To be an industry leader, you need to stay on top of user trends, especially when it comes to managing the wealth of your clients. And in the current tech environment, that means going mobile. Users can do just about anything on mobile devices now — from depositing a check to watching TV on the go to identifying constellations in real time.
According to tech research company Software Advice, 63 percent of adults in the U.S. use mobile devices for customer support several times per month — and 90 percent report having had poor mobile experiences. If you haven’t optimized your website for mobile use, now is the time to embrace the mobile movement and give your clients an experience they’ll want to come back for again and again. To get you started, here are 10 ways to put your mobile clients’ needs first.
1. Make your office mobile-friendly. A 2014 survey found that almost 62 percent of business owners polled said that customers spent more time at their businesses once they installed free Wi-Fi. It’s no great leap to assume that connected clients who use your mobile site may want to conduct other mobile business while they wait to meet with you, so cater to their needs by providing free, secure Wi-Fi in your reception area and conference rooms.
2. Think locally. Most mobile searches are local. To capitalize on that trend, prominently feature your local phone number or address on the landing page of your mobile site. This will ensure that local clients looking for financial advisement find you first.
3. Use responsive web design principles. Responsive design is the best way to make your site usable on the widest number of devices. It emphasizes the use flexible design elements, like images and layout, to make your site viewable on different screen sizes. This means that no matter what device a client uses to open your site, the webpage will easily adjust to different layouts and orientations for optimal viewing.
4. Make it touchable. Users on mobile devices are not using a full keyboard or mouse to navigate your site — they’re going to be using their fingers or a stylus. As a result, your mobile site needs to respond to swipes and taps. Use easy-to-find action buttons that can be operated with the touch of a finger.
5. Get rid of default zoom. Auto-zoom can compromise the integrity of your layout (and business image). Fortunately, you have control over this feature. To keep images or navigation buttons from showing up too big or too small on your client’s screen, use the viewport meta tag to set customized parameters for your content.
6. Use mobile-friendly content. Not all programs work on mobile devices. If you want to avoid frustrated mobile clients, keep all elements of your site mobile-friendly. Especially try to avoid plug-ins like Adobe Flash that might not work on certain mobile devices.
7. Remember that size matters. Everything from action buttons to font sizes can show up differently on a mobile screen than it does on your main website, so keep that in mind when you’re choosing your formatting. Test out several different font sizes to make sure that your clients can get your message without having to zoom in or find a magnifying glass.
8. Keep it short and sweet. Mobile users aren’t looking for the entire history of your company — they generally want to get information or conduct a transaction quickly while they’re on the go. Keep the information you provide via mobile simple, direct, and to-the-point. Limit the number of steps or pages a user has to go through to complete a transaction.
9. Don’t skimp on quality. Because most mobile devices now have high-res screens, things like high-resolution images are just as important to mobile clients as they are to everyone else. Many new clients may get their first impression of your company by checking out your mobile site, so there’s no reason to deliver sub-par images and graphics.
10. Test, test, and test again. The best way to know if your mobile site is meeting the needs of mobile clients is to try it out. With technology changing on an almost daily basis, it’s important to check in on your mobile site regularly. Try it on different devices, different operating systems, and different browsers to see if there are any glitches. It won’t do you any good to have a mobile site that only a portion of your clients can access properly.
With mobile searches overtaking desktop usage and over 50 percent of mobile users worldwide conducting Internet searches in 2015, this trend isn’t slowing down. Stay ahead of the curve by providing your clients a first-rate mobile experience that keeps them engaged in and excited about the services you provide.
