Mobile Devices for Software Companies
As a software company you have absolute control over the customer’s experience when using your product. But if your product runs partly or wholly on a mobile device you expose your customers to poor hardware or vendor experiences that taint their overall perception of using your product. Software companies that take steps to encompass the hardware experience as part of a seamless solution build a more positive customer experience faster and for the long term as well as simplifying their own customer support. For customers an integrated solution delivers greater value with less hassle. For software companies the integrated approach offers additional margin, higher retention rates and a more competitive value proposition.
The Buyer Experience Cycle
A buyer experiences 5 stages with any product or service. Although businesses will naturally focus their attention on the product function when used by the customer, the experiences before and after matter too. The 5 experience stages are as follows:
| Purchase | Delivery | Use | Maintenance | Disposal | |
| Software | ✅ | n/a | ✅ | n/a | n/a |
| Software | |
| Purchase | ✅ |
| Delivery | n/a |
| Use | ✅ |
| Maintenance | n/a |
| Disposal | n/a |
As a software company you have complete control of the customer purchase experience and no doubt focus extensively on how the customer will use your product.
The other three stages are practically irrelevant. Delivery (typically standardised for software and certainly without any delays or supply chain hiccups), maintenance (rarely a concern for the customer since software has moved to the cloud) and disposal (a concern for some physical products but not software relevant).
Your customers use software AND hardware
But what happens when your customer requires a mobile device? Now their experience cycle shifts dramatically into a buying cycle that you don’t control and that may negatively taint their experience.
| Purchase | Delivery | Use | Maintenance | Disposal | |
| Software | ✅ | n/a | ✅ | n/a | n/a |
| Hardware | ❓ | ❓ | ❓ | ❓ | ❓ |
| Software | Hardware | |
| Purchase | ✅ | ❓ |
| Delivery | n/a | ❓ |
| Use | ✅ | ❓ |
| Maintenance | n/a | ❓ |
| Disposal | n/a | ❓ |
The hazards multiply. Your customers now experience a parallel experience cycle involving stages you can’t control. Let’s review each stage in turn.
Purchasing Mobile Devices
Your customers may have a hard time selecting and purchasing devices from a business they have no former relationship with. All companies purchase IT equipment but mobile devices are often from specialist suppliers. Of greatest concern is if your customer hasn’t yet fully bought into your software because the hardware vendor has no preference for your software and may potentially recommend alternatives, reducing your control of the sales cycle.
Your customer will likely want to test the hardware for both usability and compatibility all of which slows down the sales process for your software. During your sales process you’ve become a trusted advisor to the customer. However if you aren’t recommending hardware you are losing the opportunity to offer a complete solution.
With Conker, you’re in control. We offer deal registration and protection so that another company doesn’t steal your customer.
We work closely with software partners to assure customers of compatibility.
Partnership with Conker can streamline the sales process. Software can be demonstrated on leading hardware so that customers can see the final solution.
Customers can purchase the hardware from you if you prefer to create a complete package and earn additional margin. Alternatively we handle the hardware sale.
The customer experiences a smoother purchasing experience.
Delivery of mobile devices
Delivery is a major headache for computer hardware, especially for mobile devices. Extended and unpredictable lead times have become normal and can hurt your sales cycle, leaving a customer hesitant to pay for more licences before the hardware can be secured. Further delays may be incurred in the setup and configuration of devices.
Conker holds UK stock and can hold devices for you.
Device staging can reduce client setup time.
The delivery experience for the customer from order to receipt is hassle-free.
Using mobile devices
For your customers using the software and using the hardware become a single experience. Thus any issue they have will likely be reported to your support team whether or not the fault lies in the software. Naturally if you suspect a hardware issue you don’t want to spend time fixing it but you also don’t like blaming a 3rd party knowing you haven’t solved the issue for your customer. The more hardware vendors your customers deal with the greater the complexity of your support.
Simplify support with fewer vendors. Your support staff can have the same hardware to hand as used by your customers.
Conker responsive UK based support can work with your support team or directly with your customers.
Maintenance of mobile devices
Hardware maintenance is essential in your customers’ businesses because downtime is costly. Mobile device vendors offer a variety of service plans but typically you wouldn’t be involved in researching or recommending which one to choose.
Conker “Relax” is a 3 year warranty with accidental damage cover and 1 day turnaround. No quibble repair or replacement. Unexpected operating expenses are eliminated along with the hassle associated with device repairs.
“Relax 360” takes service to the next level. Minimise downtime with device swap outs to get customers fully operating as soon as possible.
Disposal of IT equipment
Customers rarely consider hardware disposal in advance but end-of-life is still a consideration at some point. Environmental compliance aside there is also data security. Taking care of both is a cost. WEEE waste collections to legally dispose of e-waste can be costly and ensuring no company data remains is a headache your customers don’t need.
With Relax 360, Conker also takes care of disposal. We take back your IT assets at their end of life ensuring legal disposal and secure data cleansing.
Creating a higher value seamless solution for customers
With Conker, software companies can offer their customers a complete solution, from hardware to software to support. This can help to simplify the sales process and ensure that the customer has a positive experience from start to finish.
By partnering with Conker, software companies can take control of the full customer experience cycle, encompassing both software and hardware. Conker streamlines purchasing, simplifies delivery and maintenance, assists with responsive support, and handles secure disposal to create a seamless, hassle-free solution. This integrated approach strengthens the customer relationship, drives higher value, and builds loyalty for the long-term.
To learn more about crafting complete customer solutions through a strategic hardware partnership, contact the Conker team today.
