You’ve made the decision. Signed the contracts. Readied the troops.

Now, it’s launch day. The mobile app – whether for parking or transit – has been released into the wild.

All eyes are watching how the program does. Or are they?

We’ve looked at several factors of some of the most successful mobile app launches and crunched the numbers to reveal 3 key predictive factors for a winning rollout strategy. Following these important points will make sure people see and use your app:

1. Agency Buy-In

The biggest factor in determining the success of a mobile program is the level of involvement from the agency. When the President of a University stands behind a program, people take notice. When a city has its top-brass championing a program, it goes a long way to increase adoption.

There is arguably no great communicator to a city’s constituents than the city itself. Think about it for a second. Trash collection. Road closures. Leaf pickup. When the city wants to get the word out, it does an amazing job of rallying its resources and driving awareness. The same effort and energy, when applied to a mobile app rollout, can have tremendous results in regards to utilization and ultimately, revenue.

Cities like Boston and Detroit embraced this philosophy and strongly endorsed their mobile payment rollouts as something that would issue a new way of living in the city. It is a conduit to connect the city or agency to its community. When positioned as such, the possibilities are endless.

2. Clear and Numerous Signage

Parking can turn into a hassle for drivers. Just finding a space that is available can be stressful, even frustrating. When you add a lack of clarity to where and when a driver can park, it makes the process seem unbearable.

Having clear and concise signage is extremely important when communicating how to use technology.

Think about opening a tech gift for the first time. You might be able to turn it on and operate it, but until you pull out the instructions and follow the guide, you may be missing some key essentials.

Large, attention grabbing, and instructional signage goes a long way in helping customers get adjusted to changing their habits.

3. Incentive Program

Back in high school writing class, you are taught the rule of WIFM. What’s in it for me. People want to know why they should engage with your product and how does it benefit them. There are numerous benefits to mobile payment platforms, but giving a consumer an added value could help spread mass adoption. Promotional codes, vouchers, validations, freebies – whatever you want to call them – they work.

If you are ready to move forward with launching mobile technology for your customers, make sure you you have a champion to reinforce the benefits, provide proper signage for customers, and develop an effective incentive program.