10 counter-arguments in favour of “tour guide” apps
Are you having trouble convincing others of a “tour guide” app benefits? The smArtapps team has listed the ten most common arguments against these apps… and the answers you may oppose them. 😉 👍
The argument: “I’m afraid that my content is quickly anachronistic and obsolete.”
What you can answer: Thanks to our maintenance system, enjoy unlimited access to our platform. Thus, you can update your content in real time. Users will automatically receive a notification to update their version.
The argument: “Technology always breaks down!”
What you can answer: In the case of a “tour guide” app, it will be very difficult! Visitors use their own smartphones and tablets; the museum doesn’t have to invest in any device. The only breakdown you might encounter is that all your visitors’ phones go down at the same time — which is not about to happen. 😉
The icing on the cake: in addition to providing unlimited access to our platform, maintenance ensures that your mobile app works with all versions of different operating systems (Apple and Android).
The argument: “There is no Wi-Fi in our establishment.”
What you can answer: This problem can be easily overcome.
First, by encouraging visitors to download the app before their visit — for example on social networks or when buying a ticket online. Then, mobile plans include more and more Giga, which allow visitors to download an app quickly without jeopardizing their Internet connection for the rest of the month. 😉
Finally, regarding to foreign tourists, mobile operators are developing numerous partnerships that allow their subscribers to use the Internet anywhere around the world. This is called roaming data.
With all that, the absence of Wi-Fi is far from insurmountable. 👌
The argument: “We don’t have the money.”
What you can answer: A “tour guide” mobile app is not just for large museums and significant budgets. At smArtapps, we propose apps from € 1,990 excluding VAT and we accompany institutions of all sizes: the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower but also the musée de la Toile de Jouy, the City of Creil, the musée de Préhistoire d’Île-de-France…
The argument: “We have no one to manage that project.”
What you can answer: We make our platform as intuitive and easy to use as possible; we are constantly improving it in this way thanks to the feedback from our customers. Thus, no need to be knowledgeable in computer to realize a “tour guide” app with smArtapps. We only advocate a single interlocutor on both sides to make project management easier.
The argument: “Our visitors are not very fond of digital.”
What you can answer: Are you sure? Several studies showed that we access more and more information via our smartphones. Your visitors are no exception to the rule: they like to find their digital uses when going to the museum.
You may think your visitors are too old, not comfortable enough with digital so that a “tour guide” app meets their needs. This may be true today, but tomorrow’s visitors have very well integrated these digital uses and will want to find them in every aspect of their lives, including at the museum. It is also to them — to please and attract them — that the digital tour guide is dedicated.
The argument: “The screen of smartphones will compete with the artworks.”
What you can answer: We understand this concern; many of our clients have had it. To answer you, we give the floor to Paul Chaine, Head of Digital Developments at the Palace of Versailles. He invites museum and other cultural institutions to trust their visitors, who came primarily to see artworks and took the time to travel to them. We can not say it better.
The argument: “People will no longer come to see the museum if they can discover it on their smartphone.”
What you can answer: Once again, we invite you to trust your visitors. A “tour guide” app has no other vocation than to give information and make visitors want to discover the artworks in real life. Moreover, one of the elements to measure the return on investment of a “tour guide” app is… the increase in attendance of the establishment!
The argument: “People no longer download apps.”
What you can answer: That’s right, users carefully choose the apps they keep. On the other hand, describing all the smartphones in circulation as saturated and visitors unable to download any mobile app is exaggerated. “Tour guide” apps are not so cumbersome as to prevent them from being downloaded.
The argument: “I don’t see the point of a digital tour guide.”
What you can answer: That’s the argument we were waiting for: prepare to leave your interlocutor speechless! 😬
Let’s recap. Choosing a “tour guide” app is:
- Adapting to the uses of (new) audiences,
- Involving your audience (games, integrated social networks …),
- Keeping your content easily updated (see argument 1),
- Making your content more accessible (multilingual, audio…),
- Sparing storage and maintenance problems (we’re talking about app, not audioguide …),
- Getting to know better your visitors thanks to the datas,
- …
