Chief Product Officer, AppDynamics, part of Cisco.
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More than ever, during the pandemic, we’ve seen and experienced a fundamental shift in our value systems. Where we’d normally place importance has cataclysmically changed, as we have been forced to think in entirely new ways to execute our daily routines.
At the forefront of navigating this change are digital experiences. Basic network connectivity has become the backbone of our daily lives, connecting us with friends and family, bringing us entertainment, news and information and helping us with menial tasks we previously did in person, such as retrieving food, collaborating, shopping and taking care of our health.
As this shift becomes more common, and when the pandemic subsides in the future, we can expect to see many of these digital substitutes continue to stay an integral part of our daily routines. But with the market now flooded with so many options, what are some ways brands can ensure the “stickiness” of their consumer applications to cultivate loyal customers that come back again and again? You might be surprised that the key is not only a shift in perspective, but also a shift in the IT department with a focus on full-stack observability.
Fundamentally Shift Values To Match Consumer Expectations
Original values are disintegrating. The traditional tactics used to maintain customer loyalty are morphing because the customer has fundamentally changed. With similar digital experiences flooding the market during these unprecedented times, there is always another option available. McKinsey reports that consumers are switching brands at high rates during the pandemic, with three-quarters of U.S. consumers thrown into trying new ways to shop. Customers have shown they are placing value on trust and reliability over speed within their digital applications and brand expectations — highlighting the notion that trust will feed a loyal relationship.
A successful customer experience boils down to one thing: trust. If not provided, brands may lose both new and old users. As consumers' values have shifted, your brand’s must match. With digital now our main interface for brand engagement, there is a lot at stake if that experience isn’t up to par. So, how do you make sure your digital experience is foolproof?
Place A Premium on Functionality Over Features
This shift in value means consumers are putting more price and premium on performance and reliability, rather than bells and whistles.
Customers are looking for a total application experience — a high-performing, reliable, digital service that is not only simple and secure, but also one that is helpful, is fun to use and adds personalized value to their individual needs and preferences. It is no longer enough to provide new application features.
According to Harvard Business Review, functionality is one of the top four categories that a customer values most. However, the word “functionality” cannot be void of performance and security. For brands to increase both performance and functionality to meet the elevated needs of consumers, they need to incorporate both performance and security, as well as new features.
Embrace a Full-Stack Observability Approach
To meet these fundamental challenges head-on as digital experiences continue to be front and center, brands need their IT departments to begin embracing a full-stack observability approach into their digital toolkit for 2021 and beyond. Full-stack observability, or the ability to monitor all technical areas across a brand’s IT stack, and the ability to directly link that performance to business outcomes, is now essential. Taking a full-stack observability approach empowers IT teams to solve the most pressing problems that impact the business and customers faster — before they become issues and disrupt the customer experience.
Before diving headfirst into full-stack observability, brands can start by implementing DevOps into their IT departments to break down silos between development and operations teams and create great applications, deliver them in a timely manner and update functionality according to business needs. Incorporating DevOps is a low-risk, high-reward place to start that will improve the development life cycle and deliver high-quality applications.
This can be taken a step further by building security into the application development cycle — otherwise known as DevSecOps. DevSecOps builds on the foundation of DevOps to prioritize and ensure the safety of user data, and further foster integration among development, operations and security teams.
These steps are a good place to start, but in order to put the user experience at the center of finished applications, it is critical to ensure you understand how the experience impacts the business. This is why a full-stack observability approach that allows IT teams to monitor and remedy any issues before they arise across the entire stack is so important.
The pandemic has had a significant impact on consumer habits, and brands need to respond accordingly to match the digital demand and consumers' changing values. As applications previously used for convenience have become necessities, consumer expectations have escalated, and if basic baselines, such as performance and reliability, are not met, brands may lose consumers who are now flooded with options.
A successful application starts in the IT department. By prioritizing functionality over excess features, breaking down silos internally, and taking steps toward a full-stack observability strategy, brands build both trust and loyalty, increasing the “stickiness” of their applications long-term as digital transformation continues at a breakneck pace.
If these shifts are not made, brands may lag behind the competition, and customers will walk away forever.
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