There’s nothing quite like a good sale. The thrill of discovering that an item that you’ve been coveting is now 30% off can only be described as euphoric. You navigate to the brand’s mobile app, type in your password as fast as your fingers can manage, frantically tap to your Wishlist and click on the product you want. You select all the right filters, add the item to your cart and…nothing happens.
You tap again and again, but nothing happens.
You force quit the app, log back in, and try again. Still, nothing happens.
An hour later you get an email from the brand explaining that they’re experiencing technical difficulties.
When you check back the next morning, the item you want is gone. You’re frustrated with the brand and gutted that you missed out on the sale.
For most of us, this sad story is all too familiar. As online shopping grows increasingly common, it’s imperative for retailers to provide experiences that are frictionless and seamless.
So, how can brands mitigate risk by accelerating the path to error resolution?
With the right data, teams can quickly identify errors that interfere with shopping experiences, cause frustration during an integral part of a journey or force customers to abandon their purchases.
But having data and acting on data are two different things. Brands must switch from a reactive to a proactive mindset to get ahead of poor experiences before they happen. In this article, we’ll share recommendations and best practices to help you do just that.
Proactive monitoring
Effective monitoring is the cornerstone of maintaining a smooth, error-free digital experience. By implementing proactive strategies, you can catch and resolve issues quickly, limiting their impact to as few users as possible.
Rolling 24-hour window alerts
Metric Alerts are essential for real-time monitoring. Establishing hourly alerts for key friction signals (such as dead clicks, error clicks, or network/console errors) on a rolling 24-hour basis enables teams to be notified of issues as they occur, allowing for quicker identification and response to problems, minimizing downtime and negative customer impact.
Why it matters
Early detection: By continuously monitoring and reporting on a rolling 24-hour basis, small issues can be caught before they escalate into larger problems.
Trend identification: Monitoring issues across a full 24-hour window provides valuable insights into patterns and recurring problems. It helps teams spot trends–such as peak times for issues—or areas that need improvement in system stability.
Global coverage: With people likely accessing your site from all over the globe, leveraging a 24-hour rolling window ensures that issues impacting users in different time zones are detected promptly, allowing for round-the-clock monitoring without gaps.
Reduced customer impact: Last, but certainly not least, is faster issue resolution leading to a better customer experience. Problems are addressed before they affect a significant number of users, reducing potential frustrations and customer churn.
Meeting teams where they are
In a fast-paced work environment, efficiency is key. With teams exposed to countless tools and limited time for deep dives into data, it's important to make information easily accessible. By integrating monitoring tools into existing workflows, teams can respond to issues more quickly and effectively.
Why it matters
Improved efficiency: When data is available where teams inherently spend their time (e.g., in communication tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack), it creates one less step toward resolution.
Better cross collaboration: Insights from sessions can be easily and quickly shared with other teams.
Correlating site performance to conversions
Understanding the direct link between site performance and business outcomes allows you to prioritize improvements and demonstrate ROI. By focusing on key performance indicators, you can make meaningful, data-driven decisions that positively impact your organization’s bottom line.
Core web vitals
By tracking core web vitals, you can identify and address performance issues that negatively impact user experience. Establishing benchmarks and tracking improvements against these benchmarks can help teams reduce bounce rates and increase time spent on your site.
Why it matters
User experience: Core web vitals directly correlate with how users perceive and interact with a website. Better scores typically lead to more positive user experiences.
Conversion rates: Having visibility into how core web vitals impact key user journeys allows businesses to pinpoint critical areas for improvement. With this insight, organizations can make targeted optimizations that significantly enhance user experience and drive higher conversion rates.
Create frictionless customer experiences with Fullstory
Accelerating error resolution starts with having the right tools in place to catch issues early. Fullstory empowers teams to take a proactive approach to identifying issues and resolving them quickly, before they significantly impact the customer experience.
Ready to give it a try? Start a free trial today.
