Articles

Customer Interaction "On the Go"

As seen in Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine, bizXperts, April-2009
Author: William H. (Kip) Cozart, III, CEO, President, Co-Founder
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Web interaction is quickly moving beyond the desktop. Through emerging mobile technologies, today’s Internet is almost always within arm’s reach, always accessible, delivering “just-in-time” content whenever and wherever it might be needed. The Apple iPhone, Blackberry, Google Android G1 and other wireless devices are dramatically expanding the reach of online communications, and savvy businesses are taking note.

To get started, consider constructing a single “micro page,” perhaps specifically designed to serve the fast growing Apple iPhone audience. A micro page could encapsulate your customers’ most immediate and common communication activities…Think “MOBILE.”

Consider how your customers will initially utilize your mobile micro page…Web-enabled mobile phones serve as constant travel companions, providing instant “just-in-time access” to information on an “as-needed” basis. Since the viewer is in transit, micro page interaction tends to be in brief “bite-size” bursts, requiring abbreviated keystroke data entry by the visitor and other time-saving “short cuts.”

Take advantage of the unique features within the web phone itself…Utilize the device’s built-in GPS capability to present a convenient map and directions from the user’s current location. Post a “call now” button within the micro page that will automatically dial the user’s phone and quickly connect the call to your office. Offer onscreen “live chat” as an alternative method of communication for the visitor. Provide a preset “buy now” button that allows established customers to more quickly place product or service orders directly over the web phone, without the need to reenter payment and delivery information that may already be on file. Add an option to “email a copy of this page,” so that the viewer may retain your content for future reference when later returning to the desktop. Include an image upload tool or designated email forwarding address so that customers may send you a descriptive photo snapshot taken with the phone’s built-in camera.

Design considerations for your mobile web site…Keep it simple, displaying information to be read with just a quick glance. Remember that content will be presented on a very small screen, so brevity is essential. List topics vertically, one item per line, presenting the most important content and links ("touch points") at the top of the screen. Limit image sizes to no larger than 60 x120 pixels. Avoid use of Adobe® Flash (Apple iPhone’s Safari browser does not support it) as well as “cookies,” “frames,” “tables” and other common page formatting techniques. Offer to forward longer, more detailed content with a follow-up email message.

Sample HTML programming code short cuts for iPhone micro pages to get you started:

* To redirect iPhone viewers to a different designated micro page, add the following code to the CSS of a standard HTML page:

1. if ((navigator.userAgent.indexOf('iPhone') != -1) ||
2. (navigator.userAgent.indexOf('iPod') != -1)) {
3. document.location = "http://www.engageinteractive.co.uk/iphone/";
4. }

* To indicate how content should initially be displayed on the iPhone screen, add the following tag to the HTML HEAD section:

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0;">

-or-

<meta name="viewport" content="width=320,user-scalable=false" />

* To add an interactive, “click-to-call” command to the page that is displayed on the iPhone screen, add the following tag with the HTML coding:

<a href="tel:555-1212" target="_self">Description</a>

* A helpful resource - Apple’s iPhone Development Center:
https://developer.apple.com/iphone/index.action

Source: EngageInteractive.co.uk/blog & iPhoneMicrosites.com

About the author:

As one of the region’s earliest pioneers in the field of online communications, Kip Cozart, along with CC Communications owner/partners Russ Husky and Loretta Cozart, have consulted with hundreds of businesses and organizations to enhance and produce effective web, email, multimedia marketing initiatives and business process improvements for more than fourteen years. Contact kcozart@cccommunications.com or call CC Communications at 704-543-1171.