things, as they consider them relevant.
Discover other ways to become more customer centric in our blog ‘5 ways to become more customer centric‘
Our smartphones have us hooked. On the bus, in bars, in bed … We watch entire concerts through our camera apps, walk into lamp posts while playing Candy Crush and marvel at the wonders of the world with the backs of our heads as we pose for duckface selfies. The smartphone is now more than a tool. It’s a third hand, an extension of our bodies. Today we are digital.
Businesswise this opens many doors, but digital adoption however remains a challenge. You can spend big budgets on an app or website to improve the customer journey and generate revenue, if customers are unable to discover and use their full potential, your return on investment will come up short. To enforce digital adoption you have to combine digital with print communications. Use paper communications as a stepping stone for customers towards a satisfactory digital customer experience. And then keep them there.
Action without friction
On paper this may seem difficult as print communications don’t appear to be very actionable, but including something as simple as a QR code is enough. It allows you to take the customer on a digital customer journey, where the possibilities aren’t limited to the permanent contents of a printed document. In fact that’s what they want.
Not long ago I received the following bankmail after making an appointment. It told me that I could find all details of my appointment attached. So I had to download and open a PDF on a mobile device to find out what I needed to know. Now what if it looked like this?
A digital customer experience that includes the date and time in a calendar format, the picture of the person with whom I have an appointment and the option to reschedule the appointment and add it to my calendar. Customers look for actionable content and it’s up to you to make sure it remains frictionless.
From start to finish
Once your customers arrive on your app or website, everything must be provided here for them to complete their customer journey. Some time ago a payment service provider sent me a letter concerning fraudulent transactions on my credit card. I got a telephone number and a short code to quickly reach the right department. I dialed the number, entered the short code and after 20 minutes of waiting by the phone, a help desk employee politely yet rushingly sorted things out for me.
Imagine I could just link my email address, mobile number, twitter handle or even my Facebook account to my credit card. This would allow the payment service provider to contact me via the channel of my choice. In turn I could securely sign in and immediately confirm whether the marked transactions are mine or not. No letters, phone calls, short codes or stressed-out help desk employees needed. Just one channel to complete the process from start to finish.
Dropout rates
Here is another example. Let’s say you own a bank and a customer has shown interest in mortgage loans. You could reach out with a promotional communication and integrate a mortgage loan simulator. All activity in the simulator is tracked so you can gather information about the customer. He would not be able to resist playing with the simulator as he doesn’t have to leave the communication to do so. It’s all there.
That’s the kind of digital adoption you should strive for. If your customers are forced to continue their customer journey elsewhere, because they have to visit another website, call a number or download, print, fill out, scan and email a pdf, your dropout rates will rise quickly. As long as customers are made to stay in the same environment, they will be open for a lot of things, as they consider them relevant.
Discover other ways to become more customer centric in our blog ‘5 ways to become more customer centric‘