PHOTO: bebeplace 2020 was a year that saw plenty of new technologies and customer journeys entering the mainstream as businesses had to get creative in replacing traditional, face-to-face interactions. This trend continued throughout the holiday season and into 2021 with consumers flocking to contactless and omnichannel options like curbside pickup. Like omnichannel customer journeys, chat apps have been around for a number of years. However, in 2020 their use really extended from personal messaging and interoffice collaboration to business-to-consumer communication. Chat apps enable businesses to interact with their customers in a more informal and free-form way. They provide the benefit of being a seemingly low-stakes form of communication while also giving brands more opportunity for engagement with their customers and target audiences. They do, however, come with some unique challenges for businesses, especially when it comes to testing the CX to deliver an enjoyable and intuitive end user experience. Here are three things organizations should keep in mind when developing a chat app.