App Development Strategy

The driving force behind the Internet of Things (IoT) is how companies can stay relevant to their consumer base. A key element of the Internet of Things is increased connectivity to all customers wherever they are. So, the question arises in every business whether it's the right time to build an app. Typically, this is an app your business wants customers to download to their Smartphones, tablets, or mobile devices. A brilliant app keeps users more connected to your brand.

The First Consideration: Expanding Your Consumer Base

It's quite possible that a handy mobile app will open up a new market for your business. Consumers who've never heard of your company will start to download the app and complete their transactions, instantly growing your company. This is something to project, but it's hard to know with any certainty how exponential it could become until the app launches. That's why it has to be a great app that fits the current market landscape. 

The Second Consideration: Employee Productivity

In addition to increasing revenues through market expansion, a big consideration is if greater employee productivity can offset the cost of building the app. Study whether employees will have less work to do with a new app in place. Another way to look at this factor is that, by making transactions with customers less labor intensive, employees can focus on new initiatives. For example, when users input their personal information into a mobile app, there is less data entry for employees to perform.   

The Third Consideration: How to Engineer the App

Over time, it's common for businesses to consider investing in IT application development. For example, businesses pay for enterprise resource planning solutions and customer relationship management software. They decide whether to: (a) start from scratch, (b) buy an existing product, or (c) ask a company to customize a similar app for their business. Study the cost of creating an app from the perspective of reverse engineering. Instead of going to a blank drawing board, ask a company that has already created an app for another business to reverse engineer that app so that it fits your operating needs. And, of course, you want to make it in the IT firm's interest to create the best app for your market. That's how you steal the business from competitors and dominate the market. 

The Fourth Consideration: Are You Ready for the Growth?

An app can quickly explode in your company's proverbial face. You have to have a plan in place to quickly augment your customer service staff and IT staff if this happens. Customers, both old and new, get frustrated if they try to transact business with your company on an app and you cannot keep up with the demand or resolve the technical issues.

The question -  Does Your Company Need an App? - is a huge consideration that requires laying the groundwork. Talk to different software development companies that develop web and mobile apps. Have in hand a list of general requirements for what you want the app to do before you approach them. Typically, IT companies will quote a wide range of prices for app development. Ultimately, you should choose a company that fits your budget, that employs people who can work with your staff collaboratively and creatively, and that can reasonably meet your deadline for the app launch. You don't have to choose an IT firm that has developed a similar app in the past, but you do want to select a company with evidence of successful apps. Talk to their customers and see what kinds of success they have had with previous apps. This is your chance to carve out a new market position. 

For more ideas on application development, please contact us.