How to Use an App to Improve Customer Retention
Engaging and retaining existing customers is a priority for many businesses, with some businesses expecting to see churn rates of up to 25% every year. That’s why some brands choose to create apps, which offer plenty of opportunities to nurture and engage their existing client list.
Are you in need of an app to improve your customer satisfaction? Get in touch to discuss further how we can develop an app to meet your needs.
Why Use an App to Improve Customer Retention?
There are many methods a business could introduce to improve its customer retention. It may be a website or a newsletter with amazing offers and a great user experience, however, there is another approach for reaching your customers.
Apps have an array of factors that make them more effective than other alternatives, even when displaying the same content. We have put together a list of points that elaborate on why an app can improve customer retention.
- Easy access on a mobile phone – The ability to have access to an app in a user’s back pocket will lead to more interactions and improve communication. Having perks or updates they can access on the go is a lot easier than logging on to a computer.
- Better personalisation – An app will have a better ability to create a personal relationship between you and your customer. Through customisation options and interaction history, a user’s app will be bespoke to them, improving engagement and communication.
- Apps feel more natural to customers – There is a big difference between having access to information through an app rather than a tab on a computer. The ability to easily dip in and out will, over time, show better engagement from the comfortability and ease of access between the app and the client.
- Improved Contextual Information – Having an app that your customer interacts with regularly provides rich information you may miss out on from a standalone website. An example of this is using geolocation/GPS for geofencing, as we did with the Barclays Premier Rewards App. Without collecting any private data, the phone can trigger a notification when a customer is near an offer or service you want to draw their attention to. This data can be used to tailor more to the user’s preference, creating a better experience.
- Can be used offline – If you are connecting with your customers solely through a computer, it is likely that they will be using your website in the same place each time. This limits the data that can be collected, however, by using an app, data can still be collected even when offline, and later synced and uploaded when an internet connection is available.
- A ‘hands-on’ experience – By having an app you can hold, control and engage within the palm of your hand, it offers a far more tactile experience than you would get from a desktop site, helping to give a physical ‘feel’ to your app. The difference is subtle but important. Touch screen, accelerometer and augmented reality experiences bring customers closer to your products letting them bond at a subconscious level before making conscious purchasing decisions.
How An App Can Improve Customer Retention
We now know why the use of an app will improve customer retention and communication. But how can we take these points and put them into practice? It is vital that your app is streamlined and efficient, having an outdated, hard-to-manage app is not going to produce the same results.
Our Barclays Premier Rewards project was a great example of how developing an app that works seamlessly across two operating systems will create an experience that is steady and reliable.
The Barclays Premier Rewards app is used as a one-stop shop to share information with customers and gain perks such as free coffee. Before coming to Buzz, Barclays had separate iOS and Android apps. This had a negative impact on their consistency and day-to-day maintenance.
Through their discovery phase with Buzz, we recognised the changes that needed to be made. The result was the creation of a cross-platform app with a fully native user interface that allows automated testing covering iOS and Android with fewer issues and only one app to maintain. Maximising the potential of their app, creating a better user experience, which has since translated into higher customer retention.
As seen from this case study, the quality of an app will reflect customer engagement and response. An app that is successful in improving customer retention and satisfaction should contain necessary information, integrated into an app with great user experience.
Improve Your Customer Retention With An App
Whether you are in need of improving your current app or developing a new app for your customers, our team at Buzz have extensive know-how in building cross-platform apps that are effective.
We start with our discovery phase, which gives us an opportunity to learn your needs whilst you gain an understanding of our methods and critical thinking. Between us, we can begin to build a shared picture of the project. Each project is different and requires a different focus. Ensuring a joint understanding of the success you want your project to achieve is vital to its ongoing development. Start your discovery phase and book a consultation.
Once your project is underway, we make a conscious effort to ensure you are always kept up to date. Working with you along the way to confirm we are hitting all of your requirements for your app.
Start your app development with Buzz Interactive and book a consultation.
