The unstoppable growth of digital services: How to ensure their reliability?
Digital services are an important part of our daily lives, they are so relevant that we would no longer know how to live without them, but as they gain ground, we have to ask ourselves an obligatory question: are digital services reliable, are they secure? Today we will analyze how the growing digital world is solving the problems of reliability, stability, security and data protection.
In the digital age we live in, digital services have become an integral part of our lives. From streaming platforms to food delivery apps, these services provide us with convenience and efficiency in our daily activities. However, as the digital world continues to expand, the question arises: what measures are being taken to ensure the reliability of these services? In today’s installment, we pause to answer this question.
The importance of reliability in digital services
Digital services came to make our lives easier, for the end user these services mean significant savings in time and money, but more importantly they mean the emergence of new business opportunities.
Thanks to the digital transformation today we can have services or businesses that even in the most visionary futuristic novel we could not have imagined. Thanks to applications like Uber and Airbnb, we can have extra money if we have an extra bedroom at home or a car and free time. We have completely forgotten about traditional TV thanks to streaming services, we also started to discover new music thanks to Spotify’s algorithm.
Our life is now simpler with digital services, even entrepreneurship is easier. However, with the benefits and advantages that come with them there are also new problems and challenges. For now, the most important challenge is to maintain the trust of users, trust will be the key to survive the competition.
Trust is a crucial factor in digital services. When digital services began to become popular it was a revolution and we thought very little about issues such as security or theft of personal data, but as they grew and we became more dependent, some doubts about their use began: one of them is how safe are the data we give when we register, who has access to them, or even what happens if the service stops working. Although the latter seems impossible, the reality is that users of apps from banks such as BBVA have experienced this on more than one occasion.
Users trust that their personal data is secure, that the services will work smoothly, and that the information provided is accurate and reliable. Lack of certainty can have a negative impact on both users and the companies that provide these services.
Challenges in the reliability of digital services
The accelerated growth of digital services poses several challenges in terms of reliability. These challenges are presented to a world that has revolutionized and that increasingly lives in the digital world and knows its rights.
Today’s digital services have very clear challenges include cyber security, scalability, availability and service performance, among others. Companies must address these challenges proactively to maintain the trust of their users, even to retain the users themselves.
Strategies to ensure the reliability of digital services
Fortunately, technology is rising to these challenges and just as every day there are new challenges to meet, everyday solutions to them are offered, giving digital service providers ample options to satisfy their audience.
If you are a digital service provider, surely you already know some of them or you are interested in knowing some alternative solutions to make your service more reliable for your audience.
Cyber security
Ensuring that your users can access your application, website or online store without fear of having their data stolen is essential for any digital service provider. The security of a digital service does not depend on just installing an antivirus. Cyber security requires implementing robust security measures, such as data encryption, double authentication and installation of SSL certificates. In addition, it is necessary to perform periodic audits to detect any problems to protect user information and prevent security breaches.
Proactive monitoring and maintenance
The work of launching an application to the market does not end when it reaches the end user, a reliable application performs constant monitoring of its digital services to identify and fix any problems before they affect users. Scheduled maintenance is crucial to ensure optimal performance and minimize service interruptions. Remember that today’s competition is voracious and end users can quickly switch to any failure or poor quality.
Exhaustive testing
Perform rigorous testing on all aspects of digital services prior to launch and also on major upgrades to ensure functionality and reliability in different scenarios.
Even during the design stage of your platform, it is necessary to perform tests, many service providers leave aside the interface of their platform, but for users it is the most important part, so include them in the design and always choose to make your platform intuitive, clear and simple.
Transparency and communication
The reliability of digital services is not only in the platform itself or in the digital world. For users it is important to know that in case of any problem there will be someone who can help them. This is why you should opt for clear and transparent communication with users, informing them of any problems or service interruptions, and providing regular updates on the measures taken to address them.
Train your customer service team to provide clear, timely and effective information and solutions. Although you can implement customer service chatbots to solve some problems, it is important that you always have multiple channels of communication and a dedicated team.
Use of low-code or no-code tools
To design a digital services platform, you don’t have to be a programming engineer, nowadays there are more and more tools that you have at hand to create your own platform but with low code or even without code. Moreover, you will not be the only one and this does not detract from the quality of your application, because according to experts the digital world is evolving to a low-code world instead of traditional programming.
Designing your digital service in this way frees you from a lot of programming time, but you also have the ability to design a service that will meet the needs of the end user and not the programmer.
The role of users in reliability
While companies have a responsibility to ensure the trustworthiness of digital services, users can also take steps to protect themselves. Some recommendations include using strong passwords, regularly updating devices and applications, and adopting secure browsing practices.
In addition, including them in the pre-launch design process and allowing them to express their opinion once the service is in use is the best feedback you can have to continue to gain their trust.
In an increasingly digitized world, the growth of digital services is unstoppable. However, ensuring their reliability is critical to retaining users and ensuring business success. By implementing solid security strategies, proactive monitoring, transparent communication and feedback with users, companies can ensure the reliability of their digital services and offer a satisfactory experience to their customers. What do you think the current tools are sufficient to ensure the reliability of a service or do you think there are still changes to be made?