Mobile help retail stores win sales

With big retailers such as Blockbusters and HMV going belly up and attributing this on people buying online instead, it is of no surprise that retail stores are concerned this Christmas, particularly as these sales can make up to 40% of retailers' overall annual revenue.

Good news? Retailers concerned about the negative effects of online shopping this holiday season can rest a little bit easier tonight as research by BuzzCity finds although 47% of shoppers around the globe expect to do their Christmas shopping online this year, this will not negatively affect the volume of customers shopping in retail outlets.

With multiple ways for customers to shop, retailers must focus on creating a consistent customer experience regardless of the channel chosen by customers to engage with retailers this holiday season. By doing so, this will help ensure retailers are competing across channels. If a customer's first point of contact with you is visiting your website via their smartphone, you need to ensure this is representative of your brand and creates an enjoyable shopping experience. Consider that one of your brand values is 'quality products and services' but your mobile website is ill-designed and difficult to navigate - is this truly demonstrating your 'quality' brand principle?

Mobile helping retail stores win sales

Make sure you have a mobile website to ensure you do not lose sales to others and integrate this with your store. For example, if a customer reserves items online, you can send a text message alert to notify them when the reserved product is available for collection at their nearest store.

Text messages can also be used for sending general alerts about accounts such as new statements, special events and promotions. This can prove very valuable when developing customer relationships as you can invite special customers to a fashion show for example, increasing the likelihood that they will become a repeat customer.

Retailers have a deeper understanding of their shoppers today including their buying habits and demographics helping them tailor mobile coupons and promotions to increase revenues. Using geo-location technology, you can even send specific deals to customers when they are nearby, making the likelihood that they will visit your store that little bit higher. If you are a restaurant for example, you can blast customers with a mobile alert or e-mail advising them of any deals making them not only aware you are nearby and putting yourself to the forefront of their mind, but also providing a direct reason for them to visit your restaurant over others. With UK shoppers becoming more cost conscious, this can provide the perfect excuse to spend money in your restaurant over others.

Retailers could consider equipping sales staff with tablets and custom apps so they can help customers in store and pull up information instantly on customers' past shopping behavior or to find information about merchandise. For example, they could find information about stock availability both within their store and other nearby stores enhancing the customer experience and helping secure the sale. QR codes can also potentially be used to allow customers to find detailed product information, add products to a 'wish list' and even suggest other associated products for example.

Mobile technology can be used to help retailers enhance customer service across channels and provide a more cohesive and consistent experience. Learn more about how retailers can enhance the mobile shopping experience or read our Retail section to find out more.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

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UK struggles to stay warm this Christmas...smart meters here to help?

Across the UK people continue to struggle to pay energy bills and stay warm this Christmas as energy prices keep on rising. A recent survey found that there is a higher percentage of people in the UK struggling to pay their energy bills than elsewhere in Europe, ranking 26 out of 27 and only ranking higher than Estonia.

There has been much attention surrounding energy prices and profits accumulated by energy companies. A report by Ofgem found that profits from departments which supply gas and electricity, soared from £681 million in 2011 to a tremendous £1.19 billion last year when comparing the same period. With the publics' anger mounting, the Government has now stepped in to demand that utility companies explain the rise in prices and Ofgem is challenging companies to cut costs for consumers.

Smart meters are taking hold across the globe as governments, energy companies and customers realise that smart meters can help reduce energy bills. Customers can better manage their energy consumption by simply having an improved understanding of how much energy they use in real time. Customers can find out the differences in energy consumption during different times in the day, across various weeks and months of the year. By knowing this, they can try and reduce consumption of certain household appliances as they will know how much it costs to leave the heating on all night for example, or carry out two washings a day.

Another great feature of smart meters is accurate billing, meaning no more incorrect bills and having to call companies to rectify or dispute the matter. Meter readings are automatically updated on a regular basis resulting in no more visits to collect meter readings or having to log in online and wait patiently for the web page to load to enter meter readings manually. Or, if you're anything like me, having to receive multiple email reminders to enter meter readings before remembering to do so!

As well as facing pressure to reduce energy prices, energy companies are facing further challenges as consumer trust and loyalty remain low, partly a result of high energy prices and incorrect billing. A study by Opower found five consistent findings regardless of country which they termed the '5 Universal Truths of the Energy Consumer'. They highlighted that customers not only want lower bills and accurate billing but they also want utility companies to offer more than their existing services as they compare providers with their banks and as such, they are now rating energy providers based on their online services, personalisation, information and text message alerts.

Utility suppliers should ensure customers can visit their website and find information easily regardless of whether they are accessing the site via a laptop, PC, iPad or a mobile phone. Customers should be able to manage their own account 24/7 from wherever they are and set up personalised text message alerts which they want to receive such as a notification when funds are low. Utilities can develop apps that are tailored towards their end customers and focus on what they want to achieve.

Reduce the need for customers to call you and wait on hold by sending information to them or by allowing them to find the information themselves. By sending text message alerts straight to a customer's mobile phone ensures they are alerted immediately and builds positive customer relationships. Messages can be used to send valuable information such as when a bill needs to be paid, cheaper tariffs become available or offer tips on how to reduce energy.

Customers today value convenience and information, and by focusing on delivering what customers require will help energy companies bring back good customer service and help them secure long term relationships with their customers. Find out how energy suppliers use mobile communications to build customer trust or read our Utilities section to find out more.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

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Mobile technology in retail - pass the bar?

Mobile technology in retail is no longer new as people continue to embrace the technology to make shopping that little bit easier as they recognise the convenience and benefits of mobile. 

No longer are shoppers restricted by stores' opening times, or where they are at that moment in time, you can shop 24/7 from wherever you are (well, as long as you have an internet connection and a mobile device)!

However, a poll by Populus into food and grocery shopping in the UK found retailers are failing to capitalise on the demand for new mobile technology. More than a third would like to scan their shopping using mobile phones to keep a track of spend and to quicken the payment process but less than 3% of retailers are currently offering this. A third of shoppers also indicated that they would like to use their mobiles in store for price comparison, and 28% would like mobile alerts regarding special offers when they are close by to a store.

New research by Verdict predicts spending online and via mobile devices will rocket over the next five years. This is partly a result of shopping via tablet devices becoming more commonplace as consumers become more secure with using mobile devices. At the moment, spending using a mobile phone and tablet device is expected to rise from its current level of £7.9 billion this year to hit £23.1 billion in 2018.

So how can retailers take advantage of the mobile opportunities available? What should they be doing?

3 tips for retailers going mobile

1. Apps

Everybody loves a good app, but if your app is poor quality or not delivering what a customer needs, expect to be deleted. You need to ensure that you have researched your target customers and understand what they are looking for within an app before building one. It is also important to allow customers to provide feedback and take this on board. You need to understand the purpose of the customer using the app - are they simply looking for information or are they likely to want to buy, get in touch, create a wish list and so on.

The best apps focus on what customers want to achieve when using the app, simple to use and make it easy to find what you need.

2. Mobile Sites

It is - and I can't stress this enough - vital that you remember the key differences between viewing a website on a computer to viewing a website on a mobile. Screens are smaller, buttons are fiddly and it is much more difficult to navigate your way around a site. How many times have you clicked on the top navigation menu bar such as 'contact us' and you've successfully hit the correct option first time?

Anyone designing a mobile website needs to remove any unnecessary information and try and ensure content is as concise as it possibly can be. It is also important to consider the time it takes to load your website as if it takes too long, visitors are most likely going to go elsewhere. A good way to reduce load times is reviewing images on the site as this can attribute negatively to load times.

3. Text message alerts

Simple and easy and yet a very effective tool for engaging with customers. Often we receive a text message from retailers about reserved products available for collection, special promotions, account details and any other information they wish to send. A great benefit of text messaging is the high read rate of 97% and because customers have opted in to receiving communications by text, they are less likely to view the text as invasive and obtrusive. It can help strengthen relationships whereas sending unsolicited emails is more likely to damage a relationship.

Retailers should also think outside the box. Apps, mobile websites and text message alerts are just three technologies that can help you capture customers and enhance relationships. Retailers can also offer mobile coupons, enable mobile payments or provide iPads for sales assistants to name just a few. Retailers should consider the shopping journey for their customers and target customers and come up with new and innovative ideas to engage with customers as this can help them stay ahead and compete against others.

Learn more about The future for retailers in a mobile environment or read our Retail section to find out more.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

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The retail showrooming effect on stores this festive season

'Showrooming' is a well known term amongst retailers and is causing some genuine concern for brick and mortar retailers that revenues will be hit as a result of customers being able to access online sites from mobile devices. As traditional brick and mortar stores continue to compete with online sites this Christmas, they now have additional concerns as customers go online and compare prices whilst in their shop!

Research by Foolproof found showrooming affected retailers in the run up to Christmas in 2012. During the festive period last year, 24% of all UK shoppers engaged in showrooming with 40% buying products from a competitor after comparing prices via their mobile whilst in-store and 20% simply went into a store in the first place to review a product they later planned to buy online.

Retailers must not forget that showrooming not only heats up the competition with online retailers, but also with other traditional brick and mortar stores. Foolproof found that customers that went online via their smartphone to check prices whilst in-store, would also go on to buy from other retail stores. Customers can now find a volume of information online via their mobile about products and services, and store reviews making them a much more intelligent shopper and making it that little bit more complex to compete today.

What does 'showrooming' mean for retailers this festive season?

As discussed in another article How can retailers combat showrooming? there are many ways to ensure your retail store competes successfully with online websites and other retail stores, overcoming the threat of 'showrooming'. As much as price matching would appear to be the obvious answer, it is seldom a long-term solution as traditional retail stores are more likely to have higher overheads such as rent/mortgage, utility bills and staffing.

Retailers should focus on enhancing the in-store experience they offer and make sure customer service is a top priority as well as finding ways to engage customers and develop long-term relationships. Tablets can be used by sales assistants to allow them to quickly find product information and stock availability at the touch of a button, restaurants can reduce paper production and enhance brand image by using iPads instead of menus, staff can offer personalised service for customers who would like further help and advice. Loyalty cards and targeted promotions can be used to foster long term relationships and stimulate repeat business.

At the end of the day, people like to speak to other people and be able to see and test products and services before they buy making it doubtful that retail stores will become no more. It’s also important to note that not all purchases are reviewed and planned ahead – how often have we went out to ‘have a look around’ or visit a supermarket to buy 'just bread and milk’ and come home with an armload of shopping?  We mustn't forget those alluring impulse buys!

The retail store will remain an important part of the shopping experience and mobile technology such as sending a text message to a customer when they are nearby to the store with an enticing promotion will help improve sales and equipping staff with mobile devices will enhance customer service as they are able to find information more readily. 

Learn more about how retailers can enhance the mobile shopping experience or read our Retail section to find out more.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

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What does mobile mean for UK retailers this Christmas?

It may seem a little early to be speaking about Christmas but for retailers, the festive period is a crucial time to increase sales and attract customers with many UK shoppers beginning their Christmas shopping already and for a happy few, the mammoth Christmas list has been completed and they can put their feet up. 

With mobile making waves for UK retailers, can retailers afford to ignore this channel or not fully utilise the mobile opportunities available?

A recent survey by VoucherCodes.co.uk revealed that over half of the shoppers in the UK are turning to their mobile when shopping, not only for browsing or comparing prices, but also to buy via their mobile with a fifth of shoppers reported as buying via their phone and 10% only using mobile as their main way for shopping.

According to Adobe’s Online Shopping Forecast they expect that 12.4% of all online sales during this festive period will be from mobile devices - a whopping 68% increase from last year. Mark Phibbs the vice president of EMEA marketing of Adobe stated: “The rapid growth in mobile shopping across Europe should be a very clear signal to retailers that a sound mobile strategy is not a luxury, but a vital part of their future success".

John Lewis received 50% of all online traffic on Christmas day last year from a mobile device and have launched a new iPad app as they hope to capitalise on this mobile opportunity. They themselves predict that mobile phones and tablets will be the main route of online traffic on Christmas day, overtaking desktops for the first time in what they term the UK’s first ‘mobile Christmas’.

It is clear that UK consumers are becoming more comfortable with using their mobile as part of the buying process. They can quickly compare prices using their mobile phone to find the best deals, browse online to find possible gift ideas and they can even buy online wherever they are, at any time. No longer are shoppers restricted to the opening hours of traditional brick and mortar stores, or using their PC or laptop at home, they can now make purchases whilst travelling on the bus or standing at the train platform making shopping more accessible and convenient.

As shoppers face the daunting task of buying all the presents for their loved ones this Christmas, they are quickly recognising the benefits of using their mobile devices to buy their gifts this year. As retailers continue to face difficult times, they cannot afford to lose out on mobile opportunities and not cater for mobile shoppers. Think about it. Would you stay long on a website that does not display well on a mobile device or tailored to make the buying process as easy as possible?

Learn more about how retailers can enhance the mobile shopping experience or read our Retail section to find out more.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

http://www.hslmobile.com

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Self-service travellers taking over...or not?

Travellers - whether it is travelling by bus, train or air - are quickly recognising the benefits of serving themselves and using technology to ease the travel process.

Self-service machines have become more common place and allow travellers to book and print travel tickets rather than waiting in a queue for a member of staff to carry out this transaction. This is hugely beneficial for travellers with time pressures and helps make the journey more effortless and relaxing.

With the introduction of the Internet, travellers flocked online to book travel as this provided a new channel for accessing high volumes of information and to easily compare pricing making the process quicker, more informative and convenient compared to visiting the nearest travel office or speaking to someone on the phone. Mobile technology complements this even further by making it even easier and more convenient for consumers to book travel as they can do so from anywhere, at anytime.

It is therefore not that surprising to discover that mobile travel bookings are expected to reach $26 billion by 2014 as more companies begin to cater for mobile customers searching for travel options online via a mobile device. Travellers are also becoming more accustomed to searching online using their mobile and travel apps to find the best prices, deals and information. For example, the Skyscanner mobile app quickly identifies all available flights enabling travellers to find the best flight available and book their flight on their mobile.

Airlines are becoming heavily involved in using mobile to streamline journeys and improve efficiencies allowing them to not only save money but also deliver better customer service. A SITA survey found that 100% of airlines surveyed intend to offer mobile check-in and flight status alerts by 2015. Travellers can now legitimately queue jump using mobile check-ins reducing the number of staff required and time spent waiting around leading to quicker journey times and more happy travellers. Flight status updates received to travellers' mobiles alert them immediately of any changes to their flights, removing the need to speak to a member of staff and allow them to adjust plans if necessary. Additionally, mobile boarding passes are also being adopted by airlines such as Ryanair to provide a secure way for travellers to store ticket information and remove the hassle of printing boarding passes.

However, a more recent SITA survey found that although more than 90% of airline passengers are using technology to ease the travel process, only a small percentage use their smartphones to help them when travelling. They found that although travellers have mobile services available to them, as 76% owned a smartphone, most did not use them due to worries over usability and limitations of the device.

It would seem that self-service travellers are not yet taking over. Although there are undoubtedly benefits for both transport companies and the traveller to use mobile services, there are still some concerns about usability which need to be addressed. SITA recommend that companies focus on making it as easy as possible for travellers to adopt and use mobile services and we expect if this is carried out, self-service travellers will increase in numbers.

Discover more about how travel apps can make a difference or read our Transport section to find out more. As part of our mobile communications portfolio for enterprises, we are now supporting Apple Passbook for boarding passes, tickets and coupons.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

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The benefits of effective enterprise communications: Part 2

This is the second and last installment in a series of posts about the benefits of effective enterprise communications. In today's post we will look at the importance of external communications and the difference mobile communication services can make.

 

Enterprises must communicate with people and systems external to the organisation – customers, suppliers, partners and other stakeholders. Its absence, or done poorly, can have a negative impact on the performance of the enterprise.

As touched upon in part 1, mobility is also adding another layer of complexity to enterprise communications. People move around. Fact. This makes them less accessible and more difficult to reach. By recognising and addressing this dependency on mobility, enterprises are able to perform better as they are able to communicate with people on the move, whether it’s a customer travelling on the bus or a supplier away from their desk at a meeting.

Mobile communications enable enterprises to reach more people and in turn, they are more likely to respond to messages. Think about it. When was the last time you did not have your mobile phone within 5 feet of you? We live in a society where more than half of people in the UK say they suffer from ‘nomophobia’ – the fear of being out of contact with mobile phones such as no signal and dead battery. For businesses, this is great as it means people are more accessible as they have their mobile in sight and studies show SMS messages have read rates as high as 97%. 

Communicating effectively with customers is an essential part of all businesses. The Department of Health published figures last year showing a total of 5.5 million missed patient appointments across the UK, potentially causing delays of treatment to others and wasting taxpayers' money. However, communicating with customers through text messaging has helped reduce the number of missed appointments. Records show that between April and December 2011 missed appointments fell by over 12,000 compared to the same period the year before.

NewVoiceMedia found UK businesses stand to lose a huge £12 billion every year as a result of poor customer service. Customer service was rated as the biggest influencer in customer loyalty by 34% of consumers. Enterprise (text) messaging can be used by customer service centers to increase efficiency and responsiveness as it reduces waiting times leading to higher customer loyalty and retention rates as well as reducing staff and resources required.

Logistics companies can also use enterprise (text) messaging to inform customers of the status of their deliveries. Such communication not only gives customers a greater certainty over the order, but it can also significantly improve the management of the logistics chain, since the logistics firm can give a more detailed time frame for the delivery. This reduces the number of failed delivery attempts which from the carrier’s perspective wastes both time and shelf/van space and from the customer’s perspective improves the overall experience.

Read part 1 to find out about the importance of effective internal communications or learn more about how businesses are using mobile communications services by visiting our case studies.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

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The benefits of effective enterprise communications: Part 1

This is the first in a series of posts about the benefits of effective business communications. In today's post we will look at the importance of communications within a business and the effects absent or poor communications can have. 

Part 2 will examine external business communications and will be available on Friday 11th October.

For any internal communications within a business, it is paramount that communications are secure. Symantec shows that the average cost of a data breach to UK businesses is over 2 million pounds, which is an increase from the year before. Staff will exchange information between team members daily and a proportion of the information exchanged will be sensitive, and this needs to be kept safe.

Living in today’s world, there are typically multiple systems within organisations that are used in everyday business activities. When systems fail it is important that relevant staff are notified as soon as possible to reduce downtime and negative impact on the business. According to the 2012 Acronis Disaster Recovery Index survey 86% of companies suffered downtime in the last year, and lost an average of 2.2 days annually as a result.

Enterprises that communicate with staff well can also see positive differences in performance and reduced costs. For example, Unum found that the failure to effectively communicate company benefits available to employees costs UK businesses £2.7 billion every year through higher employee turnover and sickness. Furthermore, CEB found failure to inform employees about organisational change in advance increased misconduct by 42 percent!

Businesses must also think about the wider environment and possible factors that may cause disruption to everyday operations. This can be anything from heating system failure, severe weather to a leaky gas pipe in the area affecting staff's ability to commute to and be at work. Chartered Management Institute (CMI) found severe weather is the top cause of business disruption, with average costs to organisations reaching more than £52,000. Disruptions to the business can be minimised by communicating office closures to staff and enabling them to work from home. It is also important that businesses do not have staff travelling in to work under dangerous conditions as they are expected to keep employees safe under Health and Safety regulations.

Business mobility has become a buzzword in the industry and is presenting further communication considerations that businesses must address. Every enterprise has a degree of dependency on mobility as individuals are mobile by nature - they can move around. Within the organisation, mobility can range from a team member popping over to a colleague's desk to attending a meeting. People need to be mobile in order to get the job done but this makes them less accessible.

Using mobile messaging such as SMS and instant messaging for internal communications can make the enterprise more effective and efficient through increased accessibility and responsiveness. 97% of mobile subscribers will read an SMS (text) message within 15 minutes of receiving it meaning issues can be dealt with promptly wherever they are. Instant messaging is also ideal for immediate communications as well as being used for secure messaging via end to end encryption, reducing the likelihood of costly security breaches.

Find out more about how SMS improves business communications strategy or the different mobile communications services available to help your enterprise become more effective and efficient through increased accessibility and responsiveness.

This post is part of a series. Part 2 will be published Friday 11th October.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

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No to UK mobile banking until deemed safe?

One of the most fundamental services banks provide is keeping customers' hard earned cash safe. 

With new innovations developing in the market with increasing speed, banks are struggling to keep up. Customers can now carry out banking activities from a variety of sources - branch, telephone, online, mobile - and this opens up security risks which banks must address.

Mobile banking is expected to grow to 1 billion users by 2017 but security remains a top concern for mobile bankers in the UK and this is impacting negatively on adoption rates. Previous research by KPMG found only 27% of people in the UK had used mobile banking in the previous 6 months compared to 52% worldwide. 66% were worried about their credit card information being captured by fraudsters while 62% were concerned that others may be able to access personal details.

Concerns over mobile banking technology have become so significant that regulators are now stepping in to ensure banks have the appropriate IT systems in place and that enough is being done to protect customers from security risks. This in turn should help assure consumers that their details and money are safe from fraud whilst using mobile banking.

This may create grumbles amongst banks though as development may be necessary to their IT infrastructure and further steps may need to be taken to protect customers. However, an infographic by Metaforic highlights improving security measures can increase adoption rates of mobile banking with 54% of non mobile banking users indicating that they would adopt mobile banking if there was evidence of more robust app security and 48% would adopt mobile banking if there were assurances that losses would be covered.

Other concerns raised by the FCA included risk of virus when downloading mobile banking apps and payment errors such as typing in the wrong account details or amount when transferring money to a person or company - this is particularly relevant when people can make payments to other accounts by simply using a telephone number. With screen sizes and keys being smaller, this is a very valid concern as the risk of human error is significant.

The good news is many UK banks are already offering to protect customers in the event of fraud within mobile banking and have additional security steps in place for mobile banking customers. Barclays has services such as secure log-in and Mobile PINsentry to protect the most vulnerable transactions within online banking. Nationwide validate customers during registration and all information is verified though VeriSign, which is a main global player for secure e-commerce.

However, it is not enough that banks have security steps in place. To fully protect customer accounts, it is important that not only banks are protecting customer accounts, but customers themselves are taking responsibility to protect themselves against security risks. Within the Metaforic infographic it was revealed that only 1 in 5 consumers had installed anti-virus software on their device, indicating that more needs to be done by customers themselves.

Many UK banks are now trying to teach customers on what steps can be taken to heighten security measures. For example, Barclays have a dedicated page on mobile banking security highlighting the steps they have taken to protect customers as well as advising customers on actions they can take to strengthen security. This includes an advice section on how customers can help protect their accounts and free security software for PC and mobiles.

Find out more about how customers and banks can improve security for mobile banking or how mobile is making a difference within banking and finance.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

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Trusting banks key to mobile revolution

UK banks are increasingly launching new mobile banking services as they recognise the growing importance of this channel for connecting with customers and competing in the marketplace. Customers can now receive SMS alerts when unusual activity is suspected, or when they are reaching their credit limit or use mobile banking to keep up to date with their balance and activity.

These new mobile services give customers more control over their finances and help protect their accounts and information. However, although banks are struggling to launch innovative mobile services to keep up with customer expectations and demand, security concerns and lack of trust are affecting adoption rates of mobile banking.

Mobile payments is set to be the next wave in the industry. Portio found there were 480 million mobile payment users across the globe at the end of 2012 and this is predicted to rise to almost 1.5 billion users by 2017. They predict that global mobile payment volumes - goods, services and utility bill payments made through mobile devices each year – will hit $2 trillion by the end of 2017.­­­

Visa Europe also found that UK shoppers are becoming more comfortable with mobile payments as they make 51 million contactless purchases over the last 12 months with monthly spend increasing fivefold from the previous year.

These figures are hardly surprising when you consider the rise of smartphone users. eMarketer estimate that the number of UK smartphone users will reach 30.9 million in 2013 and this is expected to rise to 43.4 million translating to two thirds of people in the UK and 81% of UK mobile phone users.

Consumer trust continues to grow for mobile technologies but there is some distance to cover before consumers completely trust mobile payment technology. An ING study highlighted that 45% of people in the UK are not confident that their money is secure when using contactless payments and this is not just the case in the UK. Many believe that banks are placed in an ideal position when it comes to mobile payments as consumers have a lot of trust in banks already.

Many banks around the globe are already releasing mobile payment services and research by MAPA revealed that banks who do not offer mobile payments are now in the minority. A number of UK banks, thanks to The Payments Council, are also developing a solution to enable banking customers to send and receive money by sharing just their phone number by 2014.The next step would be contactless payment technology to enable shoppers to use their mobile device for purchases, removing the need to carry credit and debit cards.

These figures highlight the potential growth of mobile payments and the opportunities available for banks. Find out more about whether mobile banking security concerns will really hinder adoption rates and learn more about why mobile services is being utilised by banks and finance companies.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

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Energy companies enhance customer service through mobile

With fuel poverty in the UK reaching all time highs, households continue to look for the best deal available in the market. However, it's extremely important that utility companies do not forget about customer service as this can be a key differentiator from the competition as well as an effective route to building customer loyalty and retaining customers.

 

Many utility companies have been criticised for customer service and recent Which? research revealed that only 6 out of 16 energy suppliers had an average waiting time of less than 2 minutes with one provider having an average waiting time of 17 minutes and 5 seconds. I imagine most people would be gritting their teeth if they had been on hold for this long and seeing red. One of the most frustrating experiences customers have is being left on hold and waiting for their call to be answered.

When it comes to valuing customers, Which? also found that providers were slower to answer calls from existing customer than new prospective customers. I suspect many people will not be surprised to hear this as when it comes to valuing existing customers from energy suppliers, expectations are pretty low.

Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, stated: “If energy companies want to restore trust in the industry they must work harder to make people feel confident that customer service is a top priority, and stop putting sales over service.”

How can mobile help utility companies enhance customer service?

Mobile can be an effective way to reduce the number of calls made to customer service departments, helping improve call answer times and reduce the number of irate customers. For example, SMS can be used for sending information regarding outages ensuring that when customer service is affected, they are notified immediately and are kept updated as to when the outage is expected to be fixed. This helps greatly reduce the number of calls made to customer service departments, as well as managing expectations of customers.

Another way of strengthening the customer relationship is by keeping utility customers updated as to when an engineer will be arriving at their premises. It can be very frustrating having to sit in the house unable to go out as you are unsure of when the engineer will be expected to arrive.

SMS messages can also be used for sending general customer information such as details about usage and billing as well as helping customers stay informed and in control of their accounts. Even better, by sending details about energy usage allows customers to monitor and reduce their consumption, leading to more content customers.

Severn Trent Water has recently become the first utility supplier to provide non-Direct Debit customers with the ability to pay bills via a mobile payment application - Barclays Pingit. This helps customers pay bills simply and easily, helping improve the customer experience even further.

Mobile is certainly helping utility companies strengthen customer relationships in a variety of ways. Find out how energy suppliers can use mobile communications to build customer trust or read our Utilities section to find out more.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

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or email us at sales@hslmobile.com

How important is security in instant messaging?

In recent years, we have witnessed instant messaging (IM) apps begin to enter the market with some speed. WhatsApp is a popular instant messaging app amongst consumers and recently reached 250 million users according to Digital Trends. However, for enterprises, security of IM apps is absolutely crucial as they transmit business data and confidential information.

Check Point found that 64% of UK enterprises stated external attacks had risen considerably in the last 12 months, with indirect internal data leaks rising more quickly. One of the difficulties was managing security across the organisation. These findings clearly highlight that new products and services added to enterprises need to already be secure.

A new survey reveals that a large proportion of UK enterprises (72%) have forbidden the use of public instant messaging (IM) software, such as MSN and Yahoo!, due to security concerns. Many enterprises were worried about team members downloading IM apps without their knowledge and possibly sending sensitive company information even though most believed IM could bring benefits to their enterprise. Another finding was that only 12% kept an audit trail of messages sent through public IM apps even though regulations state they must keep a log of all company information with some stating they didn't know they were required to keep an audit trail or they found it too complicated.

Gartner outlines security risks of IM apps which include:

• Eavesdropping - accessing data when wireless connection is not secure or attacks. 
• Device loss - losing the device and accessing data held on device. 
• Spoofing and hijacking - taking control over IM whilst team member is in the app. 
• Intentional data leakage through IM - through activities like file sharing. 
• Malware - received from contacts in IM.

Three key security measures which Gartner propose for IM apps are:

• Authentication 
• Encryption 
• Server Location

Firstly, one of the key security measures that enterprises should adopt with IM apps is authentication. Authentication seeks to ensure that the person accessing the IM app is indeed the correct user. It is suggested that for optimum security to be achieved, both the device and the user should be authenticated and it is recommended that enterprises ensure team members have a secure password when accessing the device.

Secondly, encryption is defined by Wikipedia as "the process of encoding messages (or information) in such a way that eavesdroppers or hackers cannot read it, but that authorized parties can". It is recommended that end-to-end encryption is used to reach optimal security but it was recognised that this feature is difficult to find in an IM app with BBM identified as not using end-to-end encryption. One of the reasons that many do not offer this feature is because it can be difficult to implement as the application must be installed on both mobile devices and be used by both users' devices.

Security can also vary depending on where the server is located. It is recommended that enterprises store the messaging server within their premises or they can alternatively use an IM company that holds a good reputation for security.

HSL Mobile's upcoming launch of IM/SMS, a messaging service that combines instant messaging (IM) with SMS, aims to give enterprises the most secure and far reaching messaging application for effective team communication. HSL Mobile’s IM/SMS is intended to meet the needs of enterprises around the world and enable teams to securely communicate whether they are based in the office or mobile. End-to-end security using strong encryption and long-term archiving of messages for regulatory compliance and oversight are some of the capabilities of the application and service.

Find more information by reading our Press Release: HSL Mobile Launch Secure Enterprise IM/SMS Messaging Service or please get in touch to learn more. You can also keep up to date with our developments by following us on LinkedIn, @hslmobile, Facebook or Google+.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

http://www.hslmobile.com

follow us on LinkedIn, @hslmobile, Facebook or Google+

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605 260

or email us at sales@hslmobile.com

Energy suppliers use mobile communications to build customer trust

Competition amongst energy suppliers remains fierce as players in the market and customer loyalty both remain low. Accenture found that 73% of customers said they would consider switching to other electricity suppliers and energy-related products and services. It is vital that energy companies build trust to help retain customers and enhance customer loyalty.

Accenture’s new Energy Consumer research revealed consumer trust was at its lowest in four years with only 1 in 8 UK customers trusting their energy provider to inform them of measures they could undertake to cut energy usage. Although 77% said that informing them about measures that they could take to cut energy use was important to developing trust with their utility supplier, only 65% confirmed that their utility supplier was currently carrying out such activities.

Other important features which ranked highly amongst customers when it comes to trusting energy suppliers were easy to understand pricing, accurate billing and reliable energy delivery. Recently, I rang my energy supplier to try and understand their pricing tariffs and make sure I was on the best deal and even though I have a higher math’s degree, it took a good 5 minutes to understand their pricing tariffs clearly.

How can mobile help energy companies build trust?

Accenture found that 38% would like to receive notifications about their energy usage to their mobile devices, and 50% would like online personalised tips on actions they can take to reduce their energy bill. By delivering such information to customers’ mobile devices provides customers not only with what they want, but it also gives them more control and a better understanding of their account as well as measures to cut energy usage. This helps increase customer trust for their utility supplier.

For utility supplier to provide easy to understand pricing and billing, SMS can also be used to send billing and pricing information to keep customers informed and ensure bills are paid on time. Smart meters with in-built SMS technology help customers learn more about their energy usage and improve accuracy in billing by providing real time data usage. This provides more transparency in pricing and billing making it easier for customers to understand their accounts and enhance the trust they have for suppliers.

When it comes to providing reliable energy delivery, SMS can also be used for sending information regarding any issues such as outages ensuring that when energy delivery is affected, customers are notified immediately and are kept updated as to when the issue is expected to be fixed. This helps greatly reduce the number of calls made to customer service departments, as well as managing expectations’ of customers and in turn, improving customer trust.

There are many ways in which mobile is helping energy companies enhance trust and strengthen customer relationships.  Find out how SMS solutions help monitor energy usage or read our Utilities section to find out more.

 

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

http://www.hslmobile.com

follow us on LinkedIn, @hslmobile, Facebook or Google+

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605 260

or email us at sales@hslmobile.com

Will IM really replace SMS?

There has been considerable debate surrounding the future of SMS communications in light of the growth of Instant Messaging (IM) apps. IM is being used in some communications as a replacement to SMS, and this has impacted on SMS revenues and growth.


According to Gartner, SMS is expected to retain its place as a leading messaging platform but there will be a continual decrease in growth due to other messaging platforms gaining ground in the market with others predicting growth will inevitably at some point go into decline. Informa Telecoms & Media found IM volumes overtook SMS last year with 19.1 billion messages being sent each day in 2012, compared with 17.6 billion SMS. They expect that the number of messages sent via IM will be double that of SMS by the end of 2013.

Why use IM?

Gartner outlines some of the reasons for the growth of IM which include the increase of social media networks and smartphone users. One of the great benefits of IM is that it provides messaging at a lower cost compared to SMS, and in many instances, is free. It also provides more rich messaging as users are able to easily transmit not only information, but pictures, video and group messages as well as authentication of message delivery.

For enterprises, instant messaging offers great benefits as they can communicate instantly with one another allowing them to converse freely without any time delays. IM suits the more frequent “chatty” interactions and has even replaced some face-to-face communication, as well as encouraging communication where none may have previously taken place. For enterprises with offices and staff around the world, IM provides an ideal channel for successful team communications which creates tangible benefits such as efficiencies and improved processes.

Will IM replace SMS?

Informa believes SMS will continue to grow for a number of reasons, including:

• Instant messaging has to achieve more traction and gain more users before it is widespread.
• Instant messaging users normally use SMS when conversing with non instant messaging users.
• SMS is beginning to see real growth in the enterprise mobile messaging market.

SMS is used for a number of purposes within enterprises such as transmitting information, sending emergency communications and for security purposes. Some of the benefits of SMS are that it provides immediate communication, reaches a wide audience, has high availability as it will often still work when coverage is poor and there is not an Internet connection and reports show that 97% of SMS are read within 15 minutes of receiving it.

There has been some concern regarding the security of SMS. Gartner recommends that enterprises overcome security issues by not just focusing on operators’ security, but also by looking at mobile device security. They recommend that enterprises use SMS to reach a large audience when data sensitivity is low but use other messaging options which incorporate end-to-end encryption for highly sensitive data such as IM.

HSL Mobile is launching an IM/SMS messaging service which is expected to encourage the use of SMS - where it is appropriate to be used - and enable the switching of messaging away from SMS where IM is more appropriate. It is additionally expected to help accelerate the adoption of IM within enterprises and to replace existing IM systems that deliver little benefit when compared with IM/SMS.

This combination of instant messaging and SMS brings together the respective benefits of IM and SMS in an enterprise messaging service and additionally excels in terms of security, reliability and regulatory compliance. We believe we've built a service that gives enterprises an exceptionally robust and secure messaging service, engineered so it can be depended on not only for regular chat between team members but for critical business processes.

Find more information by reading our Press Release: HSL Mobile Launch Secure Enterprise IM/SMS Messaging Service or please get in touch to learn more.  You can also keep up to date with our developments by following us on LinkedIn, @hslmobile, Facebook or Google+. 

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

http://www.hslmobile.com

follow us on LinkedIn, @hslmobile, Facebook or Google+

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605 260

or email us at sales@hslmobile.com