Mando Group

“One way or another, it's a testing failure!” 🚨 The current worldwide IT chaos has been reported to be caused by a software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. Airlines, train operators, pharmacies, GP practices, and even CBBC have been affected! ❓ Why Has This Happened? Apparently, the software update has conflicted with Windows, causing devices to enter a "boot loop" and eventually display the dreaded ‘Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)’. 🖥️ What Usually Prevents This? Robust testing controls are essential to prevent such issues. Changes must be tested in environments that closely mimic real-world scenarios, including worst-case scenarios, to identify potential problems. ⚠️ The widespread impact of outages like these highlights the importance of thorough testing of updates before deploying them across systems. We safeguard our clients' operations and avoid similar disruptions by strengthening testing processes and ensuring thorough vetting before updates. #Cybersecurity #ITUpdate #TechFailure #SystemTesting #BSOD #ITChaos #SoftwareUpdate #TechNews #DigitalDisruption #TechAlert

Are you confident in your GA4 conversion data? It's critical for delivering a return on paid media spend. 💹 In our latest News & Insights, Digital Analytics Implementation Engineer Ian Cockayne unpacks Google’s Consent Mode and Enhanced Conversions. Learn how to avoid blind spots in your conversion data and ensure compliance with the Digital Markets Act. Click and read now! 👇 #GoogleAnalytics4 #GA4 #ConversionTracking #ConsentMode #EnhancedConversions #DataPrivacy #DigitalMarketsAct #PaidMediaROI #AdSpendROI 🏷 Tag someone who would find this valuable.

Meet Simon Royall, Test Analyst, here at Mando! 👇🏽 Discover his thoughts on leveraging automated testing to enhance digital product quality. And… impactful projects he’s worked on. Including a benefits-modelling tool that gained attention in online money-saving forums. Dive into Simon's story and his valuable insights now: https://hubs.la/Q02BH68R0

Imagine capturing your audience's attention in just 0.05 seconds! 💥 In today’s fast-paced digital world, your website’s User Experience (UX) is crucial for boosting customer satisfaction and driving conversion rates. This is the final post in this mini-insights series, where we’ve counted down the top 5 Essential UX Design Practices. **Number 1: Simplifying Digital Journeys** ❓ What is it? A user journey outlines the steps a user takes from initial contact to goal completion. Research by the Baymard Institute shows that users leave complex or hard-to-navigate sites. Simplifying these journeys through UX design is essential for keeping users engaged. Key aspects include: • Consistent Hierarchy: Helps users understand the site structure and navigate easily. • Logical Search Function: Features like auto-suggestions and filters help users quickly find information. • Intuitive Navigation: Ensures smooth transitions between steps. • Clear Calls to Action: Guides users towards completing their journey. 🧭 What are the benefits of simplified journeys for your business? • Improves user satisfaction and reduces frustration. • Enhances brand reputation and increases user loyalty. • Encourages repeat visits due to ease of use. • Lowers business support costs. • Provides actionable data insights for better analytics. • Boosts conversion rates by streamlining user experiences. 🔎 How have we applied this with clients? One of our utility company clients faced a lengthy and tedious connection setup process, averaging 3.5 days and involving printing documents, phone calls, and meetings. We developed an innovative online solution that streamlined this process to just 20 minutes. This transformation turned a cumbersome procedure into a straightforward, effortless, and gratifying experience for users. Looking to transform your digital user experience? Let's simplify your user journeys and enhance customer satisfaction together. Contact us today to get started! #UXDesign #UserExperience #UXPrinciples #UserCenteredDesign #UserExperienceDesign #WebDesign #CustomerSatisfaction #CustomerEngagement #SimplifiedJourneys

Providing accessible UX to your website users creates a seamless digital experience for all! Join us for the penultimate post in our mini-series counting down the top 5 Essential UX Design Practices. **Number 2: Accessibility** ❓ What is it? Accessible UX design goes beyond compliance. It ensures everyone can independently navigate, understand, and engage with your digital products. This involves integrating key elements like colour contrast, visibility, and semantic HTML in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) into your website's designs so that it's perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for users with disabilities. ♿ What does accessible UX mean for your businesses? • Expand Your Reach: Attract a broader, more engaged audience by making your platforms accessible to all. • Promote Diversity and Inclusion: Showcase your commitment to equity, enhancing your brand reputation. • Boost Satisfaction and Loyalty: Improve user experience, increasing engagement and loyalty. • Reduce Obstacles: Ensure prolonged interaction with your digital product, leading to better conversion rates. 🔎 How we have applied this with clients Recently, a client expressed concerns about their website's usability for vulnerable users and requested an accessibility review. The review identified over 30 accessibility issues, from minor (missing attributes) to severe (colour contrast failures). Our client was surprised by the unnoticed faults. By addressing these issues, they ensured their digital platform is fully usable and navigable for people with disabilities, in turn improving the experience for all users. Are you ready to upgrade an underperforming digital product and lead the way in accessible UX? Visit our website and read our full blog, 'Essential UX Design Principles: Boost Engagement and Drive Conversions.' #Accessibility #UXDesign #InclusiveDesign #UserExperience #UXPrinciples #UserCenteredDesign #UserExperienceDesign

🔍 Trends and Market Insights in the UK Utilities Sector in 2024 🔍 The UK utilities sector is at a critical juncture, driven by economic pressures, technological advancements, and evolving consumer expectations. At Utility Week Live, this week, we identified key trends shaping the industry's future. Essential elements utility companies must consider for their digital strategy right now, include: 💡 Economic Pressures and Fuel Poverty 15% of the UK population faces severe fuel poverty. Economic pressures also squeeze the middle 45% of the market, underscoring the need for utilities to support vulnerable customers and manage costs effectively. 💬 The Cost of Poor Customer Service Customer service inefficiencies cost the industry £7.1 billion per month. Companies excelling in customer service can see a 10% uplift in profitability, a 7% increase in revenue, and doubled productivity. 🤖 The AI Revolution and Its Challenges AI is transforming customer service, yet 58% of customers still prefer human interaction after initial AI engagement. Balancing AI with the human touch is essential to enhance customer satisfaction and build trust. 🔒 Building Consumer Trust and Addressing Fraud Consumer trust is declining due to fraud concerns. Robust measures to protect data and ensure transparency are vital. Companies like OVO use AI to analyse complaints and proactively improve service. 🌐 Digital Engagement and AI Innovations OVO leverages AI to enhance customer interaction, eliminating delays and improving efficiency. AI also monitors advisor productivity and manages resources effectively. 🚀 Agile Methodologies and Cross-Functional Collaboration Adopting agile methodologies and fostering cross-functional collaboration helps understand customer needs, digitise the workforce, and enhance efficiency. 🔗 Vertical Integration and Data Sharing Seamless digital transformation requires vertical integration and effective data sharing across the supply chain, crucial for the UK's net-zero ambitions. 📈 Addressing the Digital Skills Gap Upskilling the workforce and attracting new talent are vital for advancing digital transformation. Emphasising the value of digitisation is required to gain stakeholder buy-in. 🤝 Balancing AI and Human Interaction Finding the right balance between AI and human interaction is crucial, especially for vulnerable customers. AI should complement human service to enhance overall satisfaction and confidence. The UK utilities sector in 2024 faces significant changes. By improving customer service, leveraging AI, fostering collaboration, and addressing the digital skills gap, utility companies can thrive in this evolving landscape. #Utilities #DigitalTransformation #AI #CustomerService #Innovation #CustomerSaatisfaction #CSAT #AgileDevelopment #UtilityWeekLive2024 #UWL24 #UtilityWeekLive

Exciting Insights direct from today's Utility Week Live 2024! We are currently attending Utility Week Live, the UK’s only pan-utility exhibition. Insights so far are game-changing for the utilities sector. Gorav Bassi, our Account Manager for several of our utility clients, has picked up the following key takeaways so far: 🔍 The Cost of Bad Customer Service: On average, utilities companies face a staggering cost of £7.1bn per month due to bad customer service, with each FTE spending 2.8 days per month dealing with these issues. 💡 Agile Methodologies and Cross-Functional Collaboration: The sector is increasingly adopting agile methodologies and fostering cross-functional collaboration to better understand customer needs, digitise the workforce, and build efficiencies. 🤖 Innovative AI Solutions: Ovo's AI Initiatives: OVO has been leveraging AI to analyse complaints, identify root causes, and initiate change programmes to enhance customer satisfaction (CSAT). They also use AI to transcribe and script customer calls, improving accuracy and efficiency, and providing tailored advice to customers. Advisor Efficiency: AI is used to monitor advisor performance and recommend training during quiet periods, ensuring a skilled and responsive team. 📉 Challenges with CSAT: There’s a notable drop in CSAT levels across the sector. Finding the balance between AI and human interaction is crucial, and Electricity North West has talked about the importance of their campaigns to support vulnerable customers e.g. in fuel poverty. 🏢 Creating a Digital Utility: A key driver of change is embedding product teams throughout organisations. This approach focuses on co-creating digital products and experiences, continually evolving with business opportunities and tech advancements. Let's continue to innovate and drive positive change in this industry! 🚀 #UtilityWeekLive #Utilities #Innovation #AI #CustomerSaatisfaction #CSAT #Agile #DigitalTransformation

Cross-platform experiences can transform your user interactions, ensuring seamless and consistent engagement. Welcome to the third post in our mini-series, counting down the top 5 Essential UX Design Practices. **Number 3: Cross-platform experiences** ❓ What is it? A cross-platform experience provides consistent and intuitive interactions across various digital mediums. This approach ensures that whether you’re using your phone during a commute or your laptop at your desk, you access the same high-quality experience. Key elements include responsive design, which adapts to screen sizes for optimal use; adaptive design, which caters to specific screen widths; and tailored navigation, ensuring easy access across different platforms. Consistency enhances brand identity and user satisfaction, fostering engagement. 📲 What does an investment in cross-platform UX offer your business? • Access to a broader audience across mobile, desktop, and web platforms. • Lower costs and unified analytics through a single codebase for multiple platforms. • Greater control and convenience for users. • Users can choose their preferred device, accessing services anywhere without losing functionality or usability. 🔎 How have we applied this with clients? Our work with a utility company revealed that most users would mainly interact with a particular wizard application via mobile devices. We responded by developing a mobile-first solution that simplifies tasks on smartphones while still supporting desktop use. This strategy was validated in our UX discovery clinic, ensuring the importance of a mobile-first design was recognised. Post-project data confirmed our approach, showing 75% of users accessed the application on mobile devices, highlighting the value of our UX clinic. For more details and to explore our other four top UX design best practices, visit our website and read our blog: ‘Essential UX Design Principles: Boost Engagement and Drive Conversions’. #UXDesign #UserExperience #UXPrinciples #UserCenteredDesign #UserExperienceDesign #ResponsiveDesign

Transform your website while reducing your carbon footprint! Join us for the second post in our mini-series counting down the top 5 Essential UX Design Practices, as we observe ‘Love a Tree Day, 2024’ 🌳 **Number 4: Sustainable UX Design** ❓ What is it? Sustainable UX design integrates environmental awareness into every aspect of digital interaction, focusing on long-term usability and value for users. It encompasses eco-friendly design practices, sustainable content strategies, and biophilic elements. These practices reduce the digital carbon footprint by enhancing energy efficiency and optimising resources, lowering carbon emissions. By prioritising durability and longevity, sustainable UX minimises electronic waste, contributing to a greener digital future. 🔋 What does sustainable UX mean for your businesses? Ability to meet sustainability targets and achieve accreditations: • Supports environmental initiatives and global Net Zero targets. • Enhances your ability to achieve IS0 14001, B Corp and other standards. Reduced costs: • Reduces energy consumption and infrastructure expenses. • Extends the lifespan of digital products. Enhanced market position: • Attracts eco-conscious consumers. • Establishes your brand as a leader in corporate social responsibility. 🔎 How we have applied this with clients We reduced page load time for a utility company from 5.08 seconds to 2.08 seconds, achieving a 59% decrease. This not only enhances the user experience but also significantly reduces energy consumption and carbon footprint. We also observed a reduction in pages viewed per session from 2.68 to 1.90, alongside a lower bounce rate, demonstrating that users can find what they need more quickly and engage more with relevant content. Viewing fewer pages also means less energy is used, supporting our clients' commitment to reducing their carbon footprint and prioritising sustainability. For more details and to see our other four top UX design best practices, visit our website and read our blog titled: ‘Essential UX Design Principles: Boost Engagement and Drive Conversions’. #UXDesign #UserExperience #UXPrinciples #UserCenteredDesign #UserExperienceDesign #SustainableDesign #WebsiteSustainability #EnergyEfficientWebsites #SustainableUX

Imagine capturing your audience's attention in just 0.05 seconds! 💥 In the fast-paced digital world, impactful User Experience (UX) is crucial for boosting website engagement and driving conversion rates. In this mini-insights series, we count down from 5 to 1 of Essential UX Design Practices… **5. Designing For Emotion** ❓ What is it? Emotional design focuses on evoking emotions like excitement or satisfaction to enhance user experience, going beyond mere functionality and aesthetics. It recognises that humans are emotionally driven, and emotional engagement can greatly impact user interactions, loyalty, and recommendations. Emotional UX design integrates elements like colour schemes, typography, imagery, storytelling, and effective onboarding to provoke specific emotions. For instance, warm colours may evoke excitement, while cool tones foster calmness. Storytelling builds connections, and a welcoming onboarding process can kick-start a positive user relationship, influencing their overall engagement with a digital product. 😁 What does emotional design mean for your businesses? Emotional design can help achieve your digital goals by: • Influencing user decision-making positively to increase conversion rates. • Increasing customer satisfaction scores through compelling user experiences. • Strengthening customer-brand bonds, fostering repeat purchases and advocacy. 🔎 How have we applied this with clients? One of our charity clients serves highly vulnerable people, emphasising the importance of every digital interaction. We conducted inclusive and comforting persona workshops, allowing participants to bring a trusted person to enhance engagement. Insights from these workshops informed the UX wireframes for a digital solution considerate of human psychological needs. By employing emotional UX principles, we pinpointed and addressed users' specific challenges, such as implementing APIs to help users understand required actions at different stages, enhancing their focus and task completion. This approach significantly improved user experience. For more details and to see our other four top UX design best practices, visit our website and read our blog titled: ‘Essential UX Design Principles: Boost Engagement and Drive Conversions’. #UXDesign #UserExperience #WebsiteDesign #ConversionRateOptimisation #UXPrinciples #UserCenteredDesign #UserExperienceDesign #EmotionalDesign #DesignForEmotion