Speech technology company Nuance Communications surveyed the use of mobile apps for customer service tasks in the US and Canada, noting that “it is clear why there is significant opportunity, if not a strategic imperative, for companies to leverage the mobile channel for customer service.”

It said that the benefits of providing a mobile app are twofold: company perception and customer satisfaction. The majority of surveyed smartphone users (72 percent) said they have a more positive view of a company if they have a mobile app, with 81 percent stating they would tell others about a “positive app experience.”

In terms of the features required, 35 percent said that an “effortless transition” to a live agent is most likely to drive mobile app usage, with other high scores for “more functionality” or other ways to “better meet my needs.”

The update of apps for customer care purposes varies by vertical, with more than half of smartphone users having downloaded their bank and operator’s app. However, while 60 percent of those surveyed have an operator app, only 25 percent use it; and while 55 percent have a banking app, only 27 percent use it.

Robert Gary, VP and GM, mobile care at Nuance Communications, advised: “companies hoping to engage with their customers through mobile apps must not only consider how they attract first-time users, they must also consider retention strategies and how they keep consumers returning regularly to this critical channel.”

The survey was conducted by Vocalabs, using a random sample of 991 smartphone users in the US and Canada.