How Real-time Features in Mobile App are Fostering Customer Engagement?

May 30, 2019

Reading time about 5 minutes

Technology is continuously evolving. From being optional features to a compulsive one, real-time technology has become a significant requirement in the success of your mobile app. We are living in a mobile-driven era, where the majority of us spend time interacting with mobile apps. Some of the popular applications that are dominating the world of app stores are instant messaging, maps, on-demand taxi and food ordering apps.

No matter which industry you belong to, integrating Real-time Features in Mobile App can have a positive impact on your business revenues.

Let’s See How Integrating Real-Time Features Proves Beneficial 

1. A Smart Solution
If you use real-time apps for data sharing, it minimizes the dependency on the IT department. It not only ensures quick sharing but also becomes a cost-efficient solution.

2. Less Data Fragmentation
Data is the biggest asset for any enterprise. With real-time apps, there is no data fragmentation thus avoids inconsistency and data quality issues.

3. Easy Accessibility  
The speed of data sharing is a real advantage for businesses. The real-time apps help in quickly accessing the data thus ensures seamless business operations and better user engagement.

4. Increase Transparency 
Real-Time Solutions offer a transparent view of all the activities taking place in the apps. It makes the app user-friendly and engaging.

Must-Have Real-Time Features for Your App

– Multi-User Collaboration
Real-time features like multi user collaboration in mobile apps allow users to edit, add, update, or delete data simultaneously. One of the most prevalent examples of such apps is “Google Spreadsheets”. Multiple users worldwide can access the same sheet and can edit and collaborate at the same time. Moreover, users can also add comments to the updated information at the same time.

– Push Notifications
Push notifications are great! It provides personalized information to users with respect to events, news, or product offerings. The push notifications keep the customers up-to-date with information about your brand. The major benefit of integrating push notifications is that it can help in retaining customers. Moreover, you can also send notifications like discounts or specials based on geographic locations thus increases website traffic in a short period. Push notifications with business intelligence and data analytics can become an analytic tracking system for messages, interaction times, devices thus deliver deeper insights on customer behavior. Another advantage is that with push notifications you can keep your customers always in the loop in real-time. Sending timing dispatch messages can also help users in scheduling orders as per their convenience.

– Live Order Status
Besides food delivery apps, there are various e-commerce companies that deal with shipping and delivery functionalities are using this feature. With the combination of live order status and GPS, it improves the overall customer experience. GPS helps users in tracking the status of the order in real-time and even contact with the service provider at the same time.

Users will know the live status of their order thus keeps customer relationship transparent. With this feature, the customers can know about
1. Order Status (Picked, Packed, Ready to Ship?)
2. Estimated delivery time
3. Items placed in order, etc.

The order tracking system is not a standalone system. It is tightly integrated with other systems like sales order management, warehouse management, and courier service tracking systems. Whether it’s for a manufacturer or distributor, an order tracking system provides satisfactory customer experience that meet customer’s needs.

– Live Data Streaming 
Previously, businesses didn’t know how to leverage the potential of data, they are generating on an everyday basis. Later, using real-time data streaming feature, mobile app developers build apps that can discover actionable insights almost instantly. A few applications where live data streaming plays a notable role is E-commerce, pricing & analytics, fraud detection, network monitoring and much more.
Live data streaming feature can also make business intelligence and data analytics more valuable in several other ways. For example, machine learning algorithms and real-time streaming can instantly recognize suspicious patterns thus organizations can take actions before any damage occurs.

– Integration of IoT Devices 
IoT is one of the great examples where real-time features play an essential role to transfer data instantly from devices to end-users. Firstly, data is collected in the sensors or devices from the surrounding environment. The data collected could be as complex as a video feed or as simple as temperature monitoring. Once the data is collected at one place, it is then transferred to the cloud infrastructure via Bluetooth, cellular network or Bluetooth. After the processing of data by IoT devices, at last, it is made available to end-users via e-mails, SMS, or triggering alarms. Home automation is the most used applications of IoT devices. Home automation applications allow users to control lights, lock or unlock doors, receive alarms in case something odd happens.

Closing Statement 
The main objective of integrating real-time features in apps is to offer robust information to the users. A reliable mobile app development company can guide you with a list of features that are essential for your business and strengthen the communication process to a substantial extent. Real-time features help in close association for optimal returns on ROI.