Why your business should use what3words

You might have heard about what3words recently breaking out as a successful and useful navigation app. Let’s talk about how important this app is about to become to businesses in rural parts of Scotland.

Address. Application. Technology.

what3words has designated 57 trillion 3m squares across the globe as an easy to remember alternative to lines of longitude and latitude. It allows the world to trace exact locations within postcodes without the added stress of looking for unclear addresses. This geocoding app allows for a simplistic location navigation for rural Scotland creating business development improvements with ease of exposure.

One of the most significant advantages that can be acknowledged is that the hard-to-find establishments can be located without extensive, complicated directions, therefore helping customers and tourists to explore rural and excluded parts of Scotland. This address-finding GPS is an improved navigation system and allows for tourists and members of the public to identify their exact positioning to get directional help and guide customers.

what3words has also been reported for its ability to locate exact spots for people in the countryside who require emergency services. A mother who got lost when out walking with her child was able to contact rescue services with her exact location from deep within a forest.

“The app has been recognised by the emergency services for its ability to locate exact areas that a person(s) can be found.”

It is important to note that the entire country of Mongolia has adapted what3words as the navigation system for their postal deliveries. The application provides more accurate addresses for the rural landscape and current advancements have created an arrangement in which Mongolian residents can also use what3words to locate ATM machines and banks.

Create really useful local guides

A prime example of the what3words app benefiting the rural economy would be the North Coast 500, a national landmark who have worked with Strut for just over a year to create their new and interactive website.

Navigate with confidence

The drive around the coastal beauty spots of Northern Scotland includes over 500 miles of rough Scottish Highlands terrain and is the poorest part of Scotland for signal and data coverage. In this region and on this route, there are so many gorgeous and spectacular sights including famous film locations off-the-beaten-track and unreachable via a postcode.

Hollywood has long used the Highlands of Scotland to capture beautiful and breath-taking secluded destinations for films. The Glenfinnan Viaduct in Harry Potter for the Hogwarts Express’s journey, the setting of Skyfall at Glen Etive (Glencoe) where 007’s upbringing was explained, Outlander fans might not find the stones of Craig na Dun but Kinloch Rannoch and Rannoch Moor are the inspiration for the books and TV series and the infamous Scottish film Braveheart used Glen Nevis Valley at the foot of Ben Nevis to showcase the village that young William Wallace grow up and fell in love in.

So, tourists in Scotland want to see these locations and relate them to the films and shows they like. But they are all so isolated and hard to pinpoint that they are not accessible to many, however the introduction of what3words can guide a tourist to the exact setting that they are looking for. Thus, creating a better experience in rural destinations for holidays and Scottish getaways.

So, what3words can help users in emergency situations, and to find tricky locations. But how can what3words affect businesses? 

Well, if you are in a rural setting, share your existing postcode with other establishments or live in an area without good signal coverage- what3words can identify your location and guide visitors to you. Taking customers directly to your door and improving your approachability, what3words can help to build better customer experience with a business and its customers.

“what3words connects to an individual’s maps on their mobile and creates direct routes to locations by identifying the lines of longitude and latitude with the postcode to create a more accurate search.”

Scotland as a whole has a poor signal coverage, OpenSignal has identified that 4G signal in Scotland can only be accessed 50% of the time, causing communication issues between businesses and customers that are out with our control. By identifying the what3words location of your business and promoting it as your address, you are easily directing the public to your front door and hopefully erasing any miscommunications.

And how can a business add the what3word’s location to their website? 

A simple installation of the code to the bottom of your webpage allows for businesses to broadcast their what3words coordinates for customers and members of the public to locate. Strut has installed what3words addresses for Crieff Hydro and Luxury Hideaways – two rural businesses:

what3words is not only a simple way to improve CX, but can be relied upon as a safety measure for consumers in easing their navigation, creating clear instructions and taking the stress out of address finding, thus helping customers find you with ease. After all- no one wants to lose business simply because you could not be found.

If you think you’re business could benefit from the introduction of a what3words address, or if you just want to have a further chat about the advances that Strut could make to your business then contact us and see how we can help you.