10 Aug 6 Useful Benefits Of A Mobile App For Small Businesses
Mobile is the buzzword of the moment. In order for small businesses to stay competitive, they need to be present on mobile devices. This means connecting customers with staff on-the-go; anytime, anywhere which means small businesses can increase their efficiency and bottom line. Here are 6 features to consider for your business’s app, and some recommendations of apps already built that you can start using today.
1. Loyalty Rewards Programs
What better way to retain your customers than to create a mobile app for your loyalty rewards program? Customers who download the app can get access to exclusive deals, early bird specials, and more. Sending personalized offers makes your customers feel valued and appreciated.
To keep them engaged even further, you can conduct surveys with them to find out what kind of rewards do they prefer, so that you can further tailor your next big deal to their liking.
2. Scheduling and Follow-Ups
If your business involves providing a in-person services such as a personal training or massage, consider an app that allows your clients to make appointments or sign up for your next class via their mobile phones or tablet. It makes your service more convenient for them, and it’s fewer emails and phone calls for you to field. You can then use text messaging or SMS to confirm the appointments, and to send follow-ups or reminders.
3. Mobile Payments
Have you heard of Square? Yes, that little white cube used for mobile payments.
Mobile payment solutions like Square allows small businesses to swipe credit cards and handle other business transactions through a phone or tablet. This allows business to receive payments on the-go, quickly and efficiently, without the hassles of traditional POS systems. There’s also no need for a bulky register or some complex payment system, and this can save a lot of time and resources. A mobile payment system also makes it possible for the mobile data to be interfaced with other apps via the cloud.
This would mean that transaction records can be transferred directly into the other parts of the business run by other applications like accounting and marketing apps. This makes it possible for the entire business to be more efficient by automating its core processes.
4. Communication and Connectivity
When you are running a small business, communication is vital. You need a sleek mobile communication platform that can reduce your dependence on emails and enhance collaboration on-the-go. Such a platform will allow your team to communicate with each other, collaborate and share documents and other important information in one common place, even when everyone is on the move. One very good example is Slack, whose cost effective mobile app allows you to stay connected with your colleagues wherever you are.
5. Enhanced Customer Support
Need to respond to your customers within a certain time frame? Consider mobile apps like desk.com. This app allows your customer service team to respond to your customers from anywhere. With this technology, you will also be able to monitor client support tickets and emergencies 24/7.
6. Improved CRM Capabilities
A mobile CRM can greatly improve your customer relationship management by giving your small business a wide range of capabilities at your fingertips. With a mobile CRM, you are able to keep track of your tasks, contacts, projects, schedules and emails… all in an instant! For example, instead of keeping a pile of business cards on the table, you can now automatically scan and add the contact directly into your mobile CRM and add important info about your new prospective customer. This kind of automation can save you a lot of time by completely doing away with manual entries, so that you can have more time to build your customer relationships.