Give clients a shortcut to your RB Connect Mobile

In our last marketing article we showed you how to create QR codes to market your RB Connect Mobile (RBCM) services. This time we have another no-cost marketing idea that makes it easier for your clients and resources to access your RBCM so they are more likely to use your services.

Instead of users having to enter your RBCM URL into a browser — or keep a tab open for it — they can add a shortcut to their home screens that looks and works like an app. This article includes instructions for making these shortcuts on iPhones and Android phones which you can share with your clients and resources. We also have some suggestions for how to share this information. And instructions for customizing the shortcut icon so it matches your company’s branding.

Mobile shortcuts are convenient

Creating a shortcut to RBCM on a smartphone’s home screen gives the user one-tap access to your RBCM instead of having to enter or select a URL address in a browser. The shortcut looks like an app icon — and when they tap it their browser automatically opens up to your RBCM URL.

NOTE: The shortcut to RBCM is different from the one to RB Connect because the URLs are different. Be sure to include your RBCM URL in the instructions so your users create a shortcut to it. If you do not have RBCM, your users can create a shortcut to your RB Connect URL but your RB Connect site is not optimized for smartphones’ smaller screens.

Share instructions with clients & resources

Following are the instructions to share with your RBCM users. There are a couple of customizations to make before sharing:

1. Replace the brackets in the instructions with your RBCM URL before sharing.
2. If you call your RBCM by a different name, replace the text “RB Connect Mobile” in the instructions with your custom name to avoid confusion.

<– Start of instructions –>

How to add RB Connect Mobile to your Home screen

The home screen on your smartphone or tablet isn’t just a place where your apps live. You can also add shortcuts to websites — such as RB Connect Mobile — allowing you to access the sites directly from your home screen. When you tap a shortcut on your home screen, it automatically opens its website in a browser — no need to enter the web address yourself!

For Safari on iPhone or iPad

1. In Safari on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌, navigate to [insert your RB Connect Mobile URL here].
2. Tap the Share icon (the square with an arrow pointing out of the top) at the bottom of the screen.
3. Scroll down the list of options and tap Add to Home Screen. (If you don’t see the action, scroll to the bottom and tap Edit Actions, then tap Add next to the Add to Home Screen action. After that, you’ll be able to select it from the Share screen.)
4. In the Add to Home Screen dialog box, enter a name to identify the shortcut. This will be the title that appears beneath the icon on your home screen.
5. Tap Add in the top-right corner of the screen. Safari will close automatically and you will be taken to where the icon is located on your iPhone’s or iPad’s home screen.
6. Now when you want to use RB Connect Mobile, tap the icon on your home screen to automatically open your browser to the website.

For Chrome or Firefox on iPhone or iPad

If you use Chrome or Firefox on iPhone or iPad, the steps are similar to the above instructions. The only difference is in step 2:

• In Chrome, the Share icon is at the top of the screen to the right of the URL.
• In Firefox, the Share icon is in the Menu icon (the 3 lines in the bottom right corner).

For Chrome on Android

1. In Chrome on your Android phone or tablet, navigate to [insert your RB Connect Mobile URL here].
2. Tap the Menu icon (3 dots in the upper right-hand corner) and tap Add to Home screen.
3. Choose a name for the shortcut that will identify it on your home screen.
4. Tap Add. Chrome will add it to your home screen.
5. Now when you want to use RB Connect Mobile, tap the icon on your home screen to automatically open your browser to the website.

Note: For both iPhones and Android phones you can move the shortcut where you want on your home screen — or delete it — just like you would any other app on your phone.

<– End of instructions –>

Suggestions for sharing instructions

Include these instructions when appropriate in any of your regular communications with clients and resources. And be sure to include them in any welcome/on-boarding package you give out.

Other options to consider:

Use the Announcements section

The Announcements section in both the Contact and Resource versions of your RB Connect is a convenient place to include these instructions. You can easily add the text in Connect Preferences > Contact-Announcements and Resource-Announcements in RB9’s Connect module.

Copy the shortcut instructions on the screen and paste them in the Edit windows of both Announcements panels. Edit the text and style it to fit your needs.

Share PDF instructions

Download the PDF version of these instructions and edit them as needed. Upload a PDF of your customized instructions to the All-Resources repository in RB9’s Production module’s Repository function so your resources can download the instructions to use.

There isn’t a similar feature for the client side. Instead consider emailing clients the PDF of your instructions.

Branding: RB Connect icon for shortcut

Do you want to use your own logo or graphic for the shortcut icon? RB Connect Mobile uses the RB9 icon that comes with the program but if you have your own artwork you can replace the default with your custom look.

If you want to use your own logo/graphic, the icon is stored in Connect Preferences in RB9.

1. RB9 > Connect > Connect Preferences > Branding
2. In the Branding screen scroll down to the Mobile Web pane. The image that your users will see as the shortcut on their home screens appears here.
3. To substitute your own graphic make a PNG file of it with an image size of 512 x 512 pixels.
4. In the Branding screen, click Edit.
5. In the Mobile Web pane, click to delete the default icon.
6. Either drag your logo file into the dotted line box or click in the box to upload your file.
7. Click Save.

If you have any questions contact RB Support.