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Chapter 13 Building Information Systems 547

INTERACTIVE SESSION: TECHNOLOGY

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GO MOBILE?

“How should we go mobile?” Almost every company Decker’s customer analysis showed that when
today is asking that question. By 2013, more people consumers use mobile devices inside a Deckers
will use their mobile phones than PCs to go online, store, what is most important is a seamless interac-
and there will be one mobile device for every person tion. The customer wants to be able to look at a prod-
on earth by 2015. The number of Web searches per- uct on his or her mobile device and see the same
formed on mobile devices has more than quadrupled information on that device as that person would
since 2010. Customers expect, and even demand, obtain in the store, plus some additional information,
to be able to use a mobile device of their choice to such as consumer reviews.
obtain information or perform a transaction any- A mobile strategy involves much more than select-
where and at any time. So if a company wants to ing mobile devices, operating systems, and applica-
stay connected to its customers, it needs some sort of tions. It also involves changes to business processes,
mobile presence. changing the way people work and the way a firm
What do companies do, and where do they start? interacts with its customers. Mobile technology can
Developing mobile apps or a mobile Web site has streamline processes, make them more portable,
some special challenges. The user experience on and enhance them with capabilities such as touch
a mobile device is fundamentally different from interfaces, location and mapping features, alerts,
that on a PC. There are special features on mobile texting, cameras, and video functionality. The tech-
devices such as location-based services that that give nology can also create less efficient processes or fail
firms the potential to interact with customers in to deliver benefits if the mobile application is not
meaningful new ways. Firms need to be able to take properly designed.
advantage of those features while delivering an expe- USAA, the giant financial services company serv-
rience that is appropriate to a small screen. There ing members of the U.S. military and their families,
are multiple mobile platforms to work with—iPhone, is acutely aware of the need to ensure that mobile
Android, Windows Phone, and possibly BlackBerry, technology is aligned with its customer-facing busi-
and a firm may need a different version of an appli- ness processes and leads to genuine improvements.
cation to run on each of these. You can’t just port a The company is using mobile technology to refine
Web site or desktop application to a smartphone or its business processes and provide simpler and more
tablet. It’s a different systems development process. powerful ways for customers to interact with the
It’s important to understand how, why, and where company.
customers use mobile devices and how these mobile USAA, launched its Web site in 1997 and went
experiences change business interactions and behav- mobile ten years later, with about 90 percent of its
ior. For example, do customers who use an app interactions with customers taking place on these
handle a greater number of transactions on their two self-service channels. In 2011, USAA handled 183
own and use the phone less? Do they spend more or million customer contacts through the mobile chan-
less time researching products and shopping from a nel alone, and expects the mobile channel will be its
mobile device? primary point of contact with customers in the next
Deckers Outdoor Corporation, the parent com- two years. USAA has 100 dedicated mobile develop-
pany of brands such as UGG Australia, Teva, and ers writing apps for devices using the iPhone, iPad,
Simple Shoes, spent considerable time studying its and Android operating systems, along with apps for
customers’ mobile behavior. It looked at how cus- the BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7.
tomers use their mobile devices while shopping and USAA developed a smartphone accident report
researching brands to find out how consumers would and claims app that enables customers to snap a
connect with its brand through the mobile chan- photo and submit a claim directly from the site
nel. When people use mobile devices, how do they of an accident. The app is also able to send geo-
research the products? What information do they graphic information system (GIS) data to a towing
want about brand? Are they looking for information service and display nearby car rental locations.
about product features, product reviews, or retail Another mobile app supports photo deposits: a
store locations? customer can capture an image of a check with

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