Last updated on Jul 14, 2024

Your mobile solution faces a third-party integration failure. How can you salvage the user experience?

When your mobile app's third-party integration fails, it's a critical moment that can significantly affect your users' experience. Third-party integrations are external services or platforms that your app relies on to offer certain functionalities, such as payment gateways or social media sharing. A failure in these systems can result in features not working as intended, which can frustrate users and tarnish your app's reputation. However, by taking strategic steps, you can mitigate the impact and maintain a positive user experience.

Find expert answers in this collaborative article

Selected by the community from 2 contributions. Learn more

1 Quick Response

In the event of a third-party integration failure, your immediate response can greatly influence user satisfaction. The first step is to acknowledge the issue promptly. Users appreciate transparency, so inform them through in-app notifications or emails that you're aware of the problem and are working on a resolution. This communication should be clear and empathetic, ensuring users that their convenience is your top priority. Meanwhile, your technical team should be mobilized to diagnose the issue and work on a fix, or to find alternative solutions if the problem lies with the third-party service.

Add your perspective

Johnatan Kayevo

International Mobile Engineer at @BMW | ex @CI&T | Kotlin | Black Power content creator | Bitcoin developer
(edited)
Report contribution
I disagree. The first step should be in the view layer. If the user is using the app and some third-party service fails, you should display the information in the UI. Your repository layer should have a timeout to return an exception and all your other layers should have prepared to lead with this service error. You also should have integration tests to certify this error message is gonna be displayed in the UI when the service fails. The in-app notifications and email notifications most part of the time are controlled by the marketing sector, not by the development team. Now, in the development team mobilization, usually we use the Pareto principle. So 80% of the team effort is used to develop new code and 20% is reserved for unforeseen.

Like

2 Offer Workarounds

While your team is resolving the integration issue, it's crucial to provide users with alternative ways to accomplish their tasks. If the failed integration affects a primary feature, guide users toward secondary options within the app that achieve similar results. For example, if a payment service is down, suggest other payment methods or enable transactions to be completed at a later time without penalty. This helps maintain functionality and shows users that you're proactive in ensuring they can still use your app effectively.

Add your perspective

Johnatan Kayevo

International Mobile Engineer at @BMW | ex @CI&T | Kotlin | Black Power content creator | Bitcoin developer
Report contribution
Also is important to move all server operations to the server side. So for example, if there's a service to analyze if the payment is a fraud, this is not a client service, then should not be developed in the client. If you implement this service in the server, in a failure scenario and considering the server system has a good architecture and well-written interfaces. You can just change one line of code to use another third-party service. So every client using the service through the server automatically is gonna use the new service. In this scenario is important to have alternative services if one of them fails.

Like

3 Enhance Support

During a third-party integration failure, your support team becomes the frontline of your user experience. Enhancing support means increasing the availability and accessibility of your customer service channels. Ensure that your helpdesk is fully staffed and that wait times are reduced as much as possible. Provide additional resources such as FAQs or troubleshooting guides that address the current issue. By doing so, you help alleviate user frustration and maintain trust in your service.

Add your perspective

4 Monitor Feedback

Listening to user feedback is essential, especially during a service disruption. Monitor social media, app reviews, and customer support channels for user comments and concerns. This real-time feedback can give you insights into how users are affected by the failure and what they need most from your app during this time. Addressing these concerns can help tailor your response to user needs and improve the overall experience.

Add your perspective

5 Update Regularly

Keeping users in the loop with regular updates is key to managing expectations and reducing uncertainty. Provide clear timelines for when you expect the integration to be restored or when new updates will be available. Even if the news isn't positive, users will value the consistent communication. This approach demonstrates commitment to transparency and can help maintain user engagement with the app despite the ongoing issues.

Add your perspective

6 Refine Practices

Finally, learn from the integration failure to refine your mobile solution's resilience. Analyze what went wrong and why, and develop strategies to prevent similar issues in the future. This might include implementing more robust error handling, diversifying third-party services, or improving contingency plans. By taking these steps, you not only work to prevent future disruptions but also demonstrate to users that you're dedicated to continuous improvement.

Add your perspective

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

Your mobile solution faces a third-party integration failure. How can you salvage the user experience?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Quick Response

2 Offer Workarounds

3 Enhance Support

4 Monitor Feedback

5 Update Regularly

6 Refine Practices

7 Here’s what else to consider

Mobile Technology

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Mobile Technology

More relevant reading

Your mobile solution faces a third-party integration failure. How can you salvage the user experience?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Quick Response

2 Offer Workarounds

3 Enhance Support

4 Monitor Feedback

5 Update Regularly

6 Refine Practices

7 Here’s what else to consider

Mobile Technology

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills