Whether it’s a notification encouraging fans to download an app’s latest update, or paid advertising to re-engage lost customers, brand communications are an integral part of a brand’s success. There are many ways for app publishers to communicate and message their customers. Unfortunately for customers, this is not the case. In general, the client of an application has extremely limited means of communicating with the publisher of the application, as client communication is usually one way: business-to-consumer. Customers cannot make suggestions, ask questions, or get help. Of course, publishers aren't quite raising the floodgates to discourage feedback from apps, and maybe even encourage feedback. Currently, publishers promote two feedback channels: App store ratings and reviews, naturally or through rating prompts or in-app CTA requests Emails with redirect links or plugins found in app navigation or app store product pages These two channels nicely package feedback for publishers, consolidating all communication into one easy-to-manage channel. They can integrate incoming emails with their CRM of choice and automatically filter reviews using any modern app store optimization tool. But for customers, these two channels are neither convenient nor conducive to their experience. Both channels require leaving the app, launching an app store or email client, and describing the query at hand with an annoying little keyboard. To make matters worse, neither channel offers much in the form of responses.
Publishers may respond to your emails, but when it finally arrives, the issue will no longer be a priority—especially when you've already been forced to leave the app. You may get a response from an app store review, but few app publishers take the time to provide anything other than a templated response. For app publishers, collecting and understanding customer feedback is also not a walk in the park. Finding data scientists to set up data cubes, extract the right sources of information, and prepare the right views for leaders and product owners is a huge analytical challenge. Setting up the first version can take months because it can be difficult to collate feedback from different customer bases, especially as the customer base grows, it can take years to do well. At the industry mailing list of the day, many customers find providing feedback too time-consuming, annoying, and cumbersome. It's much easier for them to just uninstall your app and move on to the next alternative. Conversely, app publishers may feel overwhelmed by the idea of collecting feedback from too many app customers because they don’t have confidence in their ability to understand that feedback to help drive their product roadmap. But it doesn't have to be so difficult. There are easier ways to collect customer feedback and turn it into your app's greatest advantage, just for your business. Let's dive into the following possibilities. The importance of mobile feedback Mobile devices have skyrocketed in recent years, overtaking desktops as the most used digital channel for the first time in 2016. , according to a recent study by Apptentive.
Collect Mobile Customer Feedback Statistics Consumers expect companies to be more communicative on mobile than other channels. However, simply asking for feedback is not enough. When customers take the time to provide feedback, companies should do the same to thank and acknowledge the customer's response. Companies that don't respond to feedback ignore their customers; behavior that ultimately damages customer loyalty. A company that collects mobile customer feedback statistics Our results clearly demonstrate the impact of mobile applications on customer loyalty. Two-thirds (66%) of companies that have seen a significant drop in customer loyalty levels in the past year do not have a mobile app. Companies with mobile apps reported smaller declines in customer loyalty last year. Companies are not taking advantage of feedback, and by not soliciting feedback from customers on a regular basis, they are missing out on a huge opportunity. According to the survey results, customers are very willing to provide feedback, especially when the company asks for it. 93% of respondents said they are at least likely to provide feedback if requested by the company. However, despite the willingness of customers to leave feedback, a large percentage of companies are not taking advantage of this opportunity. One-third of businesses surveyed said they have never solicited feedback from customers, and nearly half (43%) of businesses in our survey, regardless of company size, do not prioritise soliciting feedback from customers. Also, contrary to popular belief, giveaways don’t entice customers to provide feedback. Only 7% of consumer respondents said they would leave feedback in exchange for something in return. So what are the real reasons why customers leave feedback? They want to help. When customers were asked why they wanted to provide feedback to a company, the top two reasons mentioned were helping other customers and helping the company improve their services to grow their business.